Chapter 7
“Grace, I’m so sorry! All these years, I’ve trusted the wrong person and personally sent you to your grave,” he sobbed.
“Lucy, did Grace leave anything behind?” my mother asked.
“She left a diary. She gave it to me and said to show it to you after she’s gone.”
Inside, it was written, [Today is my birthday. Dad gave me a doll, and I really love it! I’ll always keep this doll with me because it’s a symbol of my parents‘ love for me.
[Recently, a little girl, Yolana, has come to live with us. Dad told me to be kind to her, and Mom said the same. But no matter how nice I am to her, she hates me. I don’t understand why, but I’ll do as they say and treat her like my own sister.
[Today, Yolana broke Dad’s precious antique. She said it was my fault. Dad beat me until my whole body hurt. No matter how much I tried to explain, they wouldn’t listen. It makes me so sad.]
Each page revealed an overwhelming love for my parents.
As they read, tears blurred their vision. Despite being treated so unfairly, I still wanted to obey them.
What a good daughter I was, yet now, they could never see me again.
My father, overcome with grief, slapped himself repeatedly.
“It’s all my fault. I was such a fool. I brought Yolana back to make Grace feel threatened, to motivate her to do better, but I never imagined it would end up like this…”
My mother stepped forward and shoved my father aside.
“Hah, listen to yourself! You brought Yolana home, saying it was for Grace’s sake. Now look at what happened–what became of your relationship with her. I endured it all, for the sake of the family, for the marriage. But I never expected it to lead to losing our daughter. I don’t deserve to be a mother.”
Turning to the last page of the diary, the writing was blurry.
It was what I had written during one of the rare moments when I was conscious, before everything went dark.
[I still couldn’t buy a new outfit. I wanted 100 bucks to buy a nice set of clothes, so I could say goodbye to the world properly. Now, it’s clear that’s impossible. I used to hate Mom and Dad. I hated them for never caring for me. But now, as I’m dying, all I can think about are the memories from when I was little–when they took me to fly a kite. I was so happy then. If only I could go back to that time, living carefree.”
1/2
+25 BONUS
Chapter 7
My father’s mind flashed back to the image of me wrapped in a blanket.
His daughter never got 100 dollars to buy that proper outfit, even till her death.
In less than a year, my parents‘ health deteriorated completely.
They sat in front of my grave every day, crying.
“Grace, we really regret it. Can you come back to us?”
“I will buy you many beautiful clothes, Grace. Whatever you want, it’ll be yours.”
But it was already too late.
The cemetery was silent, except for the heart–wrenching sobs of my parents.
They were no longer the lively people they used to be. They donated all their wealth, and every day, they came to sit by my grave, holding my doll.
The truth was, even though I was wronged and blamed, I never truly hated my parents.
They just would never know that.
Another year passed, another cold winter.
When they were found, they were lying lifelessly in front of my gravestone, holding my tightly in their arms.
doll
Today’s Bonus Offer
