All Chapters of No Remedy for Us: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

The truth hit me so suddenly that my head spun, and my chest felt stuffed with cotton.Steve Machleit wiped away my tears with infinite gentleness and went on, "Actually, while you were sedated, we took the chance to have you put your thumbprint on a settlement agreement."But the dose was too high. We only found out you'd been pregnant after you miscarried, and since we were busy celebrating with Jess at the time, we forgot to come see you."I still remembered.After Jess Plaxton ran down and killed my mother, Catherine Eaton, I'd rushed to the police station, my belly round with pregnancy.Then came one shot of sedative. Blood slowly trickled down my legs as I was forced to press my thumbprint onto a sheet of paper.But no one told me that piece of paper had bought my mother's killer three years of freedom.My face was ice-cold, and my throat had gone hoarse from crying. "Why are you only telling me now..."My father, David Plaxton, was driving. He looked at me in the rearvie

Every memorial photo and keepsake of my mother's had been swapped out for festive decorations.When I showed up disheveled and unkempt, everyone turned to stare at me strangely."Isn't that the crazy one? How did she get out of the psychiatric hospital?""Her father's getting married, and her sister's having a birthday party. It's a double celebration! Of course she had to come join the fun!" someone said, laughing."Isn't she worried about embarrassing Mr. Machleit? Looks like there's going to be a new Mrs. Machleit."...Dressed in a gorgeous gown, Jess walked over with her arm looped through Steve's."Alicia, you've been through so much. I know you've never liked me or my mother, but we're going to be family from now on, so let's try to get along."On her wrist was the Machleit family heirloom bracelet, which only a rightful Machleit daughter-in-law was entitled to wear.So Steve had given it to her long ago.Jess wore a friendly smile, but her nails dug hard into my arm.

Not far away, thick smoke billowed from the old house as neighbors scattered in every direction."It was fine a minute ago. How did it suddenly catch fire?"Steve turned toward the voice. It was Alicia's mother's old home."It can't be..."With no time to think, he tossed aside the flowers in his hand and rushed toward it.David was completely stunned. After all, he was the one who had just bought the old home, and only to teach Alicia a lesson.But flames raged everywhere, and the fire was far too fierce to get anywhere near.Steve had taken only a single step forward when the smoke choked him so badly he couldn't breathe, and a falling beam nearly crushed him.When the firefighters arrived, his voice was practically trembling. "I heard someone's trapped inside. Please, search carefully."Over and over, he silently prayed that it wasn't Alicia.Knowing her temper, she'd definitely come to stop the sale once she found out her mother's belongings were being auctioned off.But

When the fire spread to me, I instinctively escaped through the back door.In that moment, my utterly foolish impulse turned into something else: I was done with Steve and my father for good.I flagged down a taxi with all my strength and got far away from that place so full of disappointment.When I looked at my phone again, I realized Steve and my father both believed I had died in the fire.Grief-stricken as they were, they still refused to give up and posted missing-person notices online.Then, among the flood of posts, a former employee of the psychiatric hospital mentioned me and shared a lot of horrifying photos.[Why are you pretending to care now? I saw with my own eyes how Alicia was electrocuted, drugged, and even beaten. It's a miracle she's still alive!][If I had to guess, that illegitimate daughter of yours, Jess, set it all up. I couldn't stand watching it and couldn't do anything about it, so I quit.]...The replies under the post were full of shock and pity.