All Chapters of After Losing Us Both: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

I was alone in a strange city. When I opened the door at eleven in the morning, I wasn't prepared at all.But the moment I saw that couple standing outside, my heart dropped.My first instinct was to run.Run, fast.Otherwise, they'd send me back to that godforsaken mountain valley again.I didn't think about anything else. I turned to grab my sister's ashes.But I had barely taken one step before someone seized my arm.I was wrenched around, and the next second, a slap landed hard across my face."You're running now? Now you know fear? Where was that fear when you and your sister skipped school together?"I sent you to a hard place on purpose, so you could lose that arrogance, work hard, and prepare for your exams. If I hadn't seen your comment on Jenna's post, I'd have thought you two had finally gone quiet because you'd learned to try!"Looking at that man's flushed, furious face, a chill rose inside me.He was my father.But it was exactly that title that gave him the n

Chapter 2

My father glared at me for a long time. In the end, my mother snatched the knife away."This time we'll take you back ourselves. If you can't fix that rotten temper, you can stay there for the rest of your life!"I sat nearby without speaking.After we boarded the plane, my mother actually sighed and reached for my hand.I dodged her.She froze, then put on that same look of bitter parental concern."Clara, I never thought you'd hate us this much."You and Claire are our biological daughters. Your father and I only did this because we wanted better for you."Jenna lost both her parents. If you two could've gotten along with her, that would've been fine. But you were spoiled from childhood and couldn't stand to have anyone else around."I gave a smile uglier than crying."Did you ever catch Claire and me bullying her? Did you ever have proof?"You sent us to the mountains to study, but before we even got there, someone knocked us out and sold us to traffickers. We barely esca

Chapter 3

I didn't want to kneel, but my father's bodyguards forced me down.Every time the bamboo switch fell, my back burned."I sent you to a simple, honest place to wash the stink of money off you, and look at what you've become. Absolutely disgraceful!"Where's your sister? Tell her to come back now!"The front door suddenly opened.For one dazed second, the timing was so perfect I almost wondered if Claire had truly come back.But the person who ran in was Jenna.The moment she entered, she threw herself into my mother's arms."Aunt Diane..."My parents' voices softened on instinct.My father, who had just been ready to tear me apart, even put the bamboo switch away at once, afraid of scaring his sweet niece."Jenna, why did you come back so suddenly?"You traveled all that way from overseas. Why don't you take better care of yourself?"If you wanted to come home, you should've told us. Your aunt would have sent the private jet. We have the means. Why squeeze onto a commercial

Chapter 4

Hearing that, even Jenna, usually so good at pretending, couldn't hide the glee on her face.But I had just clawed my life back from hell. I no longer cared about money.Dragging my battered body, I turned and left. Every part of me felt like it was coming apart.Back in my room, I took a shower.When I stood before the mirror and saw the scars scattered all over my body, my nose stung.Anger and grief surged up together, and the tears finally came.These wounds were nothing. I had long since gone numb to my parents' words.But I missed Claire.My heart ached for everything she'd been put through.Before she died, she had clutched my hand and still tried to wipe the tears from my face.She had told me to be good, to not hate anyone for her sake."Clara, I'm finally free now."There were still traces of my sister in this house.I lay on her bed and wrapped myself tightly in her blanket.A bed this simple had once been something my sister and I didn't even dare dream of.T

Chapter 5

For one second, he froze.Then, the very next second, he smashed the urn against the wall."You've really learned to say anything now, haven't you."The box split open, and my sister's ashes scattered across the floor.In that moment, my heart died too."That's my sister!"Burning tears in my eyes, I ran over and scooped the ashes back into the box handful by handful.Tears struck the floor one drop after another. At last, I broke down completely.I turned and screamed at them with everything in me."Why? Why do you never believe a single word I say?"Claire is dead. She's already dead!"She never got anything good while she was alive. Now that she's gone, why do you still have to trample on her like this?"My vision blurred with tears. Sobs choked me.I hated them.I hated that they had never once been willing to listen to me or my sister.My parents exchanged a glance and frowned.But what came out of their mouths was still this:"Haven't you ever heard the story of

Chapter 6

My mother's hands cradled my head, but when she lifted them away, her palms were stained completely red.Someone's tears fell onto my face.How revolting.When I woke again, an entire week had passed.There wasn't a single person at my bedside. In the end, the woman in the next bed pressed the call button for me.Every tiny movement made my whole body ache.I whispered, "I... I'm still alive..."The nurse smiled at me. Somehow, she looked a little like my sister."You spent five days in the ICU before you were out of danger. You've got several fractures too. You pulled through against all odds, sweetheart. Good things must be waiting for you after this."I'll go let your family know. Get some rest."Later, someone shook me out of my sleep.When I opened my eyes, my mother's eyes were swollen from crying, and my father stood behind her with an awkward look on his face."Clara, you're awake. Does anything hurt?"Why would you do something so reckless? If you had something to

Chapter 7

This time, they didn't hit me or curse me.They just slammed the door and walked out.Jenna's frightened, shocked expression vanished in an instant. She sat down on my bed, smug and pleased.Only then did I understand.All they knew was that my sister had died.They had never looked into what actually happened to us.If they knew everything my sister and I had endured, they would never have reacted like that."So, Clara, what would you call this?"Karma? Or just getting what you deserve?"I couldn't move. If I could have, I would have strangled her.Her eyes grew more venomous, her whole face slowly twisting."Claire is already dead. Why couldn't you have died out there too?"I stared at her without blinking, my dark eyes as still as a dead pond."Claire and I never did anything to you. Why do you hate us so much?"At that question, Jenna suddenly grew agitated."Are you really that stupid, or just pretending?"Once the two of you are gone, the entire Voight fortune is

Chapter 8

Jenna got herself a shiny pair of handcuffs.She froze, then started shouting all over the station."Wait, are you people out of your minds? On what grounds are you arresting me?"I'm only here to handle some paperwork. Do you even know who I am? I'm the only child of the richest family in the city now. You could say I'm their only daughter. How dare you put cuffs on me?"Her voice was loud. The two people who'd just been led away heard it and came running back.When they saw Jenna, they opened fire on me first, exactly as always."I knew you were up to no good. What are you trying to pull?"I looked at them calmly and said, one word at a time:"Your business is done. Now it's time to settle what happened to my sister and me."The officer took it from there."Jenna Reed is suspected of conspiring with human traffickers and taking part in a trafficking case that indirectly caused a death."The evidence is now conclusive. Please cooperate with us."The couple didn't grasp wha

Chapter 9

I booked the next flight out and went to whatever city it happened to be heading to.The whole circus was finally over.I found a quiet place with beautiful scenery and settled down.Then I buried my sister just behind where I lived.It felt so good not to have to be on guard against people every waking moment.When I had nothing to do, I'd sit out by her grave.Just like the days when she was still beside me."Claire, do you like the spot I picked for you?"Life had become wonderfully peaceful.But a week later, two unwelcome visitors showed up.I'd expected as much.They were billionaires, after all. Finding one person was nothing to them."Clara..."Diane came running toward me in tears, even stumbling on the path."Clara, Clara, please don't shut us out."We know we were wrong. Everything that happened before, it was all a terrible misunderstanding, we weren't thinking straight."We're your own flesh and blood. Blood is thicker than water."Clara, won't you just ta

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