All Chapters of The Replacement Daughter: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

As the 'candies' dissolved in my mouth, the bitter taste spread across my tongue. I doubled over, gagging as acid and saliva stained my mouth.These were the same ones Mom had hidden in the back of her closet three years ago. Back then, she would sit on the edge of my bed late at night, her eyes empty and hollow as she whispered, "Why are you still alive?"I was finally giving Mom what she had always wanted.I was wearing a boy's school uniform, the collar frayed and worn. It used to be Beau Campbell's, but it had stopped fitting me a long time ago. Even so, Mom insisted I keep wearing it because it made me look more like Beau.I could hear her laughter drifting from the living room, soft and tender in a way I had never heard before. She was rubbing her belly and talking to Dad."The doctor said it's definitely a boy this time. Look how smooth this pregnancy is going," she cooed, her voice sickeningly sweet. "Soon I won't have to look at that disgusting little face anymore."I wa

Chapter 2

Mom turned to leave and accidentally kicked the bed frame. Only then did she glance impatiently at my body on the bed, frowning as she snapped, "Still sleeping? The sun's already up! Get up and make breakfast. Are you trying to starve the baby and me?"I floated right in front of her and tried to talk to her, but she could not hear me. After that, she shuffled out in her slippers, humming a lullaby under her breath.From the living room, I could hear Dad cracking eggs, and Mom's voice chiming in. "Add two extra spoonfuls of sugar. Beau always loved sweet things."I drifted to the kitchen doorway and watched Dad plate the pancakes, noticing that they were heart-shaped. I used to love pancakes like that too, but ever since Beau died, Dad only made round ones. He said Beau did not like anything too fancy.Mom took the plate and carefully placed it in the center of the dining table, as if she were presenting some precious treasure."Go wake her up for breakfast," Mom told Dad, her ton

Chapter 3

Mom had promised to buy the crib for Beau's birthday, but he died before his birthday ever came. The crib was finally here, and its little owner was about to return in another form.Mom suddenly looked up as if sensing something and glanced in my direction. I quickly floated up to the ceiling as her eyes swept across the empty living room. She frowned briefly before lowering her head to rock the crib again.She whispered, "Beau, I'm waiting for you to come back. I'll never let you leave again."I looked at her profile and felt nothing. I did not feel sad at all. She was finally getting Beau back, and I, the replacement, could disappear for good. This way, everyone could be happy.On the third morning, someone pounded on the door downstairs so hard as if they wanted to break it down.I floated to the living room and watched Mom irritably open the door to find Sofea standing there."Mrs. Campbell," Sofea said, her expression serious. "Lily hasn't been to school for three days, and

Chapter 4

"Lily?" Dad's voice trembled as he called my name. Then, he checked my pulse before his body collapsed onto the floor.Mom was startled by his reaction and leaned closer, reaching out to check my breathing. Her hand shook violently, and she nearly fell over."No... T-That's impossible," she mumbled as she stared at my face. "She's faking it... She has to be faking it!"Dad pulled out his phone with shaking hands to call 911, but Mom lunged forward and grabbed it."Don't! You can't call anyone!" Her voice cracked with tears. "If people find out she's dead, they'll say we abused her! Beau hasn't been born yet... We can't have this on our record!""She's our daughter!" Dad roared, losing his temper with Mom for the first time ever. "Look at her! She's only seven years old! How can you be so heartless?!"He shoved Mom aside and dialed 911, choking out our address through his sobs.Mom sat on the floor staring at my body on the bed, and suddenly she started crying. It was not the ang

Chapter 5

The hospital corridor stretched endlessly, and the harsh fluorescent lights cast my parents' haggard figures, making everything feel unbearably bleak.I floated in midair, watching Dad cradle my body and cry like a child. He stroked my cheek over and over, calling my name. "I'm so sorry, Lily. I should never have stayed silent. I should never have let you suffer so much."Mom collapsed to her knees and crawled over to hug my legs, her tears dripping onto my clothes. "Lily, please forgive me... I didn't mean it! I just missed Beau so much. Come back! I'll buy you dresses and let you grow your hair long. You can do whatever you want, and I'll never force you again."I watched them fall apart, yet there was not a shred of satisfaction in me–only an overwhelming sadness.If only they had treated me like this.That night, my parents returned home. Nothing had changed in the house, and it was still filled with traces of Beau everywhere. His photo hung on the living room wall, his toys l

Chapter 6

When I got home from school, my uniform was covered in dirt, my knees were scraped raw with holes worn through, and blood seeped through the fabric.Dad crouched down and carefully cleaned the wound. His touch was gentle, and his eyes rimmed with red. "Lily, you didn't deserve any of this.""Dad, I want to be myself," I begged, tugging at his sleeve. "I want to wear dresses and grow my hair long. I don't want to be Beau anymore."Dad's hands paused, and he shook his head. "Just wait a little longer. Once your Mom's emotions stabilize, I'll talk to her about it."However, that wait stretched on and on, and the bullying at school only got worse. Dylan and a few other boys constantly harassed me, calling me a 'freak' and a 'monster'.One time during gym class, they cornered me in the bathroom and tried to strip off my clothes to prove I was a girl.The cold tile pressed against my skin as my screams were drowned out by their laughter, and the tears burned down my cheeks as humiliatio

Chapter 7

That night, I floated beside Mom's hospital bed. As I stared at her haggard appearance, I felt a strange ache in my heart.I whispered, "Mom, I don't blame you anymore. I know you just loved Beau so much; it's just that the way you loved him ended up hurting me. If there's a next life, I don't want to be your daughter again."Mom's emotions remained unstable, and the doctor said she needed to stay for observation so the stress would not affect the baby.I floated around the hospital room, watching her stroke her belly as tears fell onto the blanket. She mumbled, "Beau, Lily's gone. I'm so sorry."Dad sat by the bed, handing Mom a peeled apple. "From now on, we'll take good care of Beau and visit Lily often. We'll make up for everything we owe her."Mom took the apple and bit into it, tears streaming down again. "I always thought she was just a replacement, but now that she's gone, I realize she was her own person... My precious Lily, not anyone's shadow."She stared out the windo

Chapter 8

A sudden wave of sadness washed over me. If only Mom could have treated me like this before, how wonderful that would have been.After leaving the hospital, Mom cleaned my room until it sparkled. She put away Beau's photo and replaced it with my only picture wearing a dress. Agatha had secretly taken it on my last birthday when I was wearing the dress she had given me. I was smiling so happily.Mom placed the photo on my desk and wiped it clean every single day. She also moved the blue crib back into my room and positioned it by the window."Lily," she said softly, stroking the crib, "this was supposed to be for Beau, but it's for you now. You never got to sleep in a crib when you were little... I'm making it up to you now."She made up the crib with pink sheets embroidered with little flowers that perfectly matched the dress Agatha had given me.Agatha came by every day to help Mom cook and keep her company. She would tell Mom stories about me at school: how I protected other stu

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