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Home / Emotional Realism Short Story / What's Left of Me / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of What's Left of Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

11 Chapters

Chapter 1

My father Harry was screaming behind me, "Jojo! Stop!!!"I was already at the window, but a hand caught my ankles with a vice-like grip. Thud.My upper body struck the windowsill with a dull sound, and I gritted my teeth to bear with the familiar pain.After all, anyone at school who complained about pain wasn't allowed to eat."Help! Wanda! Josie! Hurry!!!" Harry screamed at the top of his lungs.My mom Wanda, and my sister Josie eventually came to their senses and rushed over, pulling me away from the window.I struggled as I fell on the carpet, but I soon stayed down limply as if boneless."Have you lost your mind?!" Wanda was shaking with rage as she strode over, glaring downward at me. "Playing suicide as soon as you get back?! So you've learned emotional blackmail now?!"I couldn't understand her long sentences, only that I'd failed to kill myself as ordered, and here came the punishment.My whole body trembled at the thought, but I quickly moved and stayed on my knees

Chapter 2

A stressful silence loomed over the house for the next few days.I was made to live in the room the maids used on the first floor, because Josie said I looked like a sorry mess and I might sneak into Will's room to strangle him.I never argued—paradise was any place I could lie down without being jolted.At six in the morning, I was promptly woken up by my biological clock—those who didn't do so at school would be made to run in the field until they passed out.I quickly got dressed, my movements stiff and machinelike.As I stepped outside, I saw a piece of bread left over from last night.I didn't take it, instead standing at attention beside the table, my hands clasped over my groin as I stood still like a statue.Eventually, Wanda came downstairs, frowning as she saw me standing there, and snapped, "What are you doing, just standing there? Eat."Eat.That was an order.I promptly grabbed the bread and went to crouch by a corner to chew. At the school, we only had three m

Chapter 3

Wanda's furious roar rang throughout the whole house.I was standing there at the end of the hallway, stiff like a log.Will's face was pale as he hid behind Harry. "Sorry… I saw him coming this way, and I wanted to talk to him. But he pushed me, and the vase…""Joseph Lars!!!" Wanda strode up right then, seized me by my collar, and lifted me into the air.She was strong, and I started suffocating, but I didn't fight back.Because at school, that meant worse punishment.Meanwhile, Wanda kept yelling, "It's my only keepsake from Will's mother! Why did you break it?! Do you hate Will so much that you have to destroy everything that has to do with him?!"I watched her as her mouth moved and spoke one word after the other, but my brain just couldn't process any of it.All I could see was that she was furious, and that she was shaking with rage."Say something! Are you mute?! You used to lie so much!" she kept bellowing, and she suddenly flung me.I hit my head on a cupboard wall,

Chapter 4

Three days later, my family was home, with Will bringing Wanda a plate of scrumptious food. "Have a taste. It's my own cooking!""You're the best, Will," Wanda said, smiling and nodding.She then glanced at the empty seat at the table and growled, "So? Where has that rotten apple gone to now? Did he come back?""Who cares, Mom?" Josie groaned, sipping her soup nonchalantly. "He was only wearing one shoe when he left—probably waiting for us to pick him up from under a bridge. He has always liked playing hard to get like that, so he'll crawl back to us on his own if we just ignore him."Harry looked a little uncomfortable. "It's been three days, and it's always pouring out there. And he didn't have money…""You're such a softie as always, sir," Will said, smiling as he assured Harry, "He's smart—he can definitely take good care of himself. Maybe he just went looking for his unseemly friends…"That was when the doorbell rang urgently, and Josie burst out laughing. "See? Speak of the

Chapter 5

Harry's shrill cries shattered the silence. "Jojo… Jojo!!!" he cried, scrambling to grab the old officer's wrist and clenching so hard that his knuckles turned pale. "Please take me with you, officer! I want to save my son!"With tears all over his face, he was no longer prim and proper like the billionaire he was, but a father caught in despair instead.Wanda was panicking too. "Yes, yes! Let's go, officer! I'm rich—we could get a chopper. I'll even post a bounty to get my son back—""Wait, let's just all breathe for a moment."But while everyone else was getting worried, Will spoke, his tone calm and tentative as he went up to hold Wanda's hand.With a twinkle in his eye, he continued, "Joseph's always so smart. Why would he get into someone's car just like that? Don't you think it's staged, and the woman's a paid actress? He must've been upset after we scolded him the other day and wanted to scare us, so that we'd care…"Silence ensued.Clinging on to hope, Josie also promp

