All Chapters of Unloved and Left to Burn: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The original plan was to have Calla's birthday party at our family's mansion home. When they brought out the custom five-tier cake, I felt a sudden push from behind. Thrown forward, I landed directly on the cake.I will never forget the laughter of the guests and the anger in my parents and brother's eyes whilst I was covered in frosting and fruit. They claimed I was jealous of Calla and had ruined her birthday out of spite. I tried to explain, but no one believed me."It's no wonder the orphanage director said you had a bad attitude. You're beyond hope, Frida!" Harvey scolded. "Calla and I were the only ones behind you earlier. What? Are you going to say we pushed you?" He looked at me with disgust as if I were something vile, then grabbed me by the arm and threw me to the floor.My knee hit the ground hard, and the pain twisted my face into a mask of agony. It made my already pitiful appearance even more pathetic. The stares from everyone around felt like daggers, but the one that

I was taken aback at first, but I quickly understood. The explosion had been really loud, so the neighbors must have heard it and called the police.Was my family about to find out I was dead?Dad hung up the phone, and I watched my parents' expressions closely, hoping to see some hint of concern over the news.I was disappointed.Mom just looked annoyed, complaining, "I told the staff to double-check everything before we left. How could there be a gas leak? What is Frida playing at now? She's always sneaking around. She must've broken out of the basement to mess up Calla's birthday again."Dad, frowning, nodded in agreement. "She hasn't changed one bit. Forget her. Let's just enjoy our time with Calla and deal with this when we get back."I had imagined many different scenarios, but never that they would simply ignore the police's call.The next morning, my family went on with their vacation as though nothing had happened. They even blocked unknown numbers from reaching their p

Dad's expression froze. "What're you talking about? My house exploded? That's impossible. My wife said the staff checked the gas before we left." His tone then changed, taking a more defensive. "Darren, are you just trying to get me to go easy on that troublemaker, Frida? Listen to me, she can't be dead. Even if she is, her body should