All Chapters of My Pretty Face Hides a Deadly Secret: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Right before the grad school entrance exams, my dorm mate, Shawn Lodge, suddenly decided he wanted to let loose and relax for a bit. I didn't want to be a buzzkill, so I agreed.That night, I went out drinking with him. As we drank, he slung an arm around me and curiously asked about my conflict with our other dorm mate, Andy Court.I just shook my head. I had no idea why Andy was so hostile toward me.Shawn stroked his chin and gave me an inquisitive once-over. "I heard he was so freaked out after seeing your body that he ran around campus in just his boxers. Louie, let me take a look."I broke out in goosebumps all over, feeling grossed out. I shoved him hard. "Stop being disgusting."But Shawn was curious by nature, and once he wanted to get to the bottom of something, he wouldn't let it go. All night, he kept pouring me drinks.I pretended to be drunk, planning to satisfy his curiosity so he would finally drop the subject.When we got to the hotel, he nudged and shook me a f

Chapter 2

Dad's eyes were filled with terror, like he'd just seen something horrifying.I was scared out of my mind and had no idea what to do. I looked crestfallen and slowly moved closer, wanting to cling to him.But Dad kept backing away from me. His leg cramped, and he stumbled straight into the hot spring. I rushed over to pull him up, but he struggled with all his might. I didn't know what to do, so I shouted for help at the top of my lungs.Dad was barely breathing by the time he was dragged to safety. Even then, his eyes had locked on me with a deathly stare, and he kept mumbling under his breath that I was a monster. Then, with that hateful look still in his eyes, he died.I never figured out how Dad had suddenly come to hate me or what it was that he'd seen.After his death, Mom took over the company and left me in the care of my maternal grandma Nana. She came home less and less.One time, by accident, I got home and overheard Mom arguing with Nana.Nana told Mom to get rid of

Chapter 3

But it was too late. Quite a few young women who came to class that day saw Andy sprinting across campus in superhero boxers.It was an eyesore, sure, but since he hadn't actually hurt anyone, the university administration only gave him a verbal warning.After that incident, Andy came down with a high fever that wouldn't break. He repeatedly muttered "monster", even in his delirium. He spent over two weeks in the hospital before he finally recovered.Every time his parents brought up going back to campus, he reacted with sheer terror. When they asked what had happened, he refused to say a word. With no other choice, his parents filed for a leave of absence on his behalf.Because of what happened to Andy, my classmates were all a little afraid of me. They felt I must have done something that had frightened him so badly that he'd caught a fever and even dropped out.But I never figured out what he actually saw.…I jolted awake from the nightmare, the alcohol in my system mostly w

Chapter 4

I stammered, "I-I don't know what's going on. Maybe there's something wrong with me… like some strange split personality or something?"The officer went quiet for a moment. Then, he said sternly, "You're perfectly sane. Stop trying to use that as an excuse to dodge legal responsibility. You did something wrong, so you have to pay the price!"I opened my mouth to argue, but when I saw the cold look on his face that told me he'd already decided I was guilty, I just felt exhausted."I'll say this once more—I didn't kill anyone! There was no bad blood between Shawn and me. We even went for drinks together! Why would I kill him? If you don't believe me, you can ask our friends. We've known each other for years, and we've never even really fought."…I couldn't believe Shawn was dead. Other than him, no one knew what had really happened.The police called his parents in to identify the body. After they confirmed it was him, they overheard that I was the suspect. They lost it and starte

Chapter 5

The reporters' pens were like rifles. Every word they wrote was another verdict against me. I forced my way out of the circle and fled back to my dorm.Not long after, my advisor called to say that my situation had caused a huge stir. Until things were cleared up, I was suspended. I couldn't stay on campus anymore.As I dragged my suitcase behind me and left campus, I felt like a homeless drifter. When I looked back, I realized I had nothing left.So, I threw caution to the wind and decided to go all in to uncover the truth. It was after seeing my body that Dad, Andy, and Shawn had ended up the way they had.But Mom had seen it, too, and she was still alive and well. And from what Nana had said, she clearly knew what was going on as well.I knew they wouldn't tell me the truth, though. That meant Andy was my only lead.I went to his hometown with my suitcase in tow, found a cheap motel for tens of dollars a night, and checked in. Then, I headed straight for his house.His parent

