Tha Last Apology のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 10

The car was deathly silent, but the ringing in my ears kept getting louder.A voice kept screaming at me to jump.I dug my fingernails into my palms until they went numb.The moment I got home and closed the front door, my mom, Melanie Larson, slammed her purse onto the coffee table."Did you do that on purpose? The clerk asked you one question, and you immediately agreed that we should get divorced."How am I supposed to show my face outside after that?"I lowered my voice. "I was just answering the question.""So, you think you’re too good for us now? You think you can just ignore everything I say?"You make it sound so easy. If we get divorced, who’s going to pay your college tuition and living expenses?" She pointed at me, her voice rising with anger. "You've always been like this. You act all sweet and obedient until it matters, then you deliberately go against us. You always know exactly what to say to hurt people. You’re just like your father.""Don't blame everything

Just after dawn, the storage room door was kicked open."Get up and make breakfast. Stop pretending you’re dead." Dad frowned. "You’re eighteen years old. What kind of person lies around all day?"I pushed myself up from the mattress, my temples throbbing with every heartbeat.Grandma Sheila heard the commotion and came in. Her eyes fell on the bottle of antidepressants in my hand. She snatched it away and tossed it into the trash can.I lunged after it. "That’s my medication!""What do you need medication for? Doesn’t this family already have enough trouble?"Ever since you started taking those pills, nothing in this house has gone right!"Her anger grew as she pointed a finger at my nose."Your father failed to get promoted again this year because he has to deal with a sickly daughter like you!""I can’t stop taking my medication!" I cried."How dare you lecture me!" She pointed at the trash can. "Don't even think about fishing it out of there."Mom's voice came from the l

Mom opened the door a crack and frowned."Who comes looking for someone this early?""Are Whitney's parents home?"She pulled the door wider. "She isn't here. Go look for her at school. Don't come here first thing in the morning and disturb the neighbors."Dad walked out of the living room, a cigarette still between his fingers."What is this about?"The officer showed them his badge."A young woman was found dead near the abandoned water tower in Zephyr City. Based on her student ID and phone information, we believe she may be Whitney. We need the family to come down to the hospital for formal identification."Mom tightened her grip on the doorframe. A few seconds later, she suddenly laughed."Is she putting on another act?"The officer looked up. "What do you mean?""She threw a tantrum last night. She said she wanted to die and go to the hospital."Mom waved a hand dismissively."She’s been saying things like that since she was little. She just wants to force us to give

My spirit stood beside them.For all those years, no one had ever seen the words written on those pages. Now that someone was finally reading them aloud, I was not as heartbroken as I had imagined I would be.The officer put the three diaries back into the metal box. Reaching all the way to the bottom, he pulled out a photocopied document."There’s also a bank card here." He placed it beside the diaries and turned to Mom. "The account is under Melanie Larson's name. Can you explain who deposited the $24,000 in this account?""$24,000?" Mom stared at the card, her fingers frozen in midair. "I don't know."The officer opened a notarized document."Although the account is in your name, the transaction records show that over the past three years, the only deposits came from Whitney's jobs at a fast-food restaurant and a logistics center."She was under eighteen and couldn't open a bank account of her own, so she used your name to open this one."Dad raised his head."Where did she

Grandma Kelly sat against the wall, covering her ears as she shouted, "Stop it! She's already dead!"Samuel took out his phone and pressed play.Mom's voice came through the speakers. "Of course she should give me the money she earns. I raised her, so she owes me for it."Another recording played immediately afterward.Dad's voice filled the hall. "If she really dares to kill herself, she can go die somewhere far away. I don't need her causing me more trouble."Mom reached for the phone, but Samuel stepped back.Whispers spread through the crowd. Someone pointed at Dad and demanded angrily, "How can someone like him be allowed to hold public office?"Another person pulled out a phone to record everything. "Post those recordings online. Let everyone hear what these people are really like!"Dad sat on the steps, clutching the university acceptance letter to his chest.Rotten vegetables and plastic water bottles landed near his feet, but he did not look up.Mom kept murmuring th