They Broadcast My Memories to Prove I'm a Monster

I was fourteen when I murdered my parents.
At least, that's the story everyone in Havenwood knows by heart.
Because I was a minor, the law couldn't truly punish me.
The day I was released, the entire town spewed curses at me, their faces contorted in rage. But my younger siblings had nowhere else to go. They were forced to live with me, their sister, the murderer.
They hated me. They feared me. Their gazes were a toxic cocktail of terror and disgust.
It wasn't until the doctors announced my impending death that a collective sigh of relief swept through them all. A monster like me, they said, should have died long ago.
But my brothers and sister weren't satisfied with just my death. They wanted to use the cruelest method imaginable to show the entire world my true face: they would read my memories and broadcast them live.
They were going to prove to everyone that I, Verity March, was rotten to the core, right from birth.
For twenty-five years, I never escaped the night I killed Mom and Dad.
Now, my second brother, Corbin, is a brilliant entrepreneur. My third brother, Pierce, is a renowned cardiac surgeon. And my fourth sister, Skyler, is a pop star with a legion of fans.
During a family dinner, the first in five years, I managed a wry smile. "You've all done so well. Mom and Dad can finally rest in peace."
"They'll only rest in peace when you're in the ground!" Corbin slammed his bowl on the table. "Stop playing the saint, you killer!"
That first reunion in five years ended in disaster.
The next time they heard about me, it was a call from the police.
"She's killed again."
"Can't they just execute her?" Pierce's voice was ice-cold over the phone. "She should have been put down the day she murdered our parents."
The trial was swift. The sentence, death.
But during the pre-incarceration physical, the doctors discovered I had late-stage signet ring cell carcinoma. I had three months left.
As I lay dying, I heard their familiar voices.
"Of course," Corbin said with disgust. "A murderer can't help but kill again. It's in her blood."
"The whole hospital is whispering about my killer sister," Pierce complained. "I can't even show my face anymore."
"All my endorsements are gone, and the Vanguard Music Awards are a total pipe dream now!" Skyler pouted.
After a moment of silence, Corbin suddenly spoke.

"I heard the Institute has a memory reader. It can extract her memories."
"If we make it public, everyone will know she was born a demon. And we... we were just her victims."
They all agreed instantly. They arranged for the equipment to be delivered immediately.
"Mr. March," a technician explained, "while this device can read deep-seated memories, the side effects are irreversible. It will cause severe damage to the human body, and we cannot rule out accidental death. You'll need to sign this liability waiver."
Pierce snatched the waiver and signed it without hesitation. "I'm a doctor. I'll take responsibility for any accidents."
Skyler contacted a streaming platform. She wanted the whole world to see just how much I deserved to die.
The livestream started quickly. My siblings put on the special glasses that would allow them to watch my memories.
A blurry image slowly came into focus.
It was less than a year after our parents' death. The diner they had left us was barely staying afloat.
How could a kid, not even fifteen, raising three younger siblings, not be a target for bullies?
Winter had been brutal, the snow keeping customers away. After paying off the local thugs for "protection," I had no idea how we'd even afford next month's food.
"Hey! Pierce has a fever! It's 104!"
Corbin burst out from the back room, though he always seemed to be terrified of me, hiding half his body behind the doorframe even when he spoke to me.
I looked at the 0-05.70 in my hand all we had left. I clenched my jaw.
"Corbin, you watch over Skyler and Pierce. I'm going out."
I didn't wait for a response. I pushed the door open and stepped into the darkness.
The scene shifted. I was at the town's only pharmacy.
"Ma'am, can I give you 0-05 for this fever reducer? I'll bring you the rest in a couple of days, as soon as I earn it."
"Get out! Get out of here, you little star of calamity! The one who killed her own parents! Scram!"
The pharmacist's wife recognized me and shooed me out of the store with disgust.
Everyone in this small town knew I had killed my parents. Everywhere I went, people pointed and whispered. No one dared to speak to me.
I was out of options. When the pharmacist's wife went to the back, I slipped back inside, stuffed the fever reducer into my coat, and left the fifteen dollars on the counter.

