Chapter 3
ly as shards from the vine grazed her arm.
The dog bolted in fear, while Helen screamed sharply as
Grace! What are you doing? How could you raise your hand against your sister?”
My father’s voice hoomed just as Helen threw herself into his arms, trying hysterically.||
“Dad, help met Grace tried to kill m
“Grace, this is too much“]
“Cast you see?
She tossed us
over Moms offerings and ruined her memorial photo–||
My entire body trembled as tears
mut my father merely glanced at the mess on the ground, frowning slightly. That doesn’t justify you hurting someone!”
ed as tears strained down my face, I was heartbroken, devastated for my mother
“Jarate, your mother’s been gone for so long. How can the dead be more important than the living?
to Grace, but she
Helen, her fare pale and trembling, chimed in andily. “Dad, it was my dog that accidentally knocked over the offerings. I was about to apologize to Gran charged at me as soon as she came dowisstairs. I didn’t even have time in explain before the threw the vase at the ᅦ
She raised her höreding arm, looking pitifully at my fadier ||
“Dad, maybe it’s better if Mom and I love out.
The dog doesn’t understand, Init do you?”]]
My father glared at me before suddenly raising his hand
The slap was heavy, landing hard on my fare:
I forgot to dodge]
He seemed started for a moment, too, hut in the end, he said nothing.||
Land led Helen away to treat her wound
He simply turned a
I stood there watching their retreating figures for a long time before the burning pain on my cheek registered.]
As I raised a hand to cover my swollen face, tears streamed down, but I let out a bitter laugh
I knew then that this house was no longer a place I could call home.
Π
In the middle of the night, I was suddenly awakened by cries and screams.
Just as 1 sat up, my door was kicked open from the outside ||
My stepmother burst in, crying hysterically. Before I could react, a series of harsh slaps landed on my face|
“How could you be so cruel?–||
Isn’t it enough that you hurt her during the day? Now you’re trying to kill her?”
She threw herself into my father’s arms, sobbing unenntrollably:||
“She knows Helen is allergic to peaches, but the deliberately spilled peach juice all over the bed and pillows
“She’s trying to kill our daughter! |
in me with
“Alright, stop crying. Thankfully. Helen took her medication in time and isn’t seriously harmed” my father said, soothing her gently. Then, he turned to me a look of disdain.[]
“Grace, you’ve truly disappointed me.“||
Move out tomorrow.”
Kerping you in this house will only brine furnwall to the whole family
My stepmother’s crying stopped abruptly, as it satisfet.]
stared at the man before me. Once upon a time, he was the person I loved mood in the world
He had loved me deeply too. I was his only daughter, the apple of his eye ||
But everything changed ||
It fell as though I had become a heroine in some tragic novel, stripped of everything, but by hat ||
At first, I couldn’t understand. I cried, I fought. I resisted]
But now, I finally y understoot ||
The bond between us as father and daughter was completely severed.||
The day I moved out of the family home, my father said to ine. After your mother’s death anniversary. 111 being you back home
I didn’t respond|||
they left, I gathered every photo of Paul and me, as well as the pictures of my father and me over the years.
I shredded them all and humed the pieces]]
Finally, I took out the wedding dress 1 haid bought three years ago ||
I had secretly purchased it after Paul confessed his love to me
It was the dress t had envisioned countless times as a young girl–a gown that would make me look like a princess
But now, I cut it to shreds with my own hands ||
The remaining items were all the gifts Paul had given me over the past three years.||
There were playful line trinkets and expensive jewelry]
I picked out the pricier ones and planned to ask my best friend to keep them for me ||
Once I left Capital City, she could return them to Paul on my behalf]]
That way, we would truly owe ach other nothing.
As for the cheap, frivolous things meant to use me. I didn’t hesitate–I packed them all up to throw away
Dice, even a tiny keychain from him was something I treasured deeply]
But now, as I prepared to discard it all, I didn’t feel even the slightest ripple in my heart[]
After finishing everything, I carefully wrapped my mothers memorial photo, placing it gently in the padded compartment of a box.
Without looking back. I left the home where I had lived for the past ten years.]
As I stepped through the gate. Paul’s car happened to pull up |
