Chapter 35

After hanging out with Jeremy and discussing many things, Claia came home to find Ethelyn sitting on the sofa with her head down. The expression on her face after looking up at her, she sensed that her mother Diora had a problem. Claia was upset because Diora's mother, no matter how many times she asked, still wouldn't let her go out of town with the excuse of meeting friends, monitoring, or doing assignments from school. Claia and Jeremy made various excuses but to no avail. Ethelyn seemed so anxious that Diora would leave her life.

Finally, Claia gave up. She thought that if Ethelyn was her parent, she would give up and not leave her mother alone. She also wondered if she would continue to be Diora in the future, whether she should forget her real parents or not. Her relationship with Ethelyn was fine and even gave the impression that they were a happy mother and daughter even though it only seemed to be Ethelyn that Ethelyn didn't want to be left behind. Claia, since getting many messages from Ethelyn not to leave her, continues to think about Diora's relationship with her mother.

"Sit down Diora. Jeremy isn't coming with you?" Ethelyn asked Claia.

Claia shook her head.

Claia had heard many things from Jeremy.

"Diora has never gotten along with her mother since her father died. But if you're nice to Diora's mom, it won't be a problem. Besides..."

Jeremy often didn't finish his words.

"When Diora was in this body, did her mother always leave her alone? Diora couldn't overcome her loneliness so she dated a lot of boys, right?" Claia asked.

"Let's not talk about other boys!" snapped Jeremy. "Mrs. Ethelyn is always working. It's something Diora is used to so she never takes it to heart."

"You don't understand Diora. If I were Diora, always being left behind by parents would be lonely too."

Jeremy didn't say anything. Instantly Claia and Jeremy became a bit estranged.

Claia was forced to sit next to Ethelyn.

"Don't go!" said Ethelyn.

"...I'm not going anywhere, mama. I'm here with you," Claia replied with a smile. "By the way, I...have a little problem with my memory. I don't remember the past clearly. I wonder what caused us to fight."

Ethelyn was very surprised to hear Diora's words. Had Diora turned kind to her all this time because she forgot what happened between them?

"What's wrong with you?"

"I'm fine. I am. I just...I forgot a bit," Claia replied.

"You've changed a lot Diora. You've become a little shy and quiet. If you remember what happened, maybe you'll give your mom a break," Ethelyn said.

"...What did you do to me? How could a mother hurt her child, right?"

Diora's question made Ethelyn roll her eyes. Diora now looked very strange. That look, that face, her daughter said she lost her memory a little. But this was strange. A little to change her that much. No, it isn't. Why did her daughter suddenly lose her memory? What has she been going through all this time?

Ethelyn looked down again. Her face looked like she was enduring pain. Her lips were tightly closed and her eyes were trembling.

"Ma," Claia called.

"Did Mom kill Dad?" she asked.

Claia wondered what kind of crime Ethelyn had committed Diora seemed to hate her mother from the bottom of her heart because of her mother's crimes that she could not forgive. And Claia thought it was related to Diora's father. Perhaps Ethelyn hated her late husband so much that she thought of killing him. If that was the case then, the intelligent Diora would have tried to find out. She might be able to smell her mother's suspicious movements.

"No!" Ethelyn denied it immediately.

"Why would you go that far? Your father died of illness. I never touched him at all," Ethelyn retorted.

Claia immediately felt guilty when Ethelyn angrily and fiercely spoke her words.

"I'm sorry," Claia whispered. "I don't remember anything."

If it wasn't about her father, then what was it?

Claia struggled to find a way out but until she finally heard the sound of formation

"Never mind, go to your room and get some sleep!" Ethelyn ordered as she pointed toward Diora's room.

Claia didn't say anything else and went straight to Diora's room. She lay down on the bed and closed her eyes for a while. She got up and picked up her cell phone that was in her skirt pocket. She opened the message from Jeremy.

Jeremy

Good night. How's it going? Everything is okay, right?

Claia

Weird

Jeremy

What's weird? Explain in detail!

Claia

You're the weird one. You don't usually greet me with a good night.

Jeremy

If I knew why, I'd tell you.

Claia

What does that mean?

Jeremy

Wrong post

Claia

Who have you been messaging?

Jeremy

Just curious.

Claia

You...it's none of my business. Don't be so confident just because you're handsome.

Jeremy

I'm ugly. You're telling me I'm handsome?

Claia

No, you didn't. Thank goodness you're self-aware that you're ugly.

Jeremy

Get some sleep! I'll turn off my cell phone.

Claia

Go ahead. By the way, the more I think about it, the more I hate Diora. What an ungrateful girl!

Jeremy didn't reply to Claia's message again. Claia turned around. She sighed.

"Dad, Mom, what are you doing there?" Claia wondered.

Claia closed her eyes.

***

"What is this?"

A small bottle rolled to Claia's feet. Claia picked it up and looked at it. This bottle was...some kind of medicine container. A tranquilizer. That's what it says. Claia averted her eyes when she saw that her hands were covered in blood. She flipped through the medicine bottle. It turned out to be a bloody bottle. Claia looked around. She was at Ethelyn's house. Inside Diora's room, to be exact.

"Hah!"

Claia suddenly got up. Her breathing was ragged. "What was that? Did I just have a nightmare? That...sedative and blood? It reminded me of my suicide."

Suddenly his hand moved to squeeze her hair. Claia winced in pain. This was the same as when she was confused at the restaurant. Her head hurt.

Ethelyn and the two maids who heard something from Diora's room stopped what they were doing. They rushed to Diora's room.

One by one, Diora's memories began to pop up in Claia's mind.

Diora sat on the bed holding a tranquilizer. She drank quite a lot. After that, she threw the bottle against the wall. At the same time, the door to her room opened. It didn't. It was opened by someone. It looked like a man.

The scene changed again.

Diora had a big fight with her mother that brought tears to her eyes. Claia shielded her eyes when Diora shed tears. It turns out that Diora can cry too.

Diora took a knife from the kitchen and started slicing her wrists. Claia screamed. Blood flowed out of Diora's wrist. Diora pulled out the knife and threw it in any direction.

Why did Diora do that?

Why did she do that?

Was it her?

Claia wondered again.

The scene changed again.

"What are you doing Diora?" Ethelyn asked as she approached her daughter who was bandaging the wound on her wrist.

"None of your business," Diora replied.

"You..."

Ethelyn turned angrily away from her daughter.

The scene changed again.

Diora tied a rope to the roof of her room and put a chair under it. Claia had seen something like that on the internet. Was Diora preparing to commit suicide? What caused her to look so sad, frustrated, and suicidal?

The pain in her head slowly disappeared.

Claia gasped for breath. She turned to Ethelyn and her two servants in turn. Ira also entered the room to check on his mistress.

"Mistress, what happened to Miss Diora?" Ira asked.

"I don't know either," Ethelyn replied.

Ethelyn tried to sit Diora down better.

"Diora, does your head hurt?" asked Ethelyn.

Claia nodded with teary eyes. "It was scary just now."

"What was scary?"

She looked at Ethelyn's worried expression. Claia was pensive. She thought about the memory just now. Diora, whom she hated to death, had attempted suicide just like her several times. What caused her to be like that? Was she being bullied just like her or something?

Claia moved her eyes in another direction. She said to herself, "I think Diora is overly saddened by her father's death. But wait. That man who entered her room...who?"

Ethelyn hugged Diora tightly. "Diora, Mom will take you to the hospital or call a psychiatrist to heal you. You have to want to, right?"

"Miss.... please accept your mother's kindness," Ira said.

Claia shook her head. "I...leave me alone!"

A few weeks later in a different location.