All Chapters of Apparently I'm a Compulsive Liar: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

"I set you up on a date," Mom said. "He's from a good family, and his parents own a successful business. You're not getting any younger. It's time you started thinking about settling down.""I don't want a relationship." My voice trembled despite my best efforts.Mom sighed. "I'm only trying to do what's best for you.""Besides, didn't you write about it in your diary? You said there was a boy you liked. So, why are you suddenly claiming you don't want a relationship?"My hands went still. "My diary?"She looked completely unapologetic. "What? I'm your mother. Since when am I not allowed to read your diary?"A sudden chill swept through me.I was ushered into a private dining room.A man was already seated across the table. He had deeply tanned skin and a gold ring on one finger.Before we walked in, Mom had given me the basics. He was divorced and had a son.He'd gone to community college. According to Mom, that made him a perfect match for someone like me, since all I had w

"Can I help you?" Mom stood in the doorway, still wearing her apron.Three police officers were on the porch, their expressions grim as they looked past her into the house. "We received an emergency call reporting a possible death at this address."The officer in front stepped closer, glancing over Mom's shoulder into the living room.Her expression stiffened. "A death? What are you talking about? Everyone here is perfectly fine. You must have the wrong house."She turned to look behind her.Richard was still sitting in the living room, staring at the officers in surprise.But beneath the confusion on his face, I could already see the first flicker of panic.Jared poked his head out of the kitchen, looking completely confused. "Who died?""No one's dead."The officers didn't bother arguing.One of them simply held up his phone. The screen showed clips from my livestream.The final clip showed me lying motionless on my bed before the stream abruptly cut out.The chat had bee

Mom kept hitting Jared until one of the officers finally stepped between them.By then, she was exhausted, shaking with rage and grief. She suddenly reached for something on the nearby counter, but the officer caught her arm before she could do anything with it."Ma'am, stop! That's enough!"Jared had reached his breaking point too.He wiped his face and glared at her through his tears. "Do you know why Lena stopped trying to get Richard convicted back then? Because of you!"You kept telling her how good he was to you. You kept saying you couldn't survive if you lost him, that your whole life would fall apart if you got divorced! That's why she gave up, Mom. She did it for you!"The color drained from Mom's face. Her chest rose and fell as she stared blankly ahead, repeating the same words under her breath. "It was me… I did this to Lena..."Jared was led out of the room while a female officer stayed behind with Mom. It took some time before she finally began to calm down.But