Even after Her Death by Rita Bond

What have you done? It doesn't matter anymore.

I smiled and ignored her. I didn't want to endlessly repeat my suffering to others.

Kate stumbled toward me, arms outstretched as if to pull me into an embrace.

"Chloe, I'm sorry..."

I had fought my way out of hell, not to witness her feigned remorse.

If she really cared about me, she wouldn't have seen me as so wicked and broken. The most ironic part was that the one trying to defend me was the same person who had shoved me into the depths of despair. "Mrs. Sander, I don't deserve this."

She extended a shaking hand, her eyes clouded with tears as she gently brushed my cheek. "My poor daughter... I'm so sorry. How could I have thought of you like that when you've always been the most well-behaved one since childhood?" Yes, I was always obedient.

After my sister disappeared, I understood there was a lingering tension in the Sanders, so I tried my best to be the perfect sister and a dutiful daughter.

But my kindness and compliance ended up being the very reasons they stabbed me in the back.

Before she could lay a hand on my face, Wisteria yanked at her hair, her voice dripping with the same false sweetness, "Mom, I didn't reveal the truth to help you reunite with your daughter."

Exactly, she wanted to make everyone in the Sanders suffer!

How could physical pain even begin to compare with psychological torment? Those were wounds that would never heal, no matter how much time passed.

She shoved Kate aside. "Mom, do you understand why I left Greg unharmed? Ethan and Jake died too quickly-I'm not satisfied. I've been waiting for this moment for so long. How about we play a little game, shall we?"

She turned to me. "Chloe, you're just as pitiful in the Sanders. You must hate them as much as I do, right? I'll give you a choice. Pick one person, either Josh or Greg, and cut off their legs, and I'll let you go."

Josh and Greg both stared at me, and I expected them to beg for mercy.

This time, Josh shut his eyes, hiding whatever emotions were behind them.

"Cut off my legs. It's ..." His face seemed to age by ten or 20 years at that moment. No longer as vigorous as he was half a year ago.

Standing beside Dominic, he appeared more like the elder of the two.

Tightening his grip on the fabric of his pants, his lips quivered with uncertainty as he muttered, "It's my fault."

Dad...

Luke going to Chedor to find me flashed in

selfish, fearful, greedy, and reckless, yet there had been moments when he treated me with

such complicated beings, full of contradictions

as I spoke, "Do you think saying that will make me forgive you? I won't. I

the first to step up like

out in anguish, "Dad, you can't die. Chloe,

axe, bringing back memories of what I'd seen in Yael's

were them, they'd likely laugh

myself for

the use of holding onto this

all I needed

crawled on the

sorry. I've always been the dumbest and most useless, easily influenced by others. After your rebirth, I thought you had turned against us because you kept targeting

finger locking around it, my voice losing

lifted his gaze to meet mine, his face twisted with

expression a stark reminder of that first heartbreak at

find a girlfriend as nice as you one day. No one could ever love me the way you do." "Idiot, you're my brother. How could I

always

he wandered through countless romantic

year of junior high at the time, overwhelmed with studies. He would occasionally bring me

me into his newly acquired sports car and race

and that we should embrace it and not lock ourselves away in

me to skiing,

me with a grin on his face while receiving punishment in

for Wisteria's provocation, maybe he'd still be as careless

goals, he spent his days indulging in drink and women, living for the moment. But he

day, he won't let Ethan carry me. He will carry me

idiot, could you be any more

wouldn't be

don't need your apologies; I just need

don't want to be involved with you