
Dad Says Sorry to Me
Chapter 3
Arnold couldn't help but comfort him, "Don't say that. Rosa always claims she's here to study, but everyone knows she's here to see you. Who do you think clean your office? It's always so spotless. And I've seen her refill your regular meds all the time..."
My father sneered, "She's considerate? It's Chelsea's birthday today, and she didn't even call. Instead, she made more than twenty phone calls yesterday when transferring the house. She doesn't care about any family affection at all. She only cares about money. Why should I give a damn about such a heartless person?
"As for my meds, if it wasn't for her, how did I get sick from overwork?"
I couldn't help but smile bitterly. My body probably started to stink before Chelsea celebrated her birthday.
How was I supposed to call?
Besides, he shouldn't blame me for him falling sick. These days, I had been relying on myself.
He worked overtime and got sick all because of Chelsea, the apple of his eye.
The police officer who knew the inside story couldn't bear to see it and advised, "Let bygones be bygones. How do you know that Rosa is not in pain and regret?"
Hearing someone mention the past, my father instantly gritted his teeth.
"She's in pain? She regrets it? No way! If it weren't for her unreasonable behavior back then, how could Lisa have died? And Lisa died so miserably. It was all because of her!"
Everyone fell silent, knowing that Lisa Hart was my mother. Dad took Chelsea into the police station, and others followed slowly.
Only I stood still, trembling and recalling the past.
At that time, Chelsea's whole family was killed by some criminal.
My parents felt sorry for her, so they went through the adoption process and brought her here to live with us.
They were worried that she wouldn't adapt to the new family and wouldn't feel a sense of belonging, so Dad unconditionally asked me to give her all my toys and everything else I had.
I always did as he said even though the doll was my favorite.
It was also the only thing left to me by my grandma.
But Chelsea didn't cherish it. She shaved off all the doll's hair and tore its dress in front of me. I was very heartbroken and snatched my doll back.
She cried loudly, attracting Dad's attention, and said I'd rather destroy the doll before letting her have it.
Mom quickly said that she would go to the toy store and buy a new one for Chelsea.
But Mom had a car accident on the way. The car was deformed, and she was burned alive in the car.
In an instant, our family collapsed mostly.
When Dad came back after dealing with everything, he slapped me hard and even wanted to vent all his anger on me.
"Why are you so selfish? Couldn't you just let Chelsea have the toy? Are you happy now, causing Lisa to die? Mark my words. Remember clearly! It's you who killed your own mother!"
He blamed me for my mom's death. For a long time, I really thought I had killed my mom.
I regretted it and was in so much pain. I figured I should go kill myself.
Fortunately, my classmates and teachers kept an eye on me and prevented me from attempting suicide several times.
It was not until I thought it through that I suddenly realized that it was actually Chelsea who was wrong. What was more, she instigated me to die several times.
I told my father, but instead of believing me, he was furious with me.
He thought I was so wicked.
Later, he favored her more and more. Instead of taking care of them and being criticized by them, I chose to move out.
Before I left, I wondered if Dad would stop me and try to keep me.
But he opened the door himself and said if I had left earlier, the tragedy wouldn't have happened.
I remembered every bit of it clearly.
My father was at the police station.
"I didn't let her have her toy, and she was jealous of Chelsea. And Lisa ended up dead! She was burned alive! Her flesh was charred!
"At such a young age, Rosa is already so easily jealous. She always competes for favors. How could she be so vicious? I'm so unlucky to have a such daughter!"
He almost was roaring.
The people around fell silent.
Many people saw the tragic scene.
I looked at my father, whose eyes were filled with sorrow, and silently wept.
I know.
Dad, you loved Mom so much, and you were devastated when you lost her.
That's why you hate my guts. You think I caused her death. The more you hate me, the more it shows how much you miss her.
So, all these years, you've never let go.
You never forget Mom, and you refuse to remarry,
But Dad...
Do you know?
In these years, I have also regretted it so much.
Many times I woke up in the night with tears in my eyes, breaking down and crying hysterically, regretting not giving Chelsea the doll.
I understand that I will never be forgiven because of an irreparable mistake.
But... Was it all my fault?
Arnold couldn't help but say, correcting my father, "It's clearly Chelsea's fault. She insisted on taking Rosa's toy. How can you blame Rosa for this? It was her mother who died!"
My father frowned and defended Chelsea, "Chelsea was so young at that time. What did she know? Rosa is her elder sister, and Rosa should know better. But what did she do? She got jealous and couldn't tolerate Chelsea at all."
Arnold retorted again, "Rosa is only two days older than Chelsea, right?"
"What do you mean?"
My father's face darkened.
Suddenly, the sound of the lunch box falling from Chelsea's hand attracted everyone's attention, ending their conversation.