Chapter 6

Meanwhile, I was completely unaware of the chaos back home.After journeying over two days and three nights, the van that stank of sweat, tobacco, and pee finally stopped in front of a rundown village at the foot of a towering mountain.While I was dragged out of the van like a rag doll, someone yelled at the hut from the van, "Special delivery!"A fiftyish geezer stepped out, rubbing his hands together.His teeth were yellowed and the rest of him stank, and his eyes sparkled when he saw me. He was almost drooling as he reached out to hold my jaw. "Oh, this is a fine piece! But why does he look a little stupid?"I didn't move, as I was trained to accept inspection without question.I kept my eyes open, numb as he touched me all over across my face and neck with his filthy hands."Well, stupid is good—as long as you're able-bodied and not running away!"With that, the geezer dragged me by my hair inside the damp hut that stank of mold.He threw me a rag with a serial number, so

Chapter 7

Those words were a knife dipped in poison and plunged into everyone's heart.Harry suddenly stopped crying, his eyes wide in disbelief as he looked into my lifeless eyes.Overwhelmed by agony, he collapsed, passing out again.Wanda was on her knees, slapping herself hard while bawling.As the lights of the patrol cars illuminated the clearing outside the village—a place of grievous sins—Black Dog was taken straight toward one of the cars, and she hung her head in despondency.Will was hiding behind Wanda, his eyes flashing in spite and frustration as he bit his lip.How incompetent was Black Dog that she couldn't even hide one mindless worm?!However, Black Dog was just about to get into a patrol car when she looked up at the crowd.Her eyes widened when she saw Will behind Wanda, and she suddenly shrugged off the officers holding her without an ounce of self-regard."You!" she shrieked as if mad, pointing at Will as she bellowed, "You rat! You sold me out!"Her sudden outbur

Chapter 8

Both Wanda and Josie felt like the world had just ended upon hearing that."Why… Why would you do that, Will?" Josie murmured.Wanda's lips were trembling as she dropped Will's hand and pointed at his face, and it took her a long while until she managed to speak. "H-How could you do this? How would you face your mother?"However, Will knew the game was over—there was no need to pretend now, so he briskly ripped off his pitiful mask.He suddenly laughed so hard that his tears were coming out, but it was a sick and twisted laugh.Then, when he was done, he pointed at Wanda and bellowed, "My mother?! The audacity of you mentioning her! You keep saying that she's like a sister to you, so why is she dead while you're alive?!"I'm an orphan, while you live in your big house and drive fancy cars, and your son gets doted on by the entire family! Why?!"Smack!A sudden loud slap cut Will's hysterics short.Harry had leaped up, mustering strength out of nowhere to slap him viciously acr

Chapter 9

As the doctor finished, Harry was left thunderstruck, his knees buckling as he collapsed on the bench.Burying his face in his palms, he sobbed in despair.Josie was clawing at her own hair as she hit her head repeatedly against the wall. "I… I did this… If I hadn't snapped at him… He wouldn't have tried to jump… or run away…"That was when the police detective in charge arrived, his face grim as he took out a file. "Mr. and Mrs. Lars, we've had a breakthrough on the abuse case involving your son, Joseph Lars."Will Zimmich has confessed to everything. For five years, he would visit Virtue School, not to visit Joseph but to pay off the administration. The money you gave him as pocket money was spent on bribing everyone, from the teachers to the principal himself."He was very specific that Joseph's 'therapy' must be worse than everyone else's. If the others got level three shock therapies, Joseph would get level eight. If the others were grounded for one day, Joseph would be groun

Chapter 10

Then, breathing a long sigh and wiping his tears, Harry's eyes became sharp and determined.After being deceived by his family and that demon into destroying his own son, he would not back down at all."I'm divorcing you, Wanda," he said slowly and clearly, his words devoid of warmth.Wanda panicked. "Just calm down, Harry…""Oh, but I'm really calm." Harry chuckled coolly. "I've told my sister too."That was when the door swung open. Helen Lars, the CEO of Lars Corporation and my father's elder sister, strode in with four black-clad bodyguards and two sharply dressed lawyers in tow. Seeing her nephew looking less than human, lying on the sick bed, Helen's eyes flashed murderously.She then strode up to Wanda, growling icily, "Our mother had always refused to let a penniless bum like you marry my brother. But you begged on our knees at our doorstep, saying that you'd do right by him… Now, it's clear that all you deserve is your dead comrade's rotten seed."My lawyers have dr

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