All Chapters of The Death Benefit: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The first time I heard them planning my death, it was a Wednesday night.The study door cracked open just a sliver. I was walking past with my pill bottle in hand when their voices drifted into the hallway.My mom, Sandra Warren, sounded completely unfazed, like she was discussing a routine business investment. "The insurance company confirmed it. Freya's policy is worth five million dollars. It's a death payout, and we're the sole beneficiaries."My dad, Daniel Mason, shuffled through a stack of paperwork. "Five million? We only put eighty thousand into the premiums back then. That’s a massive return."Sandra nodded. "And because it’s an illness-related death, there’s no waiting period. It pays out immediately. I already had the lawyer double-check.""Then let's cancel the surgery." Daniel set his pen down. "The operation costs three million, and the survival rate is only sixty percent. We’re better off keeping the money and waiting for the payout. That’s five million straight

I opened the browser and began searching.[Can a minor draft a legal will?][How to prevent parents from collecting life insurance payouts?][Does a beneficiary still receive a payout if they commit a crime against the insured?]One key piece of information popped up at the top of the search results.[If a beneficiary intentionally causes the death of the insured, the insurance company will deny all payout claims.]I stared at those words for a long time. Then, I opened a blank note and started keeping a diary.Not a regular, personal diary, but for evidence.Using that old iPad, I began recording everything from audio files, video clips, to hidden snapshots. Every single time they discussed my policy, cut back my medication, or updated the countdown on the whiteboard, I documented it all.Three days later, the number on the whiteboard changed to forty-four.Sandra went through with her threat and cut my medication. I used to take three pills a day. Now, there were only two i

The number on the whiteboard changed to thirty-one.My health was deteriorating fast. Where I used to get occasional chest tightness, I was now gasping for air after walking only a few steps.Sandra looked at my pale face without a trace of pity. All she saw were numbers."One month left," she whispered to Daniel in the kitchen. "The insurance company has everything ready. When the time comes, we'll just say her condition took a sudden turn for the worse. Death by natural causes.""What about her medication?""I've already cut it down to one pill a day. In a few days, I'll stop giving it to her altogether.""Good. Just make sure no one notices anything off."I stood just outside the kitchen door, the audio recorder silently spinning in my pocket.File name: [Evidence_015_MedicationTerminationPlan]That afternoon, I collapsed at school.When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed.My attending physician was a woman in her forties named Dr. Kelly. She was looking over my chart, he

James Hawthorn didn't look like a high-profile prosecutor when he arrived. Wearing a casual jacket and wire-rimmed glasses, he looked more like a university professor. He sat by my bedside and listened as I walked him through everything from the very beginning. Then he listened to the recordings."The surgery costs three million, and the survival rate is only sixty percent. We’re better off keeping the money and waiting for the payout. That’s five million straight to the bank.""I've already cut it down to one pill a day. In a few days, I'll stop giving it to her altogether.""One month left. When the time comes, we'll just say her condition took a sudden turn for the worse. Death by natural causes."James took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.In his fifteen years as a prosecutor, he had worked on murders, high-level corruption, and organized crime cases. But this was the first time he had ever heard parents so calmly planning the death of their own daughter."Freya.""Yea

"You can't do this! I have rights! I want my lawyer!" Daniel roared, thrashing against the officers' grip.Sandra collapsed into her chair, her whole body shaking. "No... it wasn't my idea! He's the one who made me cut her medication! I was just following his orders…""Mrs. Warren, you're coming with us too," James said coldly. "Accomplices are just as guilty."The officers pulled Sandra to her feet as she screeched, "I'm her mother! How could I possibly want to hurt my own daughter? Everything I did was for her own good!"Out in the hallway, I sat quietly in a wheelchair.Dr. Kelly stood behind me, holding the handles as we watched the scene unfold from a short distance away.Sandra caught sight of me, and her expression instantly shifted from terror to pure rage. "It was you! Freya, you recorded us! You ungrateful little brat! We raised you for twelve years, and this is how you repay us?!"I stared at her, my voice calm."Mom, you raised me for twelve years. But it only took