"Bella? Is that you?" My heart leaped, even as a voice in the back of my head cautioned me. I walked closer, then staggered backwards, horrified at what laid before me. It was my corpse, face stretched out in a scream.

Ross suddenly appeared, a smirk on his face. "What do you want?" I asked. "Haven't I suffered enough?" The heartbreak in my voice was clear. Ross's smirk didn't waver, however.

"Not even close. You turned Tara against her own father. Did you even think about how he'd feel?" I didn't answer.

Instead, an image of Grandma appeared in my mind. "What about my dad? He witnessed his own wife's death. She never did anything to you. She was kind and loving."

Before he could answer, rustling behind him made me flinch. Zach appeared, followed by Mom and Dad, all wearing furious expressions. "Get away from our daughter," Mom said.

Dad's face was expressionless, but his eyes blazed with anger. "I won't let you do this, Ross. I won't stand by and watch as you destroy my family." I stifled a cry as Dad's gaze fell on my corpse, a heartbroken look appearing on his face.

"What have you done?" Mom asked. Ross smiled, but there was nothing kind in it.

"What I should've done a long time ago. I thought once I'd finished with her-" he jerked his chin over to Mom- "that I wouldn't have to deal with any of y'all again. I was sadly mistaken. I have to admit, though. I'm impressed."

Mom didn't answer as tears rolled down her face. She clutched Dad's hand as if it were a lifeline. I hurriedly threw myself awake, unclenching my fists.

As I got out of bed, a thought hit me, so startling, I almost crawled back into bed: today was my 19th birthday. A shudder ran through me. How was I supposed to focus on my birthday when all of this was going on?

I took deep breaths as I walked downstairs to the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, Dad was already awake. His face lit up in a genuine smile as he saw me. "Happy birthday, Bella. I love you so much."

As I hugged him, I tried my hardest not to tremble. All I could think about was Ross. What did he have in store for me today?

As I left the house, a small voice in the back of my head warned me to be on my guard today. I doubted neither Ross nor Zach would give me a free pass just because it was my birthday.

Not a heartbeat later, the former appeared in front of me, an eerie smile on his face. "Happy birthday, Bella. I've got a surprise for you." The look on his face told me it wasn't the surprise I had in mind. Before I could so much as turn around, he grabbed me, fingers digging into my arm. I forced myself not to cry out.

We walked for a while, our footsteps the only sound on the otherwise silent trip. A half hour later, we arrived at our destination: a large log cabin. I looked at Ross questioningly. He only smiled, gesturing to the door. I opened it and walked inside. A rush of heat hit me and I was pleasantly surprised to find a fire roaring in the fireplace.

"Why am I here, Ross?" I asked, hands on my hips. Unease created a knot in my stomach as I heard a rustling noise behind me. Suddenly, someone grabbed me from behind, pushing me into a chair and binding my arms and legs.

Zach appeared in front of me, a cruel smile on his face. "To finally get what you deserve." Before I could ask him what he meant, the lights in the room dimmed as a large projector started up and a screen appeared.

Nothing in the world could've prepared me for what appeared on the screen. Mom. It was the day she died. Ross had recorded the whole thing. He fast-forwarded it to the end, zooming in on Mom's agonised face. Then it ended.

Tears rolled down my face as I struggled with my restraints. "Now you know how it feels to lose someone you love." A heartbeat later, I felt the bindings on my arms and legs being cut. I could only imagine what my expression was.

I ran home, struggling to see past the tears in my eyes. It was next to impossible to sleep that night. I finally dozed off hours before my alarm went off the next morning.

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