All Chapters of A Family Portrait for the Family I Left: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

As my sister, Eva Fletcher, swept her gaze over my dust-covered work clothes, her tone became filled with both pity and mockery."What happened back then was indeed my fault. But how did you end up like this after you just walked away?"I continued adjusting the focus on my camera without a care, too uninterested to argue further. "If you still want to do the shoot, please hurry. Otherwise, the deposit is non-refundable."Joan Kennedy, my mother, repeatedly wiped the corners of her eyes and reached out to pull me over."A family photo only counts when the whole family is together. Mora, come stand with me."I dodged her hand. "When you made the appointment, didn't you say it was a family of four, consisting of three people and a dog? I see the dog is already in position. Would you mind returning to your seat and cooperating with the shoot?"The face of my father, William Fletcher, instantly turned livid. "How outrageous!"He jabbed his finger at me, almost poking my forehead. "W

Chapter 2

The screech of brakes came from Caleb's end of the line.He said, "Honey, wait for me at the shop. I'll have my secretary cancel the dinner. I'm coming to you right now."Caleb only knew that my relationship with my biological parents was bad and that we had cut ties long ago. He didn't know the details of my past.Hearing the panic in his voice, I suddenly changed my mind and said, "Don't cancel it. I'll go with you tonight."After hanging up the phone, I stared at the photo I had accidentally taken when my hand shook just now and fell into deep thought.In the picture, Mom was frowning, Dad had his fists clenched, and Eva stood with her arms crossed. Next to them, the dog had its tongue hanging out, wearing the same eager-to-please expression I used to have as a child.The fact that my family didn't love me was something I had understood since I was a child. Back then, the sentence I heard the most from Mom and Dad was, "Your life exists because of Eva's pain."Eva had severe

Chapter 3

Eva hadn't actually run away at all. She was just lying in the bathtub with a shallow wound on her wrist.Beside her was a suicide note that read, "Mora said I'm stupid and weak and that I don't deserve to be Mom and Dad's daughter. She told me that I'm a parasite on this family and should just die."Dad scooped Eva into his arms and rushed out, his knees so weak that they almost gave out several times.Mom's face instantly drained of color. She applied pressure against Eva's wound, sobbing loudly as she desperately flagged down a car to take them to the hospital.In their frantic hurry, they had rushed past me, knocking me down the stairs without even realizing it.The pain was so intense that I could barely stand. Still, the overwhelming panic kept me moving, and I limped all the way to the hospital.As soon as Mom spotted me, she lunged over and landed a slew of furious slaps across my face. She hit me so hard that I could barely catch my breath."If it weren't for Eva's illn

Chapter 4

For the sake of not being abandoned and for Eva to stop targeting me, I tore up my acceptance letter to the honors track right in front of Mom and Dad.I joined the regular class Eva was in and once again took on the responsibility of looking after her.Over the years, Mom and Dad had grown increasingly busy trying to pay for Eva's treatment. And so, most of the housework fell to me—laundry, mopping the floors, grocery shopping, and cooking meals tailored to everyone's preferences.Mom and Dad's resentment toward me gradually faded with each passing day. On rare occasions, they praised me for being so considerate, but they would also immediately observe Eva's reaction afterward.Three years had passed, and Eva had grown more composed. Whenever our parents gave me a passing compliment, she no longer threw a dramatic fit like she had when we were children.Because of Eva's illness, the whole family took a family photo every year on her birthday.I never again brought up wanting t

Chapter 5

Dad was the first to come back to his senses. He yanked Eva behind him and smiled once more, saying, "Mr. Harrison, please, have a seat!"When he faced me, he opened his mouth, hesitating as if he couldn't decide what to call me.Mom quickly pulled out a chair. "Mora, sit."Caleb lifted his gaze. "I would still prefer if you addressed my fiancee by her new name—Jewel. It symbolizes a brilliant future that's full of endless possibilities."He continued, "But what a coincidence. It wasn't until Jewel mentioned it today that I learned the Fletchers I've been doing business with all this time are actually her biological family."I'd always been under the impression that the Fletcher family had only one daughter."Mom lowered her eyes awkwardly and called the waiter over to order a few more dishes."I never expected J… Jewel to find herself such a wonderful match, or that we'd coincidentally run into each other here."J-Jewel, these are all the dishes you loved back then. You should

