Before I could finish, Seraphina impatiently cut me off.
“It’s always your mom! How tired could your mom be?! She sits and does intricate needlework all day! She sells it to rich people, adds her pension, and a million should be easy, right?”
Watching Seraphina storm out, slamming the door, all the strength drained from my body. I collapsed onto the floor, biting my teeth, silently sobbing.
Tears mingled with the blood at the corner of my lips.
Before my eyes, I saw my mother and daughter’s tragic deaths, lying in pools of blood, intermingling with seven years of my life with Seraphina, making me question what was real and what was false.
Not long after, the doorbell rang.
2
Mrs. Henderson, our next–door neighbor, saw me when I opened the door, and a look of pleasant surprise crossed her face.
Julian! Not working today? Where’s Chloe? Look what I brought for your little one!”
“This paint set is a reward for Chloe! Chloe loves to paint, doesn’t she?”
“Oh, and where are your mom and Chloe?”
Mrs. Henderson held a back support belt, peering into the house, searching for my mom and Chloe.
My throat tightened, and I bit down hard, fighting back tears.
“What’s wrong? Julian, why are you crying?”
The smile slowly faded from Mrs. Henderson’s face. As if sensing something, her eyes instantly reddened.
She looked at me in disbelief, as if hoping for a different answer from my words.
“Mrs. Henderson, my mom and Chloe already…”
I closed my eyes for a moment, finally uttering the answer.
“…are gone.”
“What happened?!” Mrs. Henderson cried out in alarm, the gift in her hand falling heavily to the floor.
Hearing Mrs. Henderson’s sobs, my own tears couldn’t be held back. I choked out,
“A car accident.”
I couldn’t bring myself to look up, my shoulders shaking as I quietly wept.
A pair of warm arms wrapped around me. Mrs. Henderson wailed, cursing,
“That heartless monster! Your mom never even got to enjoy life, and Chloe was so young…
“Oh, does Seraphina know?”
<
The question felt like a sharp blade piercing my heart.
Under Mrs. Henderson’s concerned gaze, I slowly shook my head. “She doesn’t know.”
Even now, Seraphina had no idea she’d gotten drunk and killed my mom and Chloe.
Thinking of this, I could no longer control the grief in my heart and sobbed like a child.
After Mrs. Henderson left, I buried my head in my pillow and cried for a long time, until I received a message from the funeral home.
Five hundred thousand.
Looking at that astronomical sum and my bank account balance, I felt utterly desperate.
Where was I going to find five hundred thousand dollars for my mom and Chloe’s burial?
As I scrolled through my phone book, trying to find someone I could borrow money from, Seraphina’s call came in.
“Don’t let Mom and Chloe work late tonight. I’ll be home early to celebrate Chloe’s birthday.”
My mind was still on that five hundred thousand dollars. After a moment of hesitation, I asked,
“Seraphina, do you have five hundred thousand?”
A long silence on the other end of the line. Finally, she spoke.
“Julian, are you kidding me? Where would *I* get money? Didn’t all my wages go to buying things for Chloe and Mom?”
There wasn’t a hint of guilt in Seraphina’s voice. She’d told the lie so many times, she even believed it herself.
Tears brimmed in my eyes. Suddenly, I cried out loudly,
“Seraphina!! You’re lying to me! You do! You clearly do! You just don’t want to give it to me!”
Seraphina’s voice rose several octaves. She snapped angrily,
“Julian! What are you doing?! What kind of person do you take me for? If I had the money, do you think I wouldn’t give it to you? Who’s been feeding you lies?!”
“Please! Can you stop making things difficult for me?!”
Oh, “stop making things difficult for me,” indeed!
With that, she hastily hung up the phone.
To gather enough money for my mom and Chloe’s burial plot, I couldn’t afford to wallow in my grief. I had to rush to the agreed–upon workplace.
Encased in a thick mascot costume, I was led into a private room, clumsily swaying my limbs to the music.
After my performance, laughter erupted from around the room.
“How’s it, Sera? The birthday gift I prepared for your Chloe in advance, pretty good, right?”
(Sera dotes on her daughter like the apple of her eye. All the money she earns by humbling herself, she spends on her mother–in–law and daughter.
3
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