Lahat ng Kabanata ng Dates Ended in Death, Mom Ended up Famous: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

After I was kicked out of the house, I was very upset and went back to my university. I applied to stay on campus for the holidays and didn't return home for the next six months.Mom never once reached out to me during that time. It was as if she'd blocked me for good. It seemed she'd hidden her Instagram stories from me as well.After graduating from university, I started an internship at a company. Lawrence Smith, one of my peers from university, started pursuing me as well.He didn't care about my past and wanted to be with me no matter what.A year later, we held our engagement party.I didn't manage to sleep properly during the days leading up to the event. I consoled myself repeatedly, reminding myself that everything should be fine now that Mom and I were far apart.It felt like a great weight had been lifted from my chest when I saw the party go smoothly.But toward the end of it, Lawrence covered my eyes in a secretive manner and told me he had a surprise for me.An un

I banged my fists on the door as hard as I could, wanting Mom to let me out.All of a sudden, a wave of dizziness hit me, and I fainted.In my hazy, unconscious state, I seemed to hear a faint rustling sound coming from outside the door. It sounded like a terrifying serpent slithering along the floor, seeking its next prey.I had no idea how much time had passed before I finally opened my eyes, only to meet Captain Olson's gaze. He'd hurried over to the house after what had happened.With a sigh, Captain Olson said, "Your mother committed suicide, Ariel. You have my deepest condolences."My eyes widened in disbelief. "What the hell are you saying? How could this be?"But the moment my gaze landed on the body covered in a white sheet on the living room floor, I choked up.My birthday had become the day of Mom's death.I really was going to be all alone from now on.Captain Olson stood in front of me to block the body from view, fearing that I would be too overwhelmed. "Try not

I went to the nearby cliffs to pick some herbs for the ritual as per Grandma's instructions. The cliffs were incredibly steep and covered in thick vegetation. The air was filled with the rich scent of wet soil.I carefully identified the herbs Grandma had described to me—perilla, mugwort, sweet flag, and a plant of sorts called "black-jack" that was said to expel negative energies.I finally finished gathering all the herbs I needed after a long time, only to end up getting lost on the way back.I only managed to make it home after bumping into an old man who pointed the way back.As the sky darkened, I walked back to the house with the basket of herbs on my arm. My thoughts weighed heavily on my mind as complex emotions churned in my heart.Losing so many people in such a short amount of time had left me shaken.Grandma's words echoed repeatedly in my ears.Why did I have to be born with terrible luck? Why were things so unfair? Both Mom and Dad died because of me, while Lawr

Two days later, I was awoken by the sound of someone knocking frantically on my bedroom door."Ariel, Wayne will be discharged from the hospital today. Let's go and bring him home," Grandma said.After washing up, Grandma and I left for the hospital.She seemed to be in a good mood that day, judging by how the tension lines on her face had eased."Wayne has always been blessed. That bit of injury was just a fright, nothing more," Grandma said.I quietly listened to her as I sat in the front passenger seat. An uneasy feeling started to creep up in my chest.We headed straight for Wayne's room when we arrived at the hospital. He was seated at his bedside, having already packed his belongings.He nodded in greeting when he saw us, saying nothing."How do you feel? Does your head still hurt?" Grandma asked.Wayne shook his head. "I'm all good, Grandma. I just get a little dizzy sometimes, that's all."I stood to the side and looked at Wayne as a myriad of emotions churned within

Grandma's expression was one of pure disbelief as she lay there pressed against the ground."Did you know from the start? How could this be? My plan was foolproof!" she cried.I balled my hands into fists and said, "You were the one who learned dark magic and manipulated my mother into placing a love hex on her food and making my boyfriends eat it! "If they truly loved me, they would end up committing suicide. Afterward, the love hex dissolved without a trace. Yet you did all of that just so you could swap my fate with your precious grandson's when I turned 23?"Grandma was trembling with anger. "That's right! What right does a good-for-nothing child like you have to be born with such a blessed fate? I told your father to sell you off so we could swap your fate, yet he refused!"Since he disobeyed every single one of my orders all for you and your mother's sake, there was no need to keep him around any longer. Am I at fault here? Everything I did was for the Thornton family!" Gra