Chapter 6

"When you heard me mention the Harrisons at the photo studio, you must have been secretly thrilled, weren't you? You think marrying into a powerful family will turn you into someone important?"You're nothing but a dog who served as my blood bag! Without me, you never would've even had the chance to be born into this world!" Eva spewed hatefully."Enough!" With a resounding smack, Dad slapped Eva cleanly across the face. "You've lost your mind! How dare you spout such nonsense!"Eva was stunned. She seemed unable to imagine that Dad, who had always spoiled her rotten, would dare to hit her for my sake.She cradled her cheek, wanting to say more, but Mom covered her mouth and dragged her out.Dad hurriedly grabbed a napkin and tried to help wipe my face. "I'm truly so sorry! Eva has been spoiled rotten by us. I never imagined she'd turn out like this. From now on, I'll be sure to discipline her strictly!"Caleb stepped in front of me and said coldly, "Mr. Fletcher, you can take th

Chapter 7

The text from Mom read, "Jewel, it's all my fault for not keeping a proper eye on Eva. Your father has already found someone to deal with those posts. I hope they haven't caused you any trouble. I'm sorry."I didn't bother replying. I simply turned off the screen in silence.Back then, the moment I jumped off the bridge, I had truly wanted to die. But the sudden surge of river water into my nose and ears had been too painful to bear.Just as I was about to suffocate, an immense will to live suddenly erupted from within me. It forced me to struggle all the way to the surface. The fierce current carried me downstream and washed me up to a desolate area on the city's outskirts.Having barely escaped death, I lay sprawled on my back on the riverbank, with only two thoughts in my mind—the river water was foul, and why should I have ended my life in water this filthy?I was unwilling to accept my fate.It was this anger that kept me alive. With no money to my name, I worked countless o

Chapter 8

A tear fell onto the top of my foot. I raised my hand and roughly wiped the corner of my eye, taking a step back."Mrs. Fletcher, if you're truly sincere, then Eva should be the one coming here to apologize to me herself."Secondly, Eva is already an adult. She should bear the consequences of her own actions instead of sending her mother to guilt-trip me.""Lastly…" I stared fixedly into the eyes of the woman named Joan Kennedy. "I didn't die, but the Mora you knew died a long time ago. So I hope you can continue to treat me as if I'm dead and stop bothering me from now on."Joan's face slowly drained of color.I turned and walked up the stairs without looking back. All the while, Joan remained kneeling on the floor, frozen in place like a statue.Rowan stepped forward to help her up and escort her out the door.Just as the front door was about to close, she suddenly burst into tears. While struggling against Rowan, she cried out toward me, "Mora! I'm sorry!"In the end, I stil

Chapter 9

The wedding happened as scheduled.I didn't have any family members, so Caleb privately reached out to all the friends I had made over the past five years. Without hesitation, they came together and formed my bridal party. As bridesmaids, they all walked into the hall before me, their smiles wide.During the ring exchange, I caught a glimpse of Joan's silhouette by the doorway. She was watching so intently that she hadn't noticed herself rising from behind the floral decorations. She stared at me in a daze, tears glimmering in her eyes.I averted my gaze and looked down as Caleb earnestly slid the diamond ring onto the base of my ring finger.Just as the entire hall erupted in cheers, the champagne tower beside me suddenly toppled down in my direction.Caleb reacted instantly. He pulled me behind him and held me tightly in his arms, shielding me from harm.Countless glasses came crashing down with a deafening clatter, and Caleb let out a muffled groan as the impact struck his b

Chapter 10

"The skin used for your surgery was actually provided voluntarily by Joan. It was only ever a temporary dressing though. Your permanent graft will use your own healthy skin and engineer coverage."Just as Caleb finished speaking, a sound came from the doorway.Joan stood there, mumbling, "M… Jane, I—"Caleb cut her off. "Mrs. Fletcher, if you're still here to plead on behalf of your daughter, please leave. I'll ensure Eva is held accountable under the law. Right now, you should be praying for my wife's speedy recovery.""I came here today to tell Jewel that I'll make sure Eva takes full responsibility for her crimes," Joan responded.She looked at me deeply, as if she had so much more she wanted to say.Ultimately, she just placed the thermos down and said, "The chicken soup inside is something I made for Mora."…The one blessing in this disaster was that none of the wedding guests had been injured.After my skin graft surgery and the treatments from the cosmetic restoration

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