My Own Mother Didn't Recognize Me Until I Was Dead

After the scandal-ridden actress everyone loved to hate disappeared, her forensic pathologist mother's hair turned white overnight.

A massive reward was posted. Three years passed without a single lead.

Then, three years later, something else shook Capital City.

Bradley Whitney, the fugitive killer, had been captured. Given the extreme severity of his crimes, the trial was broadcast live around the world.

On camera, the presiding judge began the introduction:

"Over the course of a decade-long criminal spree, the defendant took the lives of one hundred and nineteen people through brutal means—"

Bradley let out a low laugh.

"Idiots. You still haven't figured it out."

"It wasn't a hundred and nineteen. It was a hundred and twenty."

"There's one more. Some D-list celebrity, I heard. Infamous online. I hacked her apart while she was still breathing. And the broth that night... oh, it was delicious..."

I hovered in the air above them, and even now, I could almost feel the bone-deep agony of the blade splitting my skin.

The sheer cruelty of his words sent a shockwave through the courtroom. The judge's voice cut through sharp and furious:

"You're lying! Our investigation shows you have no history of dismemberment."

Bradley smiled.

"True. I am lazy."

"That's why the person who carved her up for me, cut by cut, was her own mother."

He turned toward the expert witness panel, grinning wide.

"That would be our esteemed, impartial Dr. Bernice Norris."

——

Every pair of eyes in the courtroom locked onto my mother.

She stopped clicking her pen. A cold smile spread across her face.

"You're saying I dismembered my own daughter?"

"What a joke! Everyone knows my Carina is a star. She's spent the last three years filming movies, attending events, living her best life!"

Members of the jury panel spoke up to back her:

"That's right! Everyone knows Dr. Norris's daughter Carina Delgado is one of the biggest actresses in the country!"

"I just saw her on TV yesterday leading a charity event with her fans! She's the pride of our city!"

"I suspect there is no hundred and twentieth victim. This is nothing but a stalling tactic to delay his execution!"

I drifted to my mother's side, shedding a few silent tears.

Three years apart, and the only daughter she remembered was Carina.

She'd forgotten the one who'd been thrown out of the family three years ago. Me.

Bradley raised an eyebrow.

"Carina Delgado... Interesting. So she's a big star, huh? No wonder she could throw down five hundred grand to have her own sister killed."

On the global livestream, live comments flooded in, cursing him for slander, praising Carina as pure-hearted and kind.

He sneered at every last one. Nothing but contempt in his eyes.

Until one username caught his attention.

RosemaryDelgadoDieB*tch: "Stop spreading lies about Carina! She's too soft-hearted and kind to ever hire a killer!"

Bradley grinned.

"Pretty sure that's the name of the one who died."

"Rosemary Delgado. Nice ring to it, don't you think?"

At the sound of that name, a name no one had spoken in a long time, the courtroom fell silent.

Even the flood of live comments froze for a beat.

Faces shifted. Every gaze turned toward my mother, watching for her reaction.

Everyone in Capital City knew that Dr. Bernice Norris's younger daughter was sweet, well-behaved, and famous across the country.

And her older daughter was just as well-known.

But for all the wrong reasons. Scandals. Diva behavior. Faking charity work to line her pockets. Worst of all, a jealous streak so vicious she'd repeatedly sabotaged her own sister.

Whenever she got called out, she'd lose it, screaming and lashing out like a woman unhinged.

The internet had finally had enough. They banded together and drove her out of the industry for good.

Then came the final straw: she'd shoved her sister in front of a car. When that came to light, she ran away from home and never came back, no matter how large the reward her mother offered.

In front of my mother, everyone carefully avoided mentioning me, the family's disgrace.

My mother's hand trembled around her pen.

She pulled out her phone. Her fingers missed the keys several times before she slowly typed out a message:

"Are you okay?"