I didn't expect her to notice so quickly. She and her husband caught up to me in moments.
"You little degenerate! Now you're a thief, too!"
The husband kicked me to the ground, his eyes burning with hatred.
"The medicine! Hand it over!"
"I left the fifteen dollars on the counter! Please, I'm begging you, my brother has a fever! Just two days! I'll pay you the rest as soon as I have the money!"
The pharmacist's wife threw the coins at my face.
"Who wants a murderer's money?! Give me back the medicine!"
Seeing me clutch the medicine to my chest, refusing to give it up, the husband's temper flared. He pulled out a utility knife and pressed it against my right pinky finger.
"You'd better give me that medicine, right now! Or I'll chop off this little thief's finger!"
But no matter how much he threatened, I insisted I'd already taken the medicine.
Rage consumed him. He brought the knife down.
"Aaaargh!!!"
The scream ripped through the night. The agony was blinding, and I fainted instantly.
It was the first time the husband and wife had drawn blood. They were terrified and ran off.
Under the heavy snow, my small, thin body was quickly covered in white.
I woke up the next morning.
The cold had, thankfully, numbed the wound and slowed the bleeding. I wrapped it crudely and staggered back home.
"What took you so long?" Corbin grumbled.
"It's nothing. Give this to Pierce. I have to go out again."
I handed him the medicine and left, clutching my right hand, Corbin's complaints fading behind me...
Pierce ripped the glasses off his face. "Impossible! I asked her about that finger later! She told me she cut it by accident while cooking!"
"Corbin, is this machine of yours broken?"

Skyler's face was a mask of disbelief.
Corbin, who hated me the most, had a stormy expression, muttering to himself.
"It can't be... This is the latest model, designed for interrogating spies."
The three of them found it utterly unbelievable. This memory fragment was so drastically different from the sister they thought they knew. They simply couldn't accept it.
The memory feed dissolved and reformed into a new scene. I was looking at Skyler.
"Are you sure you want to study music?"
In a blink, my sister had reached a turning point in her life. But the tuition for a performing arts school was astronomical. We couldn't possibly afford it.
"Yes! I want to study music!" Skyler replied, her eyes shining with determination.
Looking at her earnest face, I got up and left the diner.
From that day on, I ran the diner during the day and worked at a seedy roadside bar at night. The tips from serving drinks were good money.
The customers at the bar were always handsy, but the thought of getting them to buy one more drink made me endure it.
So what if I get groped a little? As long as my sister can go to college, I told myself.
"What are you staring at? Pour Bruiser a drink."
A man's voice pulled me back to reality.
The man, Bruiser, was shirtless, a thick gold chain around his neck. He was fat, drunk, and leering at me.
"C'mon, little lady, come sit on my lap... heh heh..."
He yanked me into his lap. Terrified, I struggled and broke free.
"Bruiser... I... I'm just here to serve drinks..."
"Damn it, who are you trying to fool, playing the virgin! Get your ass over here!"
Bruiser was furious, having lost face in front of his cronies.
"Bruiser... I'm sorry, I'll drink this one as an apology... I'm sorry..." Just as I was about to offer him a drink to appease him, he lunged at me again.
His cronies cheered him on.

"Go, Bruiser! Get that little slut!"
"Yeah! Dressed like that, she's begging for it! Go for it, Bruiser!"
Years of manual labor had made me strong. I struggled, pushing him away. Just as I was about to escape, a beer bottle smashed against my head.
An explosion of pain. The world went black, and I crumpled to the floor.
Dark red blood gushed from my forehead.
"Ah! He killed someone!" another waitress screamed, thinking I was dead.
The police soon arrived and arrested everyone present.
To avoid jail time, Bruiser opted for a settlement. I didn't want to agree. Why should scum like him get away with it just by paying money?
But then I thought of Skyler's exorbitant tuition fees. I agreed.
"I want money. A lot of money."
I wiped the blood from my eyes, my voice trembling but firm.
After receiving the compensation, to lessen the financial burden on my family, I chose to continue working at the bar.
It took a full month for the wound on my forehead to heal, leaving a long, thin scar.
Looking in the mirror, I gently touched the scar, then walked into a tattoo parlor. I had a single, blood-red rose tattooed over it.
The long hours and constant drinking took a toll on my body. After being rushed to the emergency room for a bleeding ulcer, I finally quit the bar job.
My siblings weren't settled yet. I couldn't afford to collapse.
Skyler stared in horror at the screen, at the image of her sister's head being smashed by a bottle, the blood spreading across the floor in a sickening crimson pool.
Her hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Her tuition... she earned it... like that?" Her voice was shattered. "Corbin, you told me..."
Corbin's face was grim. "One day, two bundles of cash just appeared in my backpack... I thought..."
On the screen, my blood-streaked face was a stark contrast to my pale skin as I held out a trembling hand. "One hundred and fifty thousand... and we settle."
The second memory fragment was a shock to the siblings.

