Chapter 9
“I loved you so damn much!“]
Mom’s head was pressed against the rocky ground at the cliff’s edge blood spilling from her mouth.]
“Ever since you were a kid, I loved you more than anyone! And you were actually trying to kill me!“[]
Blood trickled past her lips, her whole face twisted in something almost inhuman.[]
“Heh… guess I was wrong. Dead wrong!“]
Aunt Karen stumbled over, yelling, “Jake!“]]
She leaned over the edge, but saw nothing.[]
This was the steepest slope on the whole trail–nobody ever came here. []
One fall down there and Uncle Jake was as good as gone.[]
“You’re outta your damn mind! That’s your own brother!” []
Aunt Karen screamed, but still shoved the lottery ticket into her pocket.[]
“All these years, I’ve been nothing but good to you!“[]
Mom couldn’t process that the brother she’d loved most just tried to kill her for money.[]
On the edge of breaking down, she shouted through tears, “I was a fool–couldn’t even see you were just another backstabbing
snake!”
Suddenly, something clicked in her head.]
She crawled toward me, trembling.]
“Amy… my baby girl… only my own flesh and blood would ever really care about me…”
I stared at her coldly and pulled up my shirt, showing the scars all over my body.[]
“Mom… you killed a man.“]
When I was trying to get into school, I begged her over and over through tears, and still got beaten more times than I could count.[]
Twenty minutes later, the cops arrived.[]
We left out the first part of the story.[]
“She and my husband were arguing,” Aunt Karen sobbed, pointing at the hiking pack.[]
Mom 1 Berame Good Child You Love Me Now?
38.7%
Chapter 9
“Then she shoved him right off.“[]
“They were just talking one minute, then she–she bit his face when he bent down, and pushed him over the edgel“]
She dropped to her knees, grabbing Liam’s head.[]
“Babe, you’re dead…. how are me and our boy supposed to survive now?“]
“Officer, you gotta give us justice!“[]
I sat in silence, quietly crying.]
Mom still had Uncle Jake’s DNA in her mouth–there was no way she could talk her way out of it.]]
But self–defense and murder are two very different things, and everyone was waiting for my statement.[]
“Amy! Say something!” Mom screamed, her voice tearing apart.[]
In a flash, I remembered the night they abandoned me–how I’d begged her, sobbing, not to leave me behind.]
Under everyone’s gaze, my lips trembled.]
“It was Mom… they were arguing, and she shoved Uncle Jake off…“[]
I broke down, running over to hug her.[]
“I’m sorry, Mom… I can’t lie…“]]
She froze completely, her eyes glassy and locked on the distance, not moving an inch.[]
It was the first time in my life I’d ever hugged her…. and the last.[]
I’d imagined it so many times–what it would feel like to hug my mom–and now, I finally knew.[]
I leaned close to her ear.[]
“Mom what’s it like to kill the person you loved most?”
She snapped, lunging to bite me, but the cops pinned her down.]
The case was open–and–shut–too much evidence to ignore.]
“Hey, check this out–pretty good, huh?“]
On the hearse ride, Liam shoved his phone in my face with a grin.[]
Uncle Jake’s body was mangled inside the casket just a few feet away, but his own son wasn’t sad–just happily gaming.
“You’re amazing, Liam.“[]
I glanced at the dollar amount on the screen.[]
34.9
A
Cheer
“But… where’d you get all that money?“]
He tugged my ear and whispered like it was a secret.]]
“I know Mom’s debit card PIN!“]
My stomach dropped. []
That card had all the money she’d squeezed out of my mom over the years–plus half the ‘wedding gift‘ from when my sister was sold off to that old cripple.[]
I looked at the huge balance.[]
Most of it was already blown by her precious son.[]
“Amy, don’t be scared. From now on, you’ll have a good life with Aunt Karen.“[]
J
Uncle Jake’s body wasn’t even cold, but Aunt Karen was smiling.]
“Now, where’s that lottery ticket? I saw you pick it up.“[]
I glanced at the stack of real estate flyers on the table and shrugged.]
“Desperate times. I only grabbed it to try and save my mom.“[]
“What?” Aunt Karen’s jaw tightened.]
“What the hell do you mean by that? You tricked me with that ticket?“]
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