Accueil / Emotional Realism Histoires courtes / Only My Death Can Fix This Family / Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 9

Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 9

Chapter 1

"Wilbur's tutoring fee for this month is 1,200 dollars. It's for helping him earn money to support you in the future. I'm not paying it," Dad said coldly as he flung the bill onto the coffee table.Mom let out a scoff and retorted, "He's your son. If that homewrecker of yours hadn't shown up back then and upset me so badly that I went into premature labor, would I have given birth early? This kid's poor health is all your doing! Why should I be the one paying for it?"As I listened to those harsh words, I gathered my courage and walked over to tug gently at Dad's sleeve."Dad, Mom, please stop arguing…" I lowered my head and pleaded softly. "I won't go for any tutoring anymore. I'll study on my own. Please don't fight because of me—"Before I could finish, Dad shoved me away in disgust. "Don't touch me!"Then he turned to stare me down, his eyes full of resentment. "What do you mean you won't go anymore? Easy for you to say! If you don't go and fail to get into college, who's goin

Chapter 2

I curled up on my bed and lay there motionless. It felt as if my heart was being torn apart."Was my birth and existence a grave mistake?" I thought bitterly.After I was born, Mom and Dad started splitting every expense evenly. Each of them paid for half of the household costs. They hated each other, and they hated me.By comparison, Zara was the apple of their eye. She had been born when they were in love, so she had always been the child who carried the family's hopes.Unfortunately, my arrival had shattered all of that. So, Zara came to hate me too.I didn't know how long I had slept before the rumble of thunder woke me.Just then, the bedroom door opened. A moment later, Zara's voice broke the silence. "Wilbur, how can you sleep? Oh, how I wish you'd never existed. Before you were born, Mom and Dad never fought. This house was filled with laughter every day."She paused for a bit before saying hatefully, "You destroyed this family. Why don't you just die?"Tears slid dow

Chapter 3

The pain grew worse in the middle of the night. I felt the ache deep in my bone marrow. I writhed on the bed in agony, my fingernails digging into the bedsheet until they left long tears in the fabric.I couldn't take it any longer. Forcing myself to stay on my feet, I slowly made my way to the living room, one step at a time.The living room was brightly lit. A noisy reality TV show was playing on the television, and bursts of laughter filled the air. Mom sat on the couch peeling an orange. Dad was peeling an apple for Zara. She was telling funny stories about school, which made both of them laugh out loud.In that brief moment, they looked like a happy family of three.I, on the other hand, was completely out of place. I was an eyesore that didn't belong here. The moment I realized that, my heart ached even more.Upon hearing the shuffling of my footsteps, all three of them turned toward me at the same time. The smiles disappeared from their faces instantly, replaced by indi

Chapter 4

Alas, cancer treatment was a bottomless pit even if I was discharged and brought back home.As my parents watched the money go down the drain while my condition showed no signs of improving, the flimsy and tightly stretched thread holding the family together finally snapped.Another argument broke out. It was fiercer than any before."We've already spent half of the 50,000 dollars! If this goes on, we'll burn through our retirement savings too!" Dad hurled the bill onto the floor."He's your son too! What do you want to do, pull the plug?" Mom shot back.She let out a cold snort and added, "If you want to pull it, you do it. Don't expect me to take the blame for such an outrageous act.""Fine! Neither of us is going to do anything, right? Then we'll just leave it at that!" Dad roared, giving the coffee table a forceful kick that flipped it over.He grabbed his jacket and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.Mom was trembling with rage. She pointed at me and cursed, "You g

Chapter 5

Mom let out a piercing scream. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she fainted.Dad collapsed onto the floor and kept muttering to himself. "Impossible… That's impossible… We still have bills to settle with him. We hadn't finished settling them yet. How could he be dead…"Zara looked as though a bolt of lightning had hit her. She stood frozen in place, unable to move. Her face was deathly pale as the words she had said to me that night echoed over and over in her mind.She remembered that she had said, "Stop pretending you're dying and keep dragging everyone down. Just looking at you annoys me."Now, her voice took on a hint of a sob, and she trembled profusely. "I-I never wanted him to die… I just… I just thought he was annoying. I thought he was throwing a tantrum…"Watching my family's reaction, the police officer frowned deeply as contempt briefly flickered in his eyes. He had seen countless families who had lost loved ones. Some fell into hysterics, while others were

Chapter 6

"What?" Mom exclaimed.Her eyes flew wide open, and her face contorted with fury. "He needed painkillers! Those pills could save his life! And you gave him candy?"Zara stammered, "I-I thought he was faking it. Didn't you two always say he was pretending to be sick to get money? I… I thought I could just brush him off…""You animal!" Dad backhanded Zara across the face so hard that blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, sending her sprawling to the floor.He roared, "He's your brother, and he has cancer! The pain is unbearable when it hits! How could you just give him candy? Were you trying to make him die from the pain? That's murder! You murderer!"Mom threw herself over Zara like a madwoman, clawing and scratching at Dad. "Don't hit Zara! What gives you the right to hit her? She's just a child and didn't know any better! Don't pretend to be a loving father now! Weren't you the one who wanted to give up on his treatment in the first place?"Dad shoved Mom away and shouted,

Chapter 7

The letter slipped from Mom's hands and fluttered to the floor.The room fell into a deathly silence. Then came Mom's heart-wrenching sobs. "Wilbur, my son! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"Dad clutched the letter as he cried in utter despair.He remembered the apple he had refused to give me when I was eight years old. He remembered calling me a cursed boy on the day I was diagnosed. He remembered every vicious curse he had hurled at me during their countless arguments.Mom covered her face as tears streamed down her cheeks.Zara looked dazed, as though her soul had left her body. She had never imagined that I knew. I had known all along that the "medicine" had really been candies."He thought… He thought I couldn't study abroad because we didn't have the money. He thought he was holding me back. But… But that isn't true at all. I'm a monster! I'm a complete and utter monster!" Zara collapsed onto the floor, staring blankly into space.Guilt swallowed her whole, leaving her barely a

Chapter 8

From that day on, I threw myself into my studies, researching medicine day and night.I wanted to become someone like Gregory. I wanted to save people struggling in despair just as I once had and prove that I wasn't a worthless burden but a priceless talent.In the blink of an eye, eight years passed.During those eight years, I earned a full scholarship, completed my bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in one breath. I became the youngest associate professor at the best hospital in Starvale, specializing in brain tumor surgery.Meanwhile, the Johnson family continued to rot from within.Zara completely gave up on herself. She barely managed to earn a diploma from a vocational college. After graduating, she couldn't find a decent job and refused to settle for a lesser one, so she stayed home, living off our parents. Her temper grew steadily worse.My parents couldn't even continue their original arrangement of splitting every expense evenly because Zara ate up all their fi

Chapter 9

My parents looked up as well. Their eyes widened in shock when they saw me.I stopped walking and let my gaze sweep over them. There was no hatred or love in them. All they held was the kind of indifference reserved for strangers.I discreetly covered the name badge on my chest with my hand, but then I lowered it again. Since they were here, I might as well face them."What's going on?" I asked the head nurse coldly."Dr. Johnson, this family doesn't have an appointment, but they insisted on forcing their way in," the head nurse reported awkwardly."Wilbur, it really is you! My son! I finally found you!" Dad struggled out of the wheelchair in excitement and staggered toward me.Mom was crying so hard that tears streamed down her wrinkled face. "I've searched everywhere for you, my boy! Where have you been all these years?"Zara dropped to her knees and repeatedly slapped herself across the face. "I'm sorry, Wilbur! I was horrible back then. I apologize to you. Please forgive me!

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