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Alle Kapitel von When the Crazy One Finally Woke Up: Kapitel 1 – Kapitel 10

10 Kapitel

Chapter 1

Tiffany Egan stepped down from the stage one step at a time. I couldn't miss how the anguish slowly faded from her eyes. "Zachary, put the knife down first."I had been silent for three years. For a moment, I couldn't make a sound. I let out a tiny, hoarse noise, trying to smile at her, but the sunlight was so bright that it filled my eyes with tears.Dominic Green came rushing down after her, but she stopped him a few feet from me. He was more afraid than anyone that I would lose it at his wedding, so his voice turned pleading."Zachary, listen to me. I was the one who forced Tiffany to marry me. If someone has to pay the price, let it be me!"I couldn't make out his expression through the tears, so I raised my hand, knife and all, trying to wipe the blur from my eyes. The next second, both my sister, Sophia Young, and Mom screamed."Zachary, don't do anything stupid!"The scene turned chaotic.Sophia, as well as the guests who rushed over, pinned me to the ground, forming a

Chapter 2

"Stop looking. She's Dominic's wife now. She's got nothing to do with you anymore," Mom said, looking like she couldn't stand the sight of me."You know, if a woman's heart isn't with you, not even killing yourself will make her stay. Besides…"She hesitated, the dark circles beneath her eyes making her look even more haggard. "Dominic has a tumor in his brain. He could die at any time. Just give him a chance to live."I stared at Mom. "When did they get together?""Thanksgiving four years ago. They got their marriage certificate then. They were afraid you'd find out, so they had to put off the wedding ceremony."She looked away. "If you ask me, you brought this on yourself. If you hadn't gone digging and had instead turned a blind eye, you could've gone on living together just fine."My stiff, sluggish mind slowly began to spin, and then I remembered.Four years ago, on Thanksgiving, Mom had been held at a poker club for alleged cheating. I rode my motorcycle there alone and ra

Chapter 3

Everyone on the rooftop terrace panicked.Tiffany screamed out, "Zachary, what are you doing?"I smiled at her. "If I die again, you'll finally believe that I want to leave, right?"Mom clung to my leg and begged me, "Please, for the love of God, stop making me worry about you, okay?"That was what Mom had said to me more than anything else.One winter, I helped her run her street stall. She had complained, "Among your siblings, you're the one who worries me the most."Yet as she said it, she kept warming my frozen hands between her palms.When I started high school, she practically forced me to enroll. "Don't worry about the tuition. If you can just give me one less thing to worry about, I'm happy."Yet when I was unconscious, she told me, "If you wanted to die, you should've just died alone. Don't make me spend every day worrying that you'll wake up and hurt Dominic."In the end, Tiffany gave in. She prepared a car for me.Dominic held onto the car door, his voice full of p

Chapter 4

I hadn't gone far when Tiffany's bodyguards caught me at a gas station. One glance at the location tracker on her phone, and I understood."You put a tracker on me?"Her eyes were frighteningly red. "Zachary, I know you too well. You'd rather burn everything to the ground than let go."I sighed helplessly. "If you don't believe me, you can just send me abroad—somewhere you can't see me.""Impossible!" she gritted out, eyes fixed on me. "I'd never gamble with my child or Dominic's safety on the chance that you'll actually let us go."Tiffany took me back to the city. "You'll stay here for now."I looked around the room. Every window had been sealed shut. Through the only tiny opening, I could see the Egan family mansion."You know I hate being restrained more than anything. You kept me trapped for three years. Wasn't that enough?""Just think of this as part of your recovery," she said. "Once I give birth and Dominic gets through his surgery, I'll let you out."Dominic stormed

Chapter 5

The door unlocked.As usual, Mom brought me a meal. It was just leftover takeout from their lunch. Seeing how listless I was, she said, "Get up and eat something, Zachary."I forced a smile. "I can't lift my arms, Mom. Feed me?"She muttered something under her breath, then brought the bowl over and carelessly shoved spoonful after spoonful into my mouth. I swallowed a little. Soon, my tongue started to go numb.A chill spread through my chest. "You put medicine in the food, didn't you?"Mom froze. She set the bowl down and turned her back to me, pretending to busy herself with something."I refused to take the meds, so you mixed them into my food. Aren't you afraid you'll put me into a coma for life?""Don't scare yourself," she muttered. "Once Tiffany has the baby and Dominic goes through his surgery, we'll slowly reduce the dosage. You'll be fine."After she left, I threw off the blanket.The side effects of the medication had made me hurt myself repeatedly without even rea

