Semua Bab I Paid for Mom's Mistake: Bab 1 - Bab 7

My birthday wish when I turned 18 was to adopt Pepper, a stray cat in our neighborhood.After all, the ten minutes I spent playing with Pepper on my way home from school every day were the only time I felt alive.I knew Mom wouldn't agree to it, but I still mustered my courage and made the suggestion.As expected, Mom flew into a rage. "Your sister died and was robbed of everything she could've had, but you want to use my hard-earned money to feed a worthless stray? How on earth did I end up with such a wretched daughter like you?"Lowering my head, I insisted, "Pepper is a good cat. He can catch mice, and he doesn't eat a lot. It won't cost much to feed him. I… I can save up some pocket money to buy food for him."Mom was so mad that she started pacing around in circles with her hands on her hips. "If you can be so nice to a mere animal, why were you so cruel to your sister back then? Remember, you're the one who killed your sister, so you deserve to spend the rest of your life

I floated in the air as I watched my family walk away.I thought, "So I didn't even cause Bernette's death? Mom was the culprit all along, and she blamed it all on me just to make herself feel better?"The one thing I was incredibly reluctant to admit was that Mom never loved me at all.Returning to my senses, I drifted outside.I happened to hear Dad comforting Mom. "This isn't your fault. If Dahlia weren't such a glutton, this wouldn't have happened."Dad didn't care about me, either. He seemed rational and calm as he began writing my obituary and making the funeral arrangements. Meanwhile, Bernette was singing cheerfully in Mom's arms.After I died, the household became more peaceful than ever.At my funeral, whenever someone asked about how I died, Mom kept telling them I was being too greedy and mistook disinfectant for a drink.Aunt Greta discreetly pulled Mom aside. "You're the one who put the disinfectant in the wrong bottle, so how could you blame her for not knowing b

Mom suddenly snapped and screamed, "Why are you talking nonsense too? It couldn't have been me! Bernette was the apple of my eye. How could I possibly have killed her?"I didn't give Mom any chance to escape. "Mom, did you start believing in your own lies? You were the one who killed Bernette. It has always been you!"Aunt Greta's testimony, coupled with Mom's reaction, had everyone believing it almost immediately.Uncle Solomon seemed the most surprised. "So it really was you who filled the juice bottle with disinfectant, and Dahlia wasn't even around when Bernette drank it? Tessa, you can lie to yourself all you want, but you shouldn't have deceived us, too. Because of you, we've been acting like the bad guys all along."And why do you hate Dahlia so much? Is it just because she looks like our mom who abandoned us?"Mom opened her mouth, but she couldn't utter a single word.That meant that Uncle Solomon was right.Never in my dreams would I have expected that Mom would hate m

Mom opened her mouth, but she couldn't utter a single word.She forced a smile on her face. "I see. Take care out there."I nodded. Then, lugging my suitcase behind me, I left without even a glance back.When I arrived on campus, I got enrolled without any issues.No one there knew about my past, and I happily got along with all of my classmates.I noticed myself smiling more each passing day.I didn't dare slack off in my studies, but I also spent my free time working part-time jobs.I needed money, and lots of it, too. I needed enough to get away from Mom and live on my own.For Pepper's sake, I made it a point to go home once every semester.Pepper seemed to be putting on a little more weight every time I saw him, and he was getting quite cocky, too.By the looks of it, he was being fed well.He seemed to know what was going on, for he always chose me over Mom.In my fourth year, as I was nearing graduation, I went home once.Mom's condition seemed much better than befo