Chapter 6
In the afternoon, Vivian followed Ethan back to their new home.
As for me, I followed behind my dad, mom, and Joshua.
Joshua was driving, with Dad and Mom sitting in the back seat.
The empty passenger seat was saved for Vivian. It had always been “Vivian’s spot“.
Yet today, I sat there, while listening to the three of them discussing my sins, back and forth.
“She hates me so much, and this family! She won’t even come for her own sister’s wedding!”
My mom leaned on my dad’s shoulder, seemingly exhausted, “I feel like I’ve failed in parenting.”
Her father patted her heartily, “Such a heartless little ingrate is not worth your effort.”
I turned my head and observed their expressions carefully, as if to carve their looks into my brain, and tried to find even the slightest hint of concern from them.
But there was none.
My sudden disappearance only made them irritated and
Chapter 6 resentful.
2/4
Not a single person had a second of doubt and asked themselves
–Is Willow in trouble?
I thought ghosts didn’t have the ability to shed tears, but I, as a cold, shadowy phantom, clearly had tears streaming down my icy cheek.
I couldn’t help but come up with a smile, and asked in a voice no living human could hear, “Mom, have you ever truly loved me? Even for one little second in your life, have you loved me?”
“If you hate me so much, why did you bring me to this world?”
I asked the same question a long time ago.
At that time, I was in ninth grade, a very intense year of study.
Dad was away on a business trip, Joshua was still too young, and Vivian just got into university.
My mom had kidney stones, so there was a period when I had to run back and forth between school and the hospital every day to take care of her. I lost a lot of weight from exhaustion.
It seemed that my mom was moved by my efforts, as she gave me more pocket money that month than she gave to Joshua.
She even praised me several times in front of our neighbor,
Chapter 6
saying that I was dependable and considerate.
When I was bullied by my classmates, she even went to the school to stand up for me.
It seemed everything was slowly going on the right track.
That afternoon, we crossed the street together. Somehow her maternal love for me suddenly kicked in, and she decided to hold my hand.
This kind of intimacy might be one of the most natural interactions between mother and daughter, but it was really unfamiliar to me.
Almost instinctively, I shoved her hand away, causing her to stumble back several steps to the middle of the street.
It was dusk.
The traffic light turned red.
And a car whizzed past us.
3/4
My mother’s expression slowly changed again and back to the kind of indifference that I couldn’t be more familiar with.
She put on a stern look and said in a flat tone, “An ungrateful little bitch after all.”
That night, I was overwhelmed by the regret and confusion. swirling in my head, and I took a compass and stabbed myself in
Chapter 6
the arm, leaving several bloody holes.
But even the pain couldn’t ease the despair and restlessness raging inside me.
4/4
Finally, I went into my mom’s room and asked her, “Mom, if you don’t love me, why did you bring me to this world?”
My mother remained silent with her eyes closed. Her breath was peaceful and even, as if she had already fallen asleep.
But I knew she wasn’t asleep. She just didn’t bother to answer my childish question.
Well, she didn’t bother to answer me even when I was alive.
Where did I get the idea that she would answer me now that I was dead? She couldn’t even hear me.