Chapter 6

Tiffany froze, her face slowly losing color. "Are you sure Zachary burned to death?"The housekeeper hesitated under her questioning. "Well, I only heard it from the others… I didn't actually see it myself."Sophia was the first to laugh. "Zachary's the kind to scream about wanting to die but never actually commits to it."Her words broke the dead silence.Dominic forced a smile too, pretending to have my best interests at heart. "He's too proud to admit he was wrong to us. He'd rather fake his death than swallow his pride and apologize."Maybe we should just give him what he wants and let him disappear from our lives."Then, while rocking the baby, he lowered his voice. "The problem is, he's in the shadows while we're out in the open. If he wants revenge someday, there's no way for us to guard against him. It'll always be hanging over me."We'd all feel safer if we could just have him committed to a psychiatric hospital for a year or two and let him calm down."I silently appl

Chapter 7

Once Tiffany heard no sound from outside, she reached into the nightstand and pulled out a voice recorder. She set the recording to the very first file.Her voice was hoarse, with painful groans breaking through now and then.When Tiffany and I fell from the fifth floor, her internal organs were ruptured. She spent three months in the ICU. When she finally woke up and learned that I was still unconscious, she recorded her first message."Zachary, if you'd hesitated for even one second when you jumped with me in your arms, I would've believed you loved me."Dominic and I only got married on paper. I felt guilty toward you, so I never actually took things any further with him. But if you don't trust me, there's no reason either of us has to tiptoe around your feelings anymore."As I looked down at Tiffany, memories of our fights three years ago came back.I found a photo on her phone. It showed a bathroom, with the silhouette of a man visible behind the frosted glass. I smashed eve

Chapter 8

I spent eight hours on the autopsy table. Eight hours later, they determined that my death wasn't a homicide. The forensic center then notified my family to collect my body.Tiffany hadn't slept all night. She got up early, ate breakfast, and put on a black dress. Mom wore a simple black dress and put on a pair of pearl earrings. They stood by the door and convinced Dominic not to go with them.He looked visibly concerned, but he shed a couple of crocodile tears as he held the baby in his arms.At the forensic center, Tiffany lifted the white sheet and revealed my twisted, disfigured face.I stood right beside her, not missing a single flicker of emotion on her face. It was as if her entire face had been coated in wet cement, frozen in place. Then, her eyes turned bloodshot.She closed her eyes. Veins stood out one by one across her forehead, as though she were suppressing some kind of immense pain.I laughed silently. Her belated show of devotion was sickening.Mom grabbed onto

Chapter 9

After Mom went home, her mind seemed to come and go.Dominic gradually grew impatient with her and barked at her, "Mom, the baby's diaper needs changing. Can't you see?"She snapped back to herself and suddenly rummaged through the closet. "It's getting colder today. Zachary's blanket isn't warm enough. I'll make him a new one.""Mom, Zachary's dead!"Dominic's eyes reddened as he pushed her out of the room. "Forget it. I guess blood will always win. No matter how much I've done for you or how many years I've treated you like family, I'll never have a place in your heart."Sophia overheard and came over to grab Mom. "Have you lost your old mind? Zachary is dead. Get over it! Dominic is still recovering from the surgery. Can't you get a grip?"Mom stared at her smug expression and slapped her hard across the face. After that slap, tears glistened in her eyes. "He was your brother. How can you be so glad that he's gone?"Dominic's expression turned cold. "Don't act so innocent. Yo

Chapter 10

Tiffany took the baby from him, then turned and handed the child to the police officers who had just arrived. "Please run a DNA test and return the baby to his biological parents."When Dominic saw the police, he instantly collapsed to the floor. "Tiffany, I just wanted to keep you around. I wanted you to marry me as soon as possible and get you out of Zachary's room."I didn't want to keep living in there. Why did I have to be dragged into your madness? We didn't need him. We could've lived happily together. Why did we have to live alongside him like we were in hell?"As the police cuffed him, he yelled, "No! I don't want to go to prison! Mom, I don't want to!"Mom turned her face away. Her eyes were hollow, lit with nothing but hopeless exhaustion. Sophia tried to step forward and pull Dominic away, but the police stopped her.Tiffany slowly pulled her sleeve free from his grip. "Don't fight it. Going to prison is exactly how you'll atone for what you did to Zachary. And I have

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