All Chapters of Mom, I Don't Blame You Anymore: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Mom always said that to ensure every piece of clothing I wore was completely sterile, the washing machine at home had only one setting—212-degree-Fahrenheit high-temperature wash.The moment the scalding water from the inlet hit my skin, blisters erupted all over. Even the slightest touch sent a surge of pain through me, so intense it made me want to curl up and roll on the floor.During the brief pause between water cycles, I hammered desperately on the washing machine lid. "Mom, help! I'm in here! I'm in so much pain!"My feet, submerged in the piping water, had long scalded a layer of skin away.Mom's low, furious growls echoed from the living room. "Stop making noise! Gosh, you're loud! I swear I'll deal with you if you wake Maple up from her nap!"My pleas for help became stuck in my throat. Suddenly, I recalled the time I accidentally fell down the stairs while trying to deliver Mom's phone to her, which she had carelessly left at home.At that time, she scolded, "You're do

Chapter 2

"Alright," Dad said, his voice softening. "I'll make Willow apologize to you for what she did wrong. Let's eat first. If we starve her, you'll only end up feeling bad about it again."Mom looked away, but still reached for four sets of plates and cutlery, and even the little cat-shaped spoon I had always wanted. My heart softened a little.That was just how she was. She could sound harsh, but she meant well.Dad opened my room door. It was empty. "Hey, Willow isn't in her room. Did she hide somewhere because she's upset?"He immediately turned and headed toward the laundry room."She's gone too far this time. Don't go looking for her!" Mom spat out, fury blazing in her eyes. "Let's see how long she can hide. She barely gets scolded and already throws a tantrum like this."She slammed the cutlery down onto the table. "She must've gone out to find her friends. Can you imagine? A girl her age, running off to play as if nothing had happened, just after hurting her sister. She's just

Chapter 3

The moment the door handle turned, I stopped breathing. It felt like even my heart had gone still."Hey, why are there wounds on your arm, Maple?" Dad exclaimed in shock.Footsteps immediately changed direction. Mom shrieked, "It must be Willow. It has to be her! She just can't stand that we treat Maple well, so she's been secretly hurting her!"No, it wasn't me. It was Billy the Bully!I circled anxiously around Mom, trying to make her understand. Maple could neither speak nor write. She just cried, shaking her head repeatedly.Mom held her tight, tears pouring down her face. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have tried to bring you and your sister closer. I gave that monster the chance to hurt you!"Don't worry, I'll protect you from now on. I won't ever let her hurt you again!"I stood there, staring at Mom. Then, I lowered my head and looked at the cuts scattered across my arms and legs. They were older, more numerous, and far worse than Maple's.It had been a long time si

Chapter 4

The washing machine, which had stopped spinning when my severed foot got caught, began filling with water again and resumed its cycle.Oh, no. This time, Mom's favorite washing machine would actually break because of me.I slammed hard against the machine, desperately trying to make it stop, but it only spun faster and faster. Slowly, blood-soaked foam began seeping out through the gaps."Mrs. Thompson, look at my son! Your deranged daughter did this to him!"My ears perked up, and I instantly recognized it as Billy the Bully's mother, Mama Bully. She used to complain all the time. Every time, Mom would stand up for me and drive her off with a scolding.I covered my mouth and giggled, drifting out to see how long it would take before Mom chased her away again."That goddamn child! I'm so sorry, truly," Mom said, her face awfully grim. "I know it must be Willow's fault. Don't worry, I'll make her apologize to your son soon."What was Mom talking about? My chest tightened all at o

