Home / Hidden Scars, Hidden Truths / Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

All Chapters of Hidden Scars, Hidden Truths: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

As soon as the words left her mouth, Benedict Rossum froze. His brow furrowed as he turned toward Lorelei Bates' daughter, Penelope Bates.Penelope immediately hid behind her mother. Her little face crumpled, and tears streamed down her cheeks."I didn't do anything."Lorelei turned on her at once. "Then why would Amelia say you did? She's too young to make something like that up on her own. Unless somebody told her what to say, why would she accuse you for no reason?"Penelope wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "How am I supposed to know who told her that?"That was apparently all Benedict needed to hear.His expression hardened as he looked at our daughter, Amelia Rossum. "Amelia, who told you to say that? Was it your mom?"Amelia immediately panicked, shaking her head as hard as she could. "No! Nobody told me anything!"Alas, Benedict wasn't listening anymore. He had already decided I was behind it."I'm exhausted from working overtime, and while I'm busting my ass

Chapter 2

By the time we got into the treatment bay, Amelia's hand was already turning purple.Her little body wouldn't stop trembling. "Mommy, I'm scared. Can Daddy come stay with me, too? I can wait for him."My eyes stung, but I nodded and called Benedict.When he answered, his tone was laced with exhaustion. "I leave you to handle one simple thing, and you still can't do it without me. What would you do if I weren't around?"I was so angry that I nearly hung up.But when I turned and saw Amelia watching me expectantly, I swallowed my anger and forced myself to plead with him."Amelia really wants you here. They have to pull the pencil out of her hand, and she's terrified.""Can you stop using Amelia to guilt me every time you want something?"Benedict's patience was already wearing thin. "Fine. I'm coming."I nodded at Amelia, and her eyes immediately lit up.Thus, we waited and waited.An entire hour passed, but Benedict never showed.Amelia kept glancing toward the door. With e

Chapter 3

Benedict finally came home that evening, with Lorelei and Penelope behind him."Lorelei and Penelope wanted to stop by and see how Amelia's doing."I blocked the door. "They're not coming in. They're not welcome here."Benedict shoved me aside."What is wrong with you? I let your attitude slide when it's just us, but we have guests. Do you really have to start something in front of them, too?"I wasn't backing down this time. I wasn't going to let anyone who had hurt my daughter come anywhere near her again.When Benedict realized I had no intention of moving, he forced a polite smile and turned to Lorelei and Penelope, not wanting the argument to escalate."Sorry about this. Let's take a rain check."The door had barely closed behind them when I shoved my phone in front of his face."This is the security footage from Amelia's classroom. Watch it."Benedict gave me an annoyed look, then reluctantly took the phone as if humoring me was some huge favor.He didn't make it past

Chapter 4

When Benedict found out I was arranging for Amelia to be transferred to another school, he actually took time off work to come home.By dinner, he was already criticizing me again."Do you even know how to raise a child? If this is how you handle every problem, Amelia's going to grow up thinking she can run away whenever something gets hard."I didn't bother arguing with him.I knew this wasn't running away. It was getting my daughter out of a place where she was being hurt.Benedict slammed his utensils down and got up, clearly intending to take Amelia outside.I immediately stopped him. "Where are you taking her?"He shoved me aside impatiently. "I'm actually home for once. Am I not allowed to take my own daughter downstairs for a while?"The moment Amelia heard that, her previously vacant eyes lit up.She abandoned her dinner, hurried to the front door, and grabbed the gift she'd left there earlier. Then, she quickly hid it behind her back and flashed me a mischievous smile

Chapter 5

The doctor said Amelia had developed post-traumatic epilepsy from a head injury, and the intense emotional distress had triggered a seizure.When I finally found my voice, it came out hoarse. "How did she get a head injury?""We can't say for sure," said the doctor. "That's something you'll have to look into yourselves. I'm sorry for your loss."After he left, the hallway fell silent.A long time passed before I heard Benedict crying quietly beside me."When I took her out, I forgot how much smaller her steps were than mine. I was walking too fast while holding her hand, so she had to keep running to catch up. She missed a step on the stairs and fell. She rolled all the way down and hit the back of her head."I drew in a slow breath, trying to process what he'd just told me.Strangely, I couldn't yell at him or cry.Some part of me still refused to believe Amelia was dead.I'd wanted to ask him why he'd lied to me, why he'd secretly taken her to Lorelei's apartment and forced

Chapter 6

When I woke up, I was still lying exactly where I'd collapsed.Benedict hadn't come home. There was only a text from him saying he'd been called in for overtime.I found it ironic. Of course, he was still working overtime.I reached up and touched the spot where I'd hit my head when I fell. The blood had already dried against my skin.Then, my phone rang.I glanced at the number and answered."Hello, is this Mrs. Rossum? Everything's been finalized for her transfer, so Amelia can officially start at our school."The voice on the other end of the line continued, "And don't worry. We've already put together a comprehensive care plan for her mental health. We'll do everything we can to make sure she feels safe, happy, and supported here."My throat tightened.Still, I heard myself answer, "Thank you, but we won't need the transfer anymore. Amelia won't be attending for now."After hanging up, I stared blankly out the window. My tears had already dried.Amelia would never get to

Chapter 7

I didn't entirely believe Benedict, but I went home anyway. On the way there, I bought a can of pepper spray.The apartment was dark when I arrived. Benedict sat alone on the couch smoking. When I turned on the lights, he raised a hand to shield his eyes.I looked at him.Benedict usually seemed permanently irritated, his brows drawn together in a frown. Tonight, though, there was a strange, almost feverish light in his eyes.He stood and slowly strode toward me. With every step he took forward, I took one back.My hand had just closed around the doorknob when Benedict suddenly dropped to his knees."Please, Clarissa. Have another baby with me tonight."I stared at him in shock.How could he say that when Amelia had just died?Before I could respond, Benedict hurriedly pulled out a piece of paper, his tone laced with urgency."Just listen to me. I talked to someone and gave him Amelia's birth chart. He said if you get pregnant again within a month, Amelia's soul could come ba

Chapter 8

Six months after Amelia died, Benedict went back to his hometown and told his parents what had happened.They were heartbroken, but the birth of their new grandson helped soften the blow somewhat.I still couldn't bring myself to tell my own parents.Instead, I went to Yewton on my own and started volunteering at an orphanage.On the day I arrived, several children hid behind the pillars and watched me. Some stared blankly, while others looked frightened.I sighed, crouched down, and tied the shoelace of a little girl standing in front of me.That night, I filled my room with Amelia's things. Then, I looked up at the stars and whispered, "I made it, Amelia."The next day, during mealtime, I was put in charge of sitting with the children who didn't like to talk.One of them accidentally knocked over their plate and looked at me fearfully.I didn't scold him. I treated the burn he'd gotten from the hot food, then took him back to get another serving.That was the first time he

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