My Mother Killed Me For Her Stepdaughter novel Chapter 6

Frank, ever resourceful, whispered something to Mom. Her eyes widened, and then she snapped her fingers.

"Of course! They say bones are full of nutrients. People used to eat them to survive famines!"

"Bethany's still growing..."

She didn't finish the sentence, but Frank nodded. I watched in horror as he pulled out a rusty hacksaw.

They dismembered me that night. My remains, except for one femur, were stuffed into black trash bags and dumped in the river miles away.

The rushing water swallowed my body, my story, their guilt.

I was nothing. A ghost. A memory.

Mom withdrew me from school. No explanation needed; I was just an orphan, after all.

Life went on.

The honeymoon phase between Mom and Frank fizzled out faster than a cheap firework. One night, while he was passed out, Mom found a used condom in his pocket.

Cue World War III.

Frank, master manipulator that he was, went into overdrive: tears, promises, more lies. "Linda, I swear, it meant nothing! You have to believe me, I love you! It was a stupid mistake, forgive me!"

He even dragged Bethany into it, bemoaning their hard-knock life before Mom. "She deserved a better life, a real home. It's all my fault, I'm so sorry, please forgive me!"

Later that night, Frank, fueled by fake tears and expensive wine, laid down the final play.

"My Bethany, she's suffered so much. Having a mother she couldn't even acknowledge... Linda, I regret it all so much. If only I had more to offer, a real home for my girls..."

Mom, her heartstrings sufficiently tugged, reached for his hand. "My poor baby. This house... it's yours, Bethany. You're my daughter, my everything."

Frank shot Bethany a look, and she launched into a heartfelt speech about love and gratitude. Then, Frank, always the opportunist, pounced.

"It's not fair, a young girl like her, with nothing to her name. Linda, we should put the house in her name. You know, for security. What if she meets a nice young man one day? It's a safety net."

And just like that, Mom, blinded by guilt and manipulated by a master conman, signed the house over to Bethany.