But prejudice is a mountain, not easily moved.
"Everyone, calm down. The fact is, she killed our parents. For all we know, she's just naturally promiscuous."
"At our age, we didn't even know what a hostess bar was. She, on the other hand, knew exactly where to go," Corbin said coldly after regaining his composure.
Though the memory was a blow, my siblings still refused to believe it.
The livestream's view count soared to a new high.
At that moment, the side effects of the memory reader caused my body to convulse, my face turning deathly white.
A technician wanted to pause the procedure, but Corbin stopped him with a cold command.
"A person who would even kill her own parents deserves no pity. Continue. We want the truth."
The memory shifted to my high school guidance counselor's office.
"Verity," my teacher began, "I know your family situation is difficult, and you haven't had the chance to go to college all these years. But you've always been a brilliant and hardworking student. I've secured you a guaranteed admission spot at the state university."
"Don't worry, it's a full-ride scholarship. This is your chance, Verity. A chance to escape this town, to start a new life somewhere else, to live for yourself."
An acceptance letter and a scholarship notice were pressed into my hands.
"Thank you, Mrs. Davis! I'll work hard! I won't disappoint you or the school!"
At that moment, I was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude.
Tears soaked the front of my shirt.
Filled with hope for a brighter future, I rushed back to the diner to pack my things.
Just after dinner, Skyler suddenly clutched her stomach, screaming in pain.
I rushed her to the hospital. The doctor said it was acute appendicitis and she needed surgery immediately. The medical bills would be over five thousand dollars. I didn't have that kind of money.
I pulled the doctor into the hallway and shut the door. I fell to my knees.
"Doctor, please, save my sister first! I'll go get the money right away!"
"Alright, but you have to be quick. Otherwise, I can't answer to the hospital administration."
"Don't worry!"

I raced home and tore the place apart, but I could only find three thousand dollars our entire savings.
My gaze fell on the acceptance letter and scholarship notice on the table. I stood up numbly and walked towards them.
My vacant eyes slowly hardened with determination. Having made my decision, I tore the acceptance letter to shreds and went to a barber shop.
"How much can I get for this hair?"
"Wow, you've been growing this for years, haven't you? The quality is great. A thousand bucks."
"Sell it."
Soon, my waist-length hair was gone, replaced by a clumsy bowl cut.
It still wasn't enough. Gritting my teeth, I forced my steps toward the one place I had sworn I would never enter.
"Scar," I said to the local loan shark, "can you lend me a thousand? My sister needs it to save her life. I promise I'll pay you back soon!"
"Pay me back? With what?"
Scar squinted, licking his lips as he eyed me up and down.
"A plate of food at your diner is five bucks. That's two hundred plates for a thousand dollars. And what about the interest?"
"Let me give you a better idea... you spend one night with me, I give you a thousand. No need to pay it back... How about it?"
Before he even finished, Scar's hand was on my cheek.
I wanted to refuse, but the image of my sister writhing in pain on the hospital bed flashed in my mind. As I hesitated, Scar lunged, pinning me to the floor.
"No!"
"You're already here. You don't get a say in 'no' anymore!"
In front of a crowd of his thugs, Scar ripped open my shirt, exposing my skin.
Whistles and cheers erupted around me, each sound a needle stabbing at my nerves.
"Go, Scar! You can't handle one little thing?"
"Hahaha..."
The taunts enraged Scar. Seeing my resistance, he slapped me a dozen times until I lost all ability to fight back.

First, search for and download the Novellia app from Google. Then, open the app and use the code "321093" to read the entire book.