Chapter 6

I shoved Andy away and fell hard to the ground, scrambling backward on my heels.Mr. Court arrived just then. His fists slammed into me over and over until I could only lie there on the ground.A light rain started to fall."You freak!" he shouted. "Andy already dropped out of university. Why did you follow him here? Will you only be satisfied once he's dead? Well? Are you happy now? Why are you doing this to me?"The rain slowly blurred my vision. I reached a hand toward my lower back.Mr. Court eventually wore himself out from hitting me. He lifted his leg to kick my lower back. Then, I heard his sharp cry of pain."You monster! What's on your body?" he shouted, reaching over to lift my shirt.I had no idea what was so special about the face on my lower back, but everyone who had seen it was dead now. I didn't want it to hurt anyone else, so I mustered all my strength to shove Mr. Court away. Then, I staggered off as fast as I could.I got back to the motel, slipped into my r

Chapter 7

I clenched my fists without even realizing I was doing it. When I was a kid, Mom and Dad used to hold my hands like that, too.I rubbed my face and turned to leave.After thinking it over, I decided to go back to my hometown. Gran doted on me, and she knew the truth. She would tell me.With that in mind, I planned to head straight back home. But when I got to the train station, I saw my own wanted poster. I had become a fugitive.There was no way I could board any trains now, so I carefully slipped out of the station and decided to take a long-distance bus instead.My hometown was really remote. I spent the whole day on the bus and didn't arrive until late at night. The village was silent, with only an occasional dog barking somewhere in the dark.When I stepped into the yard, Gran came out with a flashlight. She looked genuinely surprised and happy to see me. "Louie, you're back."I looked at her, and bitterness surged in me. "Gran, I came back to see you."I hurried toward he

Chapter 8

I looked at Mom, feeling my eyes sting. Then, I tilted my head back to look up at the clear blue sky. I said, "Fine, then. I'll make your wish come true. Ms. Ford, do your civic duty and take me to the police station."Mom called a few other relatives. They tied me up and shoved me into the backseat of Mom's car. After that, she drove to the police station.On the way there, we got into a car accident. Before passing out, I saw Mom bleeding profusely.When I woke up, I was already in a hospital room, with a uniformed police officer standing nearby."Where's my mom?" I croaked. "Is she okay?"The officer shook his head regretfully. "My condolences."I tried to lift my arm, but metal clinked and rattled. I looked down and saw handcuffs. One cuff was locked around my wrist, and the other was fastened to the bedrail.I swallowed hard. As I pulled the blanket over my head with my free hand, I kept asking myself why it wasn't me who'd died instead.The officer patted my arm. "Stay st

Chapter 9

When the police followed the trail, they discovered that after Mom got pregnant, she'd secretly asked the doctor who did her ultrasound to find out the baby's gender in advance.It turned out she was carrying twins—one boy and one girl. But Gran was obsessed with having a grandson and thought raising a girl was a waste of money. She found some folk remedy that could get rid of the baby girl painlessly.Mom didn't want to abort, though. To her, both children were her flesh and blood. Because of that, Gran secretly drugged the soup she made for Mom to kill the baby girl.But when I was born, my sister's body had fused with mine. Gran fainted on the spot when she saw me, and Mom was devastated.When she later learned the truth, Mom insisted on cutting ties with Gran. That was why Gran lived back in the village.When I heard all this, I could barely wrap my head around it. But what happened afterward completely shattered my worldview.My parents hadn't wanted a freak for a son. They

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