6
Hearing this, Dad suddenly slapped himself, startling everyone.
His face was ashen, filled with regret and self–blame.
“It was me, I canceled Audrey’s card, preventing her from resting in peace after death, causing her to be neglected by the funeral home. I don’t deserve to be a father!”
Michael’s expression rapidly shifted; there was shock, panic, and then a sudden realization.
“Six months ago, I was retaliated against after winning a lawsuit. I was stabbed and ruptured my spleen. Coincidentally, the hospital had a spleen donation available. Could it
be…”
<
Dylan snatched the autopsy report, staring intently at a line of text, muttering to himself,
“Missing one kidney… one kidney. Six months ago, my ex–girlfriend stabbed and damaged one of my kidneys, and then, coincidentally, someone donated a kidney”
“Was it really Audrey? What have I done? I actually blamed her for breaking me and my ex–girlfriend up, and I couldn’t stand her at every turn…”
“I drove her to her death.”
Mom no longer remained immersed in the news of her daughter’s death. She had always been intelligent, and hearing her husband and sons‘ confessions, what else was there for her not to understand?
She stared with her red and swollen eyes. “This heart, is it Audrey’s?”
“She gave her heart to me, but I was still blaming her for not being there for my surgery.”
“How could there be such a cruel mother in the world? How could I possibly deserve her doing this for me?”
Mom’s words seemed to voice the inner thoughts of everyone present.
How could they deserve it?
No one deserved Audrey’s sacrifice.
Michael had always been rational. As a lawyer, he was accustomed to life and death, but
now he couldn’t accept this truth.
He took off the watch he never took off, the birthday gift I had given him.
On the back of the watch, I had stuck a superhero sticker.
I never expected him to keep it all this time.
When I gave him the gift, I had said, “Brother is a hero to many people, but I hope this
superhero can protect you from getting hurt and keep you safe.”
<
Michael’s silent tears splattered onto the superhero.
Back then, Michael was very distant, and even thought I was childish.
Now, perhaps he understood the meaning and blessings in my words.
As everyone was immersed in grief and guilt, Chloe saw that something was wrong and feigned sadness.
“I thought Audrey was mad at me and ran away from home, but I never expected her to give her heart to Mom.”
“Audrey is truly so good, she loves everyone so much. All those things before, I must
have misunderstood her. If only I didn’t have a heart condition, I would be willing to die for Audrey and Mom.”
Everyone’s faces instantly turned incredibly grim.
More than anything, they were mortified.
Just yesterday, their image of me was shameless and pregnant out of wedlock.
They even wanted Chloe to replace me and become their biological daughter.
Now, the truth was revealed. I wasn’t pregnant out of wedlock; instead, I had sacrificed everything, including my life, for my family.
Even Dylan, who was usually strong but simple–minded, finally sensed that something was wrong and challenged Chloe.
“Are you really willing? Chloe, looking back, from childhood until now, you’ve always been better at talking than doing.”
“But Audrey was different. She never told us anything, but she quietly sacrificed behind. our backs. Even her death was silent, not wanting to cause any trouble for us.”
“But what were we doing when she died? Complaining she had no conscience, canceling her card, arbitrarily withdrawing her from school, even trying to trick her home to lock her
00:40 Wed, 25 Jun MO.
<
up…”
Dylan choked up at this point, unable to continue.
Chloe’s face changed dramatically, and she quickly cried foul.
“Dylan, of course I’m willing! I’m so sad Audrey died. How can you doubt my love for
Mom?”
81%
Just then, Dad returned from outside with a file folder. After looking through it, he threw
the documents directly at Chloe.
Transaction records and photos scattered across the floor.
“Chloe, you’ve truly disappointed me beyond words!”
“If it weren’t for the funeral home employee confessing at the police station, I wouldn’t
have traced back the clues and found out what you’ve done!”
“First, you paid a classmate to frame your sister for being pregnant out of wedlock, then you hired the funeral home to destroy the body and erase all traces, and then… then you actually had them flush your sister’s ashes down the toilet! How could you be so vicious?
She was your sister!”
Dad pointed at Chloe, his finger trembling with rage.
Chloe panicked for a moment, then began to argue.
“It’s not like that, Dad, you have to believe me, these are all fake!”
Dylan trembled all over, picking up the photos and documents from the floor.
Seeing the pictures of Chloe and Riley, along with large transaction records, his tall figure
seemed to freeze in place.
Just as Chloe was racking her brain to explain, Dylan suddenly exploded, slapping Chloe hard with his heavy hand.
Chloe instantly fell to the ground, her nose bleeding profusely.
<
Wed, 25
81
Dylan wasn’t satisfied, and he kicked Chloe in the chest.
Chloe shrieked, curling up on the ground, crawling backward.
She looked in horror at Dylan, who had always doted on her, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Dylan’s eyes bulged, breathing heavily, his eyes filled with killing intent.
He tried to step forward again, but Michael stopped him, though his face was also cold.
“Audrey wouldn’t want you to kill anyone.”
Mom sat on the bed. Upon learning what Chloe had done, she roared and threw a pillow
at her.
“I must have been blind, letting a monster like you take my daughter’s place! Why wasn’t it *you* who died?!”
Suddenly, Chloe was abandoned by all.
Watching this scene, I didn’t feel much satisfaction.
Chloe had done wrong, but what truly chilled my heart was my family.
Chloe’s face was smeared with blood. Suddenly, her eyes shifted from pitiable to sinister
and resentful.
“So what if I did it? Audrey deserved to die! When you adopted me at seven, you shouldn’t
have brought her back!”
“There’s only room for one! Of course, I had to target her everywhere, otherwise, how would you ever see me? I’m malicious, but aren’t you all stupid and wicked too? When things happened, you didn’t trust your own biological daughter, but instead showed favoritism to me, your adopted daughter. Now you regret it and look back, don’t you find
yourselves hypocritical?”
“If I had known Audrey was so foolish, to die for a group of cold–hearted and ruthless family members, I should have just ground her bones to dust and scattered her ashes back
thon!!
O
00:40 Wed, 25 Jun
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