I was also bewildered by Officer John’s words.
‘Does that mean the person in front of me is Vanessa?‘
My mother staggered backward but was still staring at Vanessa.
“So, Angel has been dead all along! Why did you pretend to be her all these years?”
Only then did Vanessa finally raise her head to look at my mother. Perhaps she had given up on resisting as the panic from before was gone and was replaced by a malicious grin.
“Why? Of course, it was for revenge. Among us, you hated me the most for being stubborn. Instead, you adored Angel. So, I tricked her into exchanging our clothes and pushed her down the stairs. Then, I started taking Angel’s place. What do you think? Did I do well over the years?”
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.
