Unburden Book Novels & Stories

·Estelle Bellatrix Malraux· I SUDDENLY FELT a strange scent. It's not familiar to me but it did wake up my soul. I can't move my body but I can feel that I am breathing just fine. It feels like I'm in a coma that has been bedridden for a year.

Deep down, I knew the Byrds had been kept afloat solely by Fred in recent years. I also knew Dean had secretly siphoned many contracts from the Byrds. If it weren't for me, Fred wouldn't have to struggle so hard to keep things running. Dean hated me, and Fred despised me too. I let out a soft sigh. Now the Byrds were drowning in debt, on the verge of bankruptcy. I didn't know how many days I had left to live. Before I died, I needed to find the person who had harmed my parents and clear their names.

"I never expected that my sister who grew up with me would watch my daughter die. I treated her and her daughter so well, too!" My neighbor looked at and seemed to be moved by her words, too. He said to me in a righteous tone, "Maya… She's not asking much. She's just asking Anne to donate her kidney. God will protect both of you too after you sacrifice so much. You can't just watch and let her die, right?" "That's right. Both of you are sisters, after all." I gave all my neighbors a glare and rolled my eyes. Emotional blackmail again? "Lena, since your daughter needs a kidney, why don't you donate it to her? You can't expect my daughter to bear the brunt, right?"

With no other choice, they sent Tom to a welfare home. After that, I went back to work as usual. In my previous life, I had given up my career just as it was reaching a critical stage to raise that child. Every day felt like I was being drained dry. This time, I finally had the chance to continue pursuing the dreams and life I had left unfinished. Work projects were intense. I often worked late into the night, sometimes so busy I even forgot to eat. Fortunately, my teammate, Daniel Derrington, always took good care of me. He frequently brought me food and even stayed late to work overtime with me.

She kept saying I was lucky beyond words to be dating him. And I put up with all of it, for what I thought was true love. I just didn't want anything else to come between us. But looking back now, how could Gordon not have known how his parents treated me? How could he not know everything I went through? Of course, he knew. He just didn't care. He was already reaping all the benefits, yet still wanted to dump more of the burden on me. That way, he could keep living off my money while pursuing his first love. What a carefully calculated scheme.

But why did my chest still hurt every time? Corbin's phone rang. The ringtone was the song Ingrid had sung during our college prom. The look in Corbin's eyes softened at once, his expression turning gentle. "What is it, Ingy?" Ingrid's voice could be heard from the other end of the line. "The hotel here is full. The staff made a mistake and overlooked my booking. Corbin, can you help me find another hotel?" Corbin immediately looked anxious. "Don't worry, Ingy! I'm coming for you now!"

And in that silence, I’ve remembered things I was too exhausted to face before; things they all tried to bury under manipulation and guilt. My entire life has been shaped by people who wanted to control me, ruin me, and use me. I have no parents. No family that cares without conditions. If it wasn’t for Gabriella and Vincent, I’d have nobody at all. This kind of truth doesn’t just sting; it shatters a person’s soul. But I’m done being shattered. Done crying. Done just surviving.