Accueil / Romance Histoires courtes / My Family Blocked Me on Moving Day / Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

01

"Hailey, the relatives are all waiting for us at the new house for dinner, so we're leaving the cleanup here to you."My stepmother, Paula, stood in the doorway, her expensive crocodile-skin purse in hand, wearing a smile that was all warmth and concern."Don't take this the wrong way, sweetie. I only asked because you're always so efficient with chores.""Scrape all the old grease off the kitchen, mop the floors twice, and haul out the junk we don't want.""We'll get out of your way. Wouldn't want to keep you from getting enough rest before work tomorrow."She sounded concerned, yet she'd dumped every last chore on me.Connor gave the front door an impatient kick."Mom, why are you wasting your breath on her? Let's go already. I haven't even tried my new computer."Before he left, Connor kicked the lock hard, forcing the external manual override bolt down until it jammed in place.My father, Raymond Lane, stood in the stairwell, pointing at me."Make it quick. If this place isn't spot

02

Inside the opulent mansion, the crystal chandelier cast a dizzying glare.I hovered in midair over the living room.The relatives sat gathered around the sofas, gushing over the brand-new luxury massage chair in the center of the living room.Uncle Doug ran his hand over the genuine leather and beamed."Raymond, this chair had to cost ten grand, right? And it's so comfortable."Raymond was grinning ear to ear, ruffling Connor's hair with pride written all over his face."You bet. Connor bought it for me with the spending money he'd saved.""This boy's been thoughtful since he was little. Nothing like his useless sister."Paula put on a modest act beside them, but the smugness in her eyes gave her away."You're too kind, Doug. Connor just saw how hard his dad works and insisted on showing his appreciation."I floated overhead, watching it all coldly.That massage chair? I'd bought it to help with Raymond's herniated disc. I'd gritted my teeth through two part-time jobs and lived on chea

03

Early the next morning, sunlight streamed into the new house.Raymond was at the dining table sipping freshly ground coffee when his phone rang without warning.The caller ID showed my supervisor's number.He frowned and picked up.The supervisor sounded anxious."Mr. Lane, Hailey didn't come in today, and we haven't been able to reach her. Do you know where she is?""We have a major project presentation today. An unexcused absence means docked pay."Raymond scoffed, his tone hard."Whether she shows up is her business. Don't call me about it.""She's got quite the temper. She's off sulking somewhere. Just dock her pay. She'll be in tomorrow, guaranteed."He hung up before the supervisor could say another word.Across the table, Paula handed Raymond a slice of toast spread with jam, her voice soft and sweet."Raymond, look at Hailey now. She's not even showing up for work. She's getting more spoiled by the day."Raymond's face darkened, and he banged his coffee cup down on the table.T

04

The moment the call connected, the property manager's urgent voice came through the speaker, loud enough for Paula to hear from the far corner of the living room."Mr. Lane! Something's wrong with your apartment!""Your smart lock system has sent seventeen high-temperature and forced-lockdown alerts to our terminal over the past two days.""The whole stairwell reeks of something foul now. The neighbors have been calling nonstop to complain. You need to get over here and see what's going on!"Raymond froze for a second, then slammed his palm on the dining table in sheer exasperation.He turned to Paula and Connor, who had just woken up and come out of his room, and sneered."See! I knew that ungrateful brat was up to no good!""First she breaks the alarm, and now she's dumping rotten fish and meat around the apartment.""All this drama just to force me to come pick her up!"Paula sidled up at once, pouring fuel on the fire."Raymond, she's gone way too far this time. Messing with buildi

05

As soon as the maintenance man finished, the entire stairwell went silent.Raymond's expression froze.He pointed at the maintenance man, the corner of his mouth twitching."What nonsense are you spouting? A dead battery? Then who's been pulling these tricks inside for the past few days?""Hailey has to be behind this. Get that door open right now!"The maintenance man shook his head, pale as paper.Instead of forcing the door, he pulled a power cable from his toolbox and plugged it into the emergency port at the base of the lock."This lock is connected to the building's cloud system. Before it overheated and died, it automatically backed up the alarm recordings.""Mr. Lane, listen for yourself."With a soft beep, the smart lock's screen flickered back to life with a faint blue glow.Then an emotionless female voice rang out through the empty stairwell."System detected internal high temperature and forced unlock attempts. Recording activated. Seventeen entries total."The neighbors a

