Chapter 5
A few months ago, Edith Larsen got caught up in high–interest online loans and ended up owing 150 thousand to some loan sharks. When she couldn’t pay them back and was out of options, she came to me for help.
That night, she dropped to her knees outside my door, crying so hard her voice was hoarse. “Sylvia, please, you have to help me. I’m out of options. The loan sharks said if I don’t pay, they’ll throw acid on me. They even threatened to hurt Mom and Dad.”
But I had just graduated from college. There was no way I could afford to bail her out.
I tried to convince her to go to the police and tell our parents so we could figure it out together. “Edith, you have to call the cops. Online loans and loan sharks are illegal. The police can help.”
She grabbed my arm so tightly her nails dug into my skin. “No, Sylvia, you can’t call the cops. If you do, my life will be ruined. Mom and Dad will never respect Me again. I’ll never be able to show my face in this family. Please, help me this one time.”
But I wasn’t about to let her dig herself deeper into trouble, especially not at the cost of our parents‘ retirement savings. I gritted my teeth and refused. “I can’t let you make this worse, and I won’t let you hurt Mom and Dad. You need to face the consequences of your actions.”
When she saw I wasn’t budging, her desperation shifted to resentment and then to a fragile, helpless look as she spoke, voice full of hurt. “Okay, Sylvia, I promise. I’ll turn myself in.
“But can you give me two days? I need time to get Myself together and figure out how to tell Mom and
Dad.”
Seeing her swollen, red eyes Made Me soften a little. I nodded. “Alright, but you have to go to the police. Don’t make things worse.”
But who could have imagined that she’d go so far as to try to get rid of me for good to keep her secret buried forever, so no one would find out about her
debts?
Then the cops showed Jayce a surveillance video from my room. “Take a look. This is the daughter who died because you abused your power.”
It turned out that Simon had installed a hidden camera in my room when he set up my smart home system, for safety monitoring.
In the video, when the fire broke out, I still didn’t know the truth. I found the door locked, and the flames spread quickly, with thick smoke filling the room.
I could’ve escaped through the window, but when I saw Edith paralyzed with fear on the floor, I pushed her toward the window where the air was clearer, putting myself between her and the flames.
I used my body to shield her so she could breathe fresh air while I inhaled the scorching smoke.
The video even caught my voice, weak but steady. “Edith, don’t be scared. I’ll protect you.”
When Adeline, Jayce, and Colton saw the footage, they stared at Edith in shock. The room fell silent.
Jayce’s body started shaking uncontrollably, his lips going pale.
Adeline was the first to snap out of it. She rushed at Edith, grabbing her clothes so tightly, and her voice trembled with rage. “Edith, you Murderer! How could you be so vicious? That was your sister. She was still protecting you, even at the end of her life. How could
you do this to her?”
Adeline’s fury kept building, and she raised her hand to strike Edith, but the cops stepped in quickly to stop her.
It was the first time I’d ever seen Adeline actually raise
a hand to her.
Edith finally gave up the act when she saw there was no way out. A twisted smile curled on her lips as she threw her head back and laughed. It was sharp and chilling, as if she had lost her mind. Then, she turned to Jayce, her eyes as cold as ice, filled only with distorted hatred.
She said, “Vicious? Isn’t that what you taught me? Ever since I was little, you have been telling me that if I cried, Sylvia would have to give in. If I wanted Something, you’d take it from her and give it to me. Don’t you see what kind of Monster you created?”
Her voice grew more piercing. “A Murderer? Who was it that brought all the doctors to my hospital room that day, making sure she couldn’t get her surgery on time? If you hadn’t abused your power, would I have been able to kill her so easily? Face it. You’re the real killer.” Edith pointed a finger at Adeline and Colton. “You two are no better. You never treated her like family. To you, she was a tool to make me look good. Now that she’s dead, you’re suddenly the heroes? Pathetic.”
Her words hit everyone in the room like a hammer. leaving them stunned and speechless.
Jayce froze, tormented by the weight of his past Mistakes. The guilt crushed him, almost suffocating him as he struggled to breathe.
He gripped his hair, eyes wide, Mouth open but unable to speak, shaking his head desperately.
After what seemed like forever, he finally managed to rasp out a few words, his voice barely recognizable.
“I’m sorry, Sylvia. This is all my fault. I ruined everything for you.”
Jayce collapsed, crawling to My grave. He dropped to his knees with a heavy thud, sobbing, and wrapped his arms around my tombstone. His hands trembled as he touched the small photo of me.
He said, “Sylvia, please, wake up. I know I messed up. I’m so sorry. Please, I’m begging you. I’ll stay here and apologize, really.
“Didn’t you always want to go to the Eldriton
Conservatory of Music? I’ll send you there. I’ll give you every penny I have, even selling the house if I need to.”
His mind was unraveling. “No, that’s not right. Y–You’re already gone.”
With those words, he began banging his head against My tombstone, the bright red blood quickly staining his forehead.