She went completely berserk, lunging forward and wrapping her hands around Kelvin’s throat.
“What do you mean by ‘picking a girl at a club‘? You pathetic lapdog!
“Are you blind or just stupid? Can’t you see she climbed up by stepping on your face? And you still have the nerve to propose–how disgusting. Men like you are all trash!”
Her arrogance lasted only a few seconds before Kelvin kicked her to the ground.
Susan collapsed, sobbing and glaring at me with pure hatred.
“Natasha, so what if you’ve got Kelvin’s love? You’ll never escape your shitty life, not in this lifetime.
“You want to go to college? Keep dreaming! That all depends on whether Dad agrees!”
Before she could finish, our dad–missing for nearly a month–stormed in from outside, grabbing a fistful of my hair.
“You little bitch! Shameless! How dare you steal Sue’s man!”
Back then, every time Dad hit me, I never fought back.
Because I didn’t have the right to resist.
One time, he almost beat me to death–I crawled out of the house covered in blood.
It was the neighbors who called 911.
My skull was fractured, and I barely survived.
But now, things were different.
I grabbed the vase beside me, ready to smash it over his head.
But Kelvin was faster. He snatched the vase and slammed it into Dad’s skull.
The crack echoed through the room.
Suddenly, everything went silent. Time seemed to freeze.
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09.03
Chapter 9
I heard screaming and crying.
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Saw people coming and going at the front door, and Kelvin was being handcuffed by the police.
Susan ran after them in a frenzy, only to be hit by a sedan that sent her flying more than ten
meters.
Blood streaked across the pavement as Susan lay limp, like a dying animal.
Her mother arrived at the scene and nearly fainted.
Dad was rushed to the hospital, but in the end, they couldn’t save him.
Kelvin was formally arrested for excessive self–defense–now he faced the judgment of the law.
When Mom brought Dad’s ashes home, she didn’t seem all that sad.
Turns out, all that fighting and grabbing while he was alive wasn’t about love at all.
She even said to me, “I bought fried chicken. You loved it when you were little.”
I quietly packed my suitcase–my flight was leaving soon.
“Where are you going?” she asked, staring at my luggage.
“Away from you,” I said. “Let’s cut ties.”
She froze, the box of fried chicken dropping to the floor with a thud.
“What did you say?”
“Mom, this is the last time I’ll ever call you
that.
“All these years, you never cared about me. All you ever saw was money. But you never realized I needed it too. I started working under the table at restaurants when I was 12 just to save up for living expenses.
“In winter, the water was freezing. My hands were covered in chilblains, and I couldn’t even afford a five–dollar ointment. But you’d gamble away at least 80,000 dollars in a single night.
“When I got my first period, I had no idea what to do. Did you know you can get a big bag of generic pads for two dollars? I used those for six years.”
“So what?” she interrupted. “That’s all in the past. Is it worth holding a grudge for so long?”
Still talking to a brick wall
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09.03
:
Chapter 9
I smiled, finally at peace. “So, I just don’t care anymore.”
I picked up my suitcase and headed for the door.
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“Where do you get the nerve to leave me? How will you survive without me?” she yelled after me.
Maybe before, I couldn’t. But now-
I had a bank account overflowing with cash, and an acceptance letter I’d dreamed of my whole
life.
I could finally live for myself.
I turned back and gave her a gentle smile.
“You hate Susan’s family, but I owe her my thanks.
“Her mom was right–Dad never loved you.
“And it’s not just Dad. I don’t love you either.”
Words that cut deeper than any knife.
I left them behind and walked away.
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