All Chapters of Too Late to Believe Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

When I collapsed, the back of my head hit the corner of the table. Blood poured from the wound as my vision went black and a chill spread through my body.I tried with everything I had to call out, "Mom, help me. Please…"But I'd never fully recovered from nearly dying when I was eight, and my body was too weak.I couldn't hold on. I lay helpless on the floor, my whole body convulsing as I retched. My throat seized up until I couldn't make a sound.Meanwhile, Mom had Rachel Gaffney in her arms, proudly kissing her forehead."That's my Rachel! I knew you could do it. Kelly's always sick and has been a burden on this family for years. Forget about her. Today's supposed to be a happy day."Pain throbbed in my chest as tears slid down the sides of my face. What Mom didn't know was that every other backup battery I had was already dead.I knew how hard Dad worked overseas to support us, so I'd never told either of them. I didn't want to put any more pressure on him, and I'd thought o

Chapter 2

A flicker of hope came back. Dad had always loved me the most. Surely he would come straight to my room to check on me.His footsteps came closer.I curled in on myself, fighting through the stabbing pain as I forced my eyes open. For a moment, warmth spread through me.But before Dad reached my room, Rachel ran over and threw herself into his arms. "Dad! You're finally home. I missed you so much!"Dad frowned and started to pull away, but Mom smiled and spoke up. "Rachel did really well on her college entrance exam. She might even get into one of the top universities."Dad's face lit up. "Really? That's great! Rachel, tell me what you want as a reward. I'll get you anything you want."Rachel smiled. "I don't want anything. I just want you and Mom to stay healthy. That's all I need."Dad looked touched, and Mom's eyes filled with tears. She turned away to wipe them.Meanwhile, I lay in a pool of blood on the other side of my bedroom door.I tried to call for help, but blood ro

Chapter 3

Rachel threw herself into Mom's and Dad's arms, sobbing so hard she could barely catch her breath."I just wanted to apologize to Kelly, but she came at me and hit me. She called me a bitch and said I was always trying to steal your attention. She even said you were the worst parents ever and that she hadn't thought of you as her parents in a long time!"She's the one who shut off the power. She did it on purpose to stop me from submitting my college applications. She wanted to ruin my future!"Rachel turned so they could see the handprint on her cheek. "Mom, Dad, I'm scared!"I rushed toward them, desperate to make them hear me. "Mom, Dad, I didn't! She's lying! I didn't hit her! I'm already dead. How could I have hit her?"But they couldn't hear a word I said.Mom shook with anger. "And here I was worrying about her! After everything I've sacrificed for her all these years, this is how she repays me?"Dad rubbed a hand over his face. "Maybe we spoiled Kelly too much."I stood

Chapter 4

The second Mom heard my name, she stopped listening.She brushed it off. "Kelly? If she's only going to community college, who cares which one she chooses?"Before Ms. Welch could explain, Mom hung up.I stood there, numb with hurt, like something inside me had been ripped apart."Mom, I got the highest entrance exam score in the whole state. I didn't let you or Dad down. Why couldn't you even ask? Do you really not love me anymore?"Dad looked disappointed. "I never cared whether Kelly got perfect grades. I just wanted her to be healthy and our family to be happy. I don't know when she became like this."A deep ache twisted through my chest, and the tears came before I could stop them.A suffocating silence settled over the table.Still, before Mom and Dad went to bed, they left a plate of food outside my bedroom door. But I would never get to eat it.The next morning, Mom came straight to my room. The food and cake were still sitting outside the door, untouched. The cream ha

Chapter 5

Mom rushed over and pulled me into her arms, smearing blood all over her clothes.She cupped my face in both hands and screamed, "Kelly! What happened to you? Open your eyes! Look at me!"Then she pushed past the stunned reporter and tore through a cabinet in the corner of my room. Broken glass sliced into her fingers, but she didn't seem to feel it.Finally, she yanked out the backup battery. She fumbled frantically as she tried to connect it to the artificial heart in my chest."Don't be scared, Kelly. I'm here. Everything's going to be okay!"Nothing happened. The indicator light stayed dark.Mom tried again and again, but the battery still wouldn't turn on.Then she took a closer look and froze. The wires inside had broken long ago, and dust had collected around the connector. She stared at the useless battery in her hands, trembling from head to toe."When did this break? How did this happen? Kelly, why didn't you tell me?"A sob ripped out of her, and she crumpled to the

Chapter 6

One of the paramedics crouched beside me, pulled on a pair of gloves, and carefully examined me.Mom and Dad watched his every move, still holding on to the hope that somehow, I could be saved.The paramedic was silent for a few seconds before pulling off his mask and getting to his feet. "I'm sorry. She's been gone for a while."Dad stared at him, like the words didn't make sense. Still on his knees, he looked up. "What did you say?"The paramedic sighed. "You found her too late."Dad's expression went blank. Then he surged to his feet and grabbed the front of the paramedic's uniform."No! Check her again! Please! My daughter was fine last night. She's not dead. She can't be! I don't care what it costs. Do whatever it takes. I'll sell the house if I have to. Just save her! She's only 18…"I stood beside him as he sank back to his knees, his shoulders slumping. My chest tightened.Fighting back tears, I reached for his sleeve. "Dad, please. Don't do this. Just get up, okay? Thi

Chapter 7

Dad spun around, his eyes bloodshot. "What did you just say?"Mom's lips trembled, tears streaming down her face. "It was me... I took Kelly's battery!"Dad shook all over, his jaw clenched tight as he spoke. "You took her backup battery? You knew her artificial heart couldn't keep running without it. You knew that, so why would you take it? Why?"Mom covered her face and hunched over. "The power went out, and Rachel was about to miss the deadline for her college applications. I thought it would be okay to use it for a little while."I was going to put it back as soon as the power came back on. Besides, there was supposed to be another backup battery."Dad looked like he was barely holding himself together. "You thought it would be okay? Last night, you told me Kelly was jealous of Rachel. You said she was throwing a tantrum and hiding in her room."Do you realize she was in there bleeding? She was trying to call for help."Mom crumpled to the floor, sobbing so hard her whole bo

Chapter 8

In the end, Mom and Dad decided not to press charges.That night, they sat in the living room without saying a word until dawn. Rachel locked herself in her room and refused to come out, no matter who knocked.By that afternoon, clips from the live broadcast had gone viral. The story trended all day, and everyone seemed to have something to say about it.Some people condemned Mom and Dad for favoring Rachel. Others called Rachel selfish and heartless.One of our neighbors recognized me from the news and stopped Mom by the elevator. "Wait, didn't Kelly get into Halston University? I just saw her a couple of days ago. How could she suddenly be gone? What happened?"Mom gave her a blank look.The moment she got home, she blocked every relative and neighbor in her phone.Dad seemed to age overnight. His hair had turned almost completely white, and his shoulders stayed hunched.My funeral was three days later.Mom and Dad didn't invite anyone. It was just the two of them.The day

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