Chapter 5

"Police. Open the door."The knocking wasn't loud, but every knock landed right on Mom's chest."We need to come in and do a routine check."Mom stood in the doorway and wouldn't budge. "No. My daughter is asleep right now. You'll wake her."She shot a look of disgust at the blood-tinged foam slowly spreading across the living room floor. "It's just a prank from my other daughter. You can save your time. That girl has been acting unhinged lately."I can't believe she's smeared this filthy stuff all over the place! Once she's home, I'll make sure she gets a beating from me!"The neighbor stood outside, frowning. "Willow's not that kind of kid. She's well-behaved and even feeds the stray cats around the neighborhood all the time.""Exactly," another chimed in. "Those cats follow her everywhere. They rub up against her legs whenever they see her."Someone suddenly thought of something and looked puzzled. "Now that you mention it… I haven't seen her feed the cats these past couple

Chapter 6

"Where did that brat get human blood? This is disgusting!" Mom complained behind the officers after failing to stop them."And where the heck is Hector? I can't believe she went to buy blood! She's getting out of hand! I am not giving her any pocket money starting from today!"A sour ache rose in my chest. Even then, Mom hadn't once wondered if something had happened to me. To her, I was just a troublemaker.Then again, a bad kid like me probably deserved whatever came my way. I lowered my head and let out a hollow laugh.As the police moved closer to the laundry room, the color of the blood grew darker. There were even tiny bits of flesh mixed in.The younger officer looked pale. "What's that? The smell's not right…"The older officer turned solemn and snapped his head at Mom. "What's inside the laundry room?""The washing machine, obviously. What else?" she replied with a dismissive curl of her lip."I heard you mention you have another daughter. Where is she right now? When

Chapter 7

Mom leaned against the wall, completely hollowed out, as if something inside her had been ripped away. Her fingers dug into the peeling plaster. Her eyes were blank.The police carefully collected what remained of my body.She lunged forward, reaching out desperately, only to grasp at the air. "Willow!"All night, Mom stayed on her knees, scrubbing the floor and the washing machine over and over again. Even after she cleaned it, fresh blood from her own broken skin kept smearing the surfaces dirty again."It can't be… It can't be Willow. She's just upset with me. Once I clean everything up, she'll come back and see I wasn't scared. Then, she'll admit she pulled the prank."The next second, she shook her head violently. "No, it's my fault! I shouldn't have locked her in the washing machine! Why didn't she scream or struggle? Was she not in pain…"No, it's not my fault! It was she who was wrong first! She shouldn't have hurt Maple. If she hadn't done anything wrong, I wouldn't have

Chapter 8

The elderly couple's eyes were so swollen that it was hard to tell if they had slept at all. It looked like they had been crying for a long time. They were none other than Grandpa and Grandma."The police called us and said… Willow is gone," Grandpa said through gritted teeth. "Where is she? We're here to take her home."His fists were clenched so tightly his whole body trembled. Grandma's legs were already weak to begin with, and now, she could barely stand.Mom didn't look at them at all. She was still holding onto the washing machine.Suddenly, Dad dropped to his knees in front of them. The impact was so heavy that it almost sounded like something in his knees broke."We were the ones who refused to let you take her back then… We insisted we could take care of both children, but now… I've failed Willow. I'm a monster!"Grandma's voice was already hoarse from crying. "The police didn't tell us how she died. I only want to know if she'd suffered in her last moments. Also, we wan

Chapter 9

No one noticed Mom leaving except me.She went first to find Billy the Bully. "Hey, Billy. Come over here. You hit Willow before, didn't you? I'm here to reward you!"Billy the Bully lit up at that and ran over without hesitation. The next second, the knife was lodged straight into his chest. Blood splattered across Mom's face."Billy!" Mama Bully screamed, rushing toward them. "You crazy bitch! I'm going to kill you!"Mom threw another drawing onto Billy the Bully. It was one Maple had made last night, showing how he used to bully us. "Whoever hurts my daughters must pay with blood."Mom's gaze was like a blade, cutting straight toward Mama Bully.Faced with that look, Mama Bully could only shrink back against the wall, trembling as she called for an ambulance. She didn't dare step forward or fight back.Following that, Mom went to the homes of the other children who had bullied Maple and me at school.She used the same trick every time, and it worked on every single one of th

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