All Chapters of After She Left, They Took My Home: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

My mom passed away when I was twelve.At her funeral, Dad held my hand and promised, "Emma, I swear to you, I won't ever remarry. I'll take care of you for the rest of my life, for your mom's sake too."After Mom left, she left behind two million dollars in savings and a massive three-hundred-plus square meter villa in the heart of the city, all transferred into my name.For a while after she was gone, Dad really did fall apart. He lost so much weight.But just six months later, a woman in a pantsuit driving a Porsche showed up at our door, dragging a little girl behind her.Dad couldn't quite meet my eyes. "Emma, this is Julia and her daughter Jacey. They're going to live with us from now on."Julia was a colleague from Dad's company, sweet, attentive, always bringing him lunch and keeping him company after Mom died. It didn't take long for him to fall.When I just stood there at the door without saying a word, Dad got so anxious he was practically in tears. "I'm just so lonely, sweet

Chapter 2

Julia stood in front of me, waving her phone. On the screen was the text she'd already sent my dad, claiming I had a violent temper, that I'd pushed my little sister down, and that she was patiently trying to discipline me.She'd planned all of it."You heard him? Your dad only believes me now. In this house, you'd better behave."The next day, I was packed off to a boarding school.Julia said it was to build my independence. Dad actually agreed.After that, I was only allowed home on weekends.Every time I came back, more of my things were missing. My mom's jewelry showed up around Julia's neck. The limited-edition bags Mom had bought me were being used by Jacey to carry her toys. I tried to fight back, but every time I did, Julia just punished me harder.Dad was stuck in Europe for six straight months because of a major crisis at the branch office.During those six months, Julia gave me a hundred dollars a month. She said she and Dad had discussed it. A high schooler didn't need that

Chapter 3

The villa was lit up like a dream. Through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see Jacey in a sparkling princess gown, standing in the center of the crowd, eyes closed, making a wish. Julia stood beside her, beaming with that loving mother look. And Dad, Dad had actually come back. He was standing next to Julia, smiling down at Jacey.The wind cut across my face like a blade. Cold and starving, I curled up under a holly tree and tried calling Dad again. This time, it went through."Emma?" He sounded surprised."Dad, I'm cold." My voice was shaking so hard I could barely get the words out."Cold? Didn't Julia get you warm clothes ages ago? It's your sister's birthday and you're not even home. What, you're throwing another tantrum?"I froze. "Dad, I don't have a coat. I'm right outside the gate and nobody will let me in."Before I could finish, Julia's voice came through the line. "Peter, is that Emma?""She insisted on staying at a friend's house. Wouldn't even come to her own

Chapter 4

When I woke up again, I was tied to an iron chair. My hands were wrenched behind my back, my ankles strapped down so tight I couldn't move an inch.It had to be the villa's basement. That's why the air smelled so rank. Back when Mom was alive, this was where we stored old junk. No windows. No heating. Barely warmer than outside."Hello?! Is anyone there?!" I thrashed and screamed.High heels clicked on the other side of the door. It swung open, and Julia walked in carrying a plate of steak. "Hungry? Sign this confession, and the steak is yours."She set a piece of paper and a pen on my lap.I was starving. But I still said, "Dream on."Julia's face went dark. She picked up the plate, dumped the steak onto the floor right in front of me, then ground her stiletto heel into it. "Your father isn't home. Don't count on anyone coming to save you. Let's see how long you last."The iron door slammed shut. Darkness swallowed me again.I tried to gnaw through the rope with my teeth, but I couldn

Chapter 5

After the call with Grandpa, my heart finally settled. I tried to rest, to conserve whatever strength I had left, and wait for him to find me.I don't know how long I drifted in and out. Then I heard footsteps outside the door, Julia's and Jacey's voices."Mom, you think she's starved to death by now?""Better if she has. Then this house, and everything the Whitmores own, is ours."The second I heard them, I fumbled through the wooden chest and found a small knife. Then I pressed myself into the shadows."Emma, ready to see reason?" Julia flicked the light switch as she spoke. The moment the light came on, she saw it. The empty iron chair, the rope in pieces on the floor, the dark red stains soaked into the strands.Her face changed instantly. "Where is she?!"I stepped slowly out from behind the door. "Looking for me?"My voice was barely a whisper, but Julia flinched like I'd screamed. Jacey let out a shriek and latched onto Julia's waist.I watched the terror on their faces and almo

