When my mother heard her words, her face turned pale.
Meanwhile, I snapped back to reality after hearing Vanessa’s confession.
Vanessa indeed resembled Angel a great deal. However, her very character would remain unchanged no matter how she disguised herself.
Vanessa savored the look on my mother’s face as she continued, “You are a fool. After I became Angel, I simply accused Melissa, and you believed me without thinking twice. It was funny how you had abandoned her at our old home for so many years.”
My mother stiffened momentarily before shaking uncontrollably.
“Melissa was just as foolish as you. I told her you were taking her to the amusement park, and she happily went along. It took some effort to kill her.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect her to get back up. Did you know she was crying for you to save her when I stabbed her? Isn’t that hilarious? After all, you’re the one who sent her straight to hell.”
I felt a pang in my heart.
As my mother heard her words, she seemed to have snapped out of a dream as tears fell from her cheeks. After some time, she said, “I’m sorry, Melissa.”
Sorry.
If I had heard it years ago, I would have hugged her and thrown a tantrum, telling her that she had taken far too long to apologize. It would be the happiest moment of my life. Nevertheless, I never imagined this belated apology would come with such unbearable weight.
Suddenly, I felt a sense of relief as I was now free of all the slander heaped upon me. However, it was quickly swallowed by immense bitterness.
It was too late now. There was no going back.
My mother seemed to have realized this, too, as she didn’t say anything more. Then, she looked into the void with a daze. Her body swayed, and she ultimately collapsed to the ground.
When my mother woke up, she was in the police station.
Officer John started explaining as soon as she was conscious, “I did try to tell you, but you wouldn’t listen. So, I
7/2
Chapter 10 Vanessa Is Still Alive
+25 BONUS
had no choice but to use her phone to message you, hoping you would understand. You caused a huge disturbance at the river, which came with serious consequences. You will receive the punishments.
“Thankfully, we suspected Vanessa was trying to fake her death and began searching early, so we didn’t delay in solving the case.”
Mom nodded numbly.
My mother was eventually sentenced to prison due to her false reports, obstructing justice, and spreading malicious rumors.
Before she was taken to serve her sentence, she finally came to see my corpse. She hugged my decayed body through the cloth, gently kissed my face, and said something she had never said to me before.
“I’m here to take you home, Melissa.”
Then, she took me for cremation.
Just like that, I transformed from a mangled body into a box of ashes.
After that, she rode the Ferris wheel with my ashes. Then, she buried me beside my sister and changed her gravestone name to Angel.
Then, she lost all of her daughters on the day Vanessa was sentenced to death.
That day, my mother climbed to a tall building and jumped off. I watched as her blood stained the ground, just as gruesome as when Angel died.
Slowly, my soul began to fade away.
“This is goodbye, Mom.‘
