All Chapters of A Death Too Cruel, a Mother Unbound: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

"The victim is female, aged between 16 and 20, with the time of death estimated within the last three days."From what we could piece together so far… she was likely flayed before death, then smashed with a hammer or similar heavy object, resulting in widespread comminuted fractures throughout the body."In short, she likely endured a brutal, inhumane torture before death…"Listening to the forensic team's initial assessment, every officer at the scene couldn't help but inhale sharply. Even one of the younger female officers shed tears when she heard about how I'd brutally died.Mom, who soon arrived after the call, looked grim upon hearing the details.The lead police officer, Martin Beckett, greeted her upon noticing her arrival. "You're here, Amelia Reed. We need your help with the facial reconstruction.""No trouble at all. It's what I'm here for."Mom walked straight toward my body and asked, "Which case number is this?""The fifth, but the serial killer has escalated this

Chapter 2

Martin surveyed the neighborhood surroundings and couldn't help but remind Mom, "These burial sites are all close to Ellie's place. You should probably give her a heads-up and tell her to stay careful while she's at home."Disgust flashed in Mom's eyes at the mention of my name, and her grip around me tightened. "Don't bring her up in front of me! Nothing can possibly happen to her!"Martin paused while lighting a cigarette and sighed. "It has been so many years since the accident, so you should have let go by now."Regardless of what happened, Ellie is your biological daughter. Even as an outsider, I feel bad seeing how you've treated her all these years."Mom's eyes immediately reddened at the mention of the past. "If she hadn't lied about having a stomachache, Julian Hawthorne wouldn't have died, and neither would Juniper's parents!"She's a liar who got them killed. Unless she dies, I'll never forgive her for the rest of my life!"Even after 12 years, she clung to the stubbor

Chapter 3

After Mom adopted Juniper, I became the family's dirty secret and began living cautiously.My room was given to Juniper, my pretty dresses all went to her, and even the nice stationery had nothing to do with me anymore.I started taking on all the household chores—washing dishes, laundry, mopping, and sweeping. I did everything I thought might please Mom.When she had a fever in the middle of the night, I stayed up cooling her down with damp towels. Once, in mid-winter, she woke up and noticed that my hands were red and raw from the icy water I'd used to try to lower her fever. For a moment, I could feel her soften. That lasted until Juniper spiked a fever the next day. "Sure enough, you're quite a liar, Eloise. It was Juniper watching over me all night, yet you stole the credit just because she fell asleep for a bit."You lied and got people killed back then, and you're still lying now. How did I give birth to a daughter like you, Eloise?"Get out of my house, now!"Leaning

Chapter 4

"What did you just say? Who's… the victim?"Silence stretched out on the other end of the line, and only Martin's heavy breathing was heard. "Amelia, you need to come to the station and claim Ellie's body."Mom loosened her tight grip on the phone, which slipped from her hand and shattered instantly on the floor. In the small office, the voice on the other end was loud enough for everyone to hear the devastating news.Tears streamed down Grandma's wrinkled face. The blow was too much for her aged self, so she collapsed onto the couch, yet she fought to get up and trembled where she stood."Ellie… How could it be Ellie?"I-I have to see for myself. Ellie was such a good child, so she couldn't possibly be dead. Maybe the police made a mistake."She couldn't stop muttering, as if the words were the only thing holding her together on her way to the police station.Mom rushed over to hold her up. "It can't be, Caroline! They must've made a mistake! Ellie can't possibly be dead!"The

Chapter 5

Martin continued to press Mom about the contents of my last call."Didn't you hear anything unusual? We checked all the nearby security cameras, and we're certain she was taken captive. That call was very likely her final cry for help."For the first time, panic flickered across Mom's blank face. "No… She did call me, but she'd always lied, so how could I…"That was when she recalled the contents of our conversation that day. I'd called and asked a seemingly random question, "Mom, would you be happy if I died in the hands of a bad guy?"She remembered exactly how she'd answered. "You're still putting on an act to fight Juniper for attention, aren't you?"A bad guy, huh? Just go ahead and die so you'll stop bothering me!"She hung up before I could even respond. So, when the killer broke down the door and barged in, I calmly accepted my fate. But the pain of dying was worse than I'd imagined.Mom's lips trembled at the memory of the words she'd told me then.Martin closed his ey

Chapter 6

Seeing Mom sob until she collapsed on the floor, Martin led her aside and coldly said, "Since you still refuse to believe Eloise is dead, come with me to the scene. "Remember your professionalism. Don't ruin anything and make the investigation harder than it already is."He took her to the crime scene. Just one look was enough to make Mom nearly faint.The usually warm apartment now reeked of decay. Darkened bloodstains covered the walls and even splattered the ceiling. The door to the storage room, which Mom had locked, now had a gaping hole punched straight through its center. Shreds of clothing, splintered wood, and bits of flesh still clung to it.The entire living room was marked with trails of dragged blood.Trembling, Mom covered her mouth in horror, and her eyes were bloodshot. "Was she in a lot of pain when she died?""Pain? This was far beyond just pain. The torture lasted at least five hours."Mom couldn't listen to another word from Martin. She bolted out the door

Chapter 7

Martin's words might have stirred Mom's last shred of maternal love, because she started digging into everything that had happened between Juniper and me at school.What she found shocked her to the core, and her pale face grew more ashen as she discovered more.After she brought me back from the countryside, I'd secretly created a spam account, where I poured out my thoughts.When I placed first on an exam, I posted, "I got locked in the dark room again, but I never cheated. I was in first place. Why does Mom believe everything Juniper says and never listens to me?"When Mom celebrated Juniper's birthday, I wrote, "It's cake. I haven't had a birthday cake in so long. I want to celebrate my birthday too, but Mom said I don't deserve it, since I killed Dad and Juniper's parents…"On the day I died, I wrote what I felt when I was locked in the dark storage room. "I'm so tired that I don't think I can hold on anymore. Will Mom finally be happy if I'm dead?"Over 2,000 fragmented ent

Chapter 8

When Martin pushed open the front door, a pungent smell hit him hard. He stared blankly at Mom, who sat calmly on the couch, wiping a knife clean."Amelia…"Mom smiled up at him. "Oh, you're here."She gestured to one of the mutilated bodies on the floor and announced, "The serial killer is right here."Martin's gaze shifted to the second body and asked, "Is that Juniper?""Yeah. What a coincidence, right? The killer walked straight into my house, and I just happened to be here, but I wasn't going to let someone else kill a person I intended to kill myself."The serial killer had most likely targeted me because my mom was a highly respected criminal psychologist. He wanted to know how Mom, who'd always remained calm no matter the case, would react when her child was the victim.That was why he found a chance to come after me, but my death hadn't caused her grief the way he expected. After asking around, he realized he'd overlooked someone significant to Mom—Juniper. He chose t

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