Chapter 6

The men in black moved in and pinned Julia and Jacey to the floor.Jacey let out a scream. "Let me go! You're all bad people! When my dad gets back, he'll kill every single one of you!"Grandpa shot her a cold glance. "Then tell him to crawl back here and see me."Less than half an hour later, my dad came stumbling through the parlor doors. His shirt was wrinkled, his tie crooked. Grandpa's men had pulled him straight off his boardroom table and onto a private jet.The second he saw Grandpa sitting on the couch, his face went bone-white. "Sir!"Grandpa didn't even look at him. He was bent over a first-aid kit, carefully cleaning the wounds on my wrists.Dad's eyes found me. He saw my sunken cheeks, the thin, filthy sweater clinging to my body. Then he saw the gashes on my wrists, red, raw, impossible to look away from.He froze. "Emma, what happened to you?"He took a shaky step toward me."Stop." Grandpa spat the word without lifting his head. Dad went rigid. He didn't dare move anoth

Chapter 7

By now, all Dad could say was sorry. He'd run out of anything else.Grandpa looked at him with something between pity and disgust. "Peter, 'sorry' doesn't fix a thing. If you can't protect Emma, then I will."Grandpa turned to me. His eyes softened instantly. "Emma. What do you want to do with them?"I looked at Julia and Jacey, crumpled on the floor. The guests had long since fled. It was just us now. "Grandpa, leave them to me."He nodded without a second's hesitation. "Done. Whatever you want."Julia stared at me in pure terror, scrambling backward. "Emma, you can't do anything crazy! Murder is a crime!"I let out a soft laugh. "Kill you? That would be too easy."I turned to my father. "Dad. You said you were sorry. You said you wanted to make it up to me?"He nodded frantically, eyes desperate. "Emma, anything. I'll do anything. Just forgive me.""Good."I pointed at Julia. "I want you to freeze every bank account under her name. Right now. Strip her of every share, every asset. Ev

Chapter 8

Jacey, in a fit of rage, sank her teeth into Julia's arm. Julia cried out and slapped her daughter across the face."Shut your mouth!""If you hadn't insisted on driving that stupid cart, we wouldn't be in this mess!"The two of them tore into each other in the dark. All that mother-daughter devotion, in the face of raw survival, it crumbled like paper.That was who they really were. Selfish. Greedy. No bottom line.By the third day, they didn't even have the strength to fight anymore. They just curled up in their corners, letting out weak, pitiful moans.My dad stood behind me, watching the screen. His face was pale, his lips pressed tight. He looked like his resolve was cracking."Emma." He hesitated.I didn't turn around. "Feeling sorry for them? Go open the door if you want."Dad shook his head hard. "No. They deserve this. It's just, Emma, if you've had enough, maybe you could let them go? You're safe now, after all. And Julia really was good to me."He stepped closer, his voice h

Chapter 9

Grandpa let out a cold laugh. "Dig. Dig until there's nothing left to find. I want to see exactly how poisonous this woman really is.""Yes, sir.""And that villa." Grandpa looked at me. "Emma, the house is still in your name. What do you want to do with it?"I was quiet for a long time. "Sell it.""Done."That house held too many bad memories. I wasn't going back.As for my father, Grandpa didn't bring him up, and I didn't ask. It was like we'd both silently agreed to forget he existed.He didn't ask for my forgiveness again. Instead, he cooperated with Grandpa and put Julia and her boy toy behind bars. The man sang like a canary to cut his own sentence, giving Julia up completely.The evidence of Julia's murders and her scheme to seize a fortune was all made public.At the same time, Dad transferred every personal asset under his name to me. Unconditionally. He walked away with nothing, just to prove he'd kept his promise to my mom.Even if that proof came far too late.Later, Dad ca

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