All Chapters of They Spent My Lifeline: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

When my brain registered what I was reading, I immediately gripped the bank statement so hard that my knuckles turned white. My grip continued to tighten as my nails threatened to break skin.A piercing ring flooded my ears, swallowing the bustle of the bank lobby until it all faded into a distant blur.My body trembled uncontrollably. I desperately dialed my dad's number, my eyes wide and wild.The phone rang for quite a while before he picked up. I could hear laughter in the background. I could vaguely hear voices and the sharp slap of people playing cards.Then, my dad's familiar voice came, slow and languid. I could tell that he was talking with that faint smile he always wore. "Hey, Noah, what's with the call in the middle of the day? I'm a little busy right now. What is it? You feeling homesick?"I parted my lips, but all I could taste was the metallic tang rising in my throat. My voice came out hoarse and ragged. "Dad, where's the 800,000 in my account? What does this trans

I looked at the three of them.One face wore a mask of affection, but I could see the calculation flickering in the eyes. Another radiated authority, never even bothering to hide her heart of black ice. The last seemed guileless, but her eyes shone with a quiet cruelty.They didn't shout or raise a hand. Instead, their gentle and honeyed words all told me one thing. They wanted me to disappear forever.A bitter laugh escaped me. Whatever fragile ember I had left inside was finally snuffed out."I'm tired." I spoke quietly. "I want to go lie down.""See? That's more like it," my dad said with a sigh of relief, his smile returning to his face. "That's my boy. You've always been the reasonable sort. Go ahead, get some rest. You'll feel better afterward."I returned to the room that once belonged to me, now overflowing with Natalia's belongings. I was now a stranger in my own room. Everything in here was so alien that I could barely remember the time I'd spent here.Home had become

The cheers rose to a crescendo inside the hotel.Natalia wrapped her arms around her fiance, their kiss sparking another wave of jubilation. My parents glowed with pride, their smiles shining as if they ruled the world.Fireworks burst overhead, crowning the happiest, proudest moment of their lives.I lay curled up next to a dumpster in the alley behind the hotel, taking my last breath. In my hand, I still held the unclaimed 200-dollar transfer.Snow fell heavily, swiftly enveloping my fragile frame.It resembled a white blanket, softly hiding my pain, humiliation, and the ugliness I've had to endure in life.That was how my story came to an end, buried under the falsehood that they loved me.Natalia's engagement party had been a grand success, and my family, the Callahans, became the talk of the entire neighbourhood overnight....The next morning, my dad sent me a message through his pounding hangover.It wasn't to ask how I was feeling or where I had slept the night before

I eventually understood why my soul lingered on this mortal plane. I was meant to watch their reckoning play out before my eyes. When Natalia's fiance, Aiden Porter, learned of my death, he visited our house to express his sympathies to my parents. A stack of papers in the corner snagged his attention. He scooped them up, curiosity growing as he flipped through each page. They were bills and records for Natalia's car, Natalia's house, and various major purchases. However, every payment was made from an account under my name, Noah Callahan. Aiden's instincts kicked in right away. 'Something's off. Why has Noah covered all the major expenses in that family?' He kept reading. Then, he found my diagnosis report stating in black and white that I had been suffering from acute kidney failure. The dates on the report matched almost exactly those on the bills. As my body failed, my family quietly drained my savings to buy Natalia a car and a house. The realization hit Aiden so