06

"Hurk!"The neighbors at the front doubled over and vomited on the spot.A horrified gasp rippled through the crowd when the door opened all the way.There I was, collapsed just inside the threshold.Or rather, there lay a body in an advanced state of decay.I was curled into a ball, pressed hard against the door.From clawing desperately at the lock, all ten of my fingernails had shattered and bent backward.Rusted metal shavings still clung to my mangled fingertips.On the floor were two ghastly dark-brown streaks of blood.I floated overhead, coldly taking in the horror of my own remains.Paula shrieked as her legs gave out and she crumpled to the floor.Connor burst into terrified wails and bolted for the stairs, but several quick-handed neighbors pinned him down.Raymond stood petrified.His eyes bulged, and strange rasping sounds escaped his throat; he couldn't form a single word."Make room! The paramedics are here!"The paramedics, alerted by property management, rushed into th

07

Raymond stared at the tie. His knees buckled, and he dropped straight to the ground.Sirens came screaming in.The medical examiner and police quickly took over the scene, stringing up crime scene tape.Everyone had assumed it was an ordinary gas leak, but as the medical examiner and forensic team dug deeper, the mood grew steadily heavier.An officer in shoe covers walked into the reeking old kitchen.Before long, he came back out holding scene photos, his expression grim."This was no accident."The officer's voice wasn't loud, but every person there heard it clearly."The unit had no working ventilation, and the main gas line in the old kitchen had been sabotaged.""The metal couplings show severe damage. Someone tore them loose."The officer walked up to Raymond, his gaze sharp as a blade."Who was the last one to touch the gas stove before the move?""This did not come loose from age. Either someone tried to remove the brass valve fitting to sell for scrap, or they wrecked it on p

08

The footage landed like a ringing slap across Raymond's face.In that moment, the viciousness of my stepmother and brother was laid bare for everyone to see.Paula's face went from white to ashen, her whole body shaking like a leaf.She had never imagined that her vicious little scheme, meant only to cause me some trouble and force me to fall in line, would take my life.Under the officer's harsh interrogation, Connor's defenses collapsed instantly.He dropped to his knees with a thud, bawling in terror, and immediately started shifting the blame."It wasn't me! Officer, I didn't want to kill her!""It was my mom's idea!"Connor pointed at Paula, his face a mess of tears and snot."She told me we could sell that part and spend the money on my game! She told me to smash it!""She told me to jam the lock too! She said if we kept my sister inside for a day, she'd get scared and hand over all her debit cards and PINs the next morning so I could buy a new computer!""It's not my fault!"The

09

The forensic team was finishing its search of the wreck of my old bedroom.An officer reached under my battered bed frame and pulled out a yellowed notebook wrapped tightly in a plastic bag.He read a few pages, and his eyes reddened instantly.The officer carried the notebook into the stairwell and forcibly pulled apart Raymond and Paula, who were still at each other's throats."Enough! Both of you, stop it now!"The officer held up the notebook, his eyes fixed on Raymond."This is the victim's diary.""Raymond Lane, you should hear what your daughter really thought of you."In front of the entire crowd, the officer opened the diary.Page after page revealed my aching hope for that broken family and every sacrifice I had made in silence.The officer's low voice echoed through the stairwell."March 12. Dad is really worn out. His back hurts so much he can't stand up straight. If I take on two more part-time jobs, I can cover Connor's tutoring fees, and Dad won't be under so much pressu

10

Months later, the dust settled.The verdict brought a sense of justice at last.My stepmother Paula and my brother Connor were both sentenced to prison.On top of prison time, they were ordered to pay massive civil damages.They would bear the disgrace of having killed one of their own for the rest of their lives, rotting behind bars.As for Raymond, though he escaped direct punishment under the law, what came for him was far worse.The case caused such a public scandal that his employer pushed him out, citing moral misconduct.He lost the job and the income he'd been so proud of.The relatives who once visited every holiday, gifts in hand, cut him off completely and avoided him like the plague.Even a simple trip to buy groceries meant strangers pointing at him and cursing him as "the man who killed his own daughter."Raymond grew paranoid and erratic.He dismissed the housekeeper and smashed every piece of furniture in the new house that had belonged to Paula and Connor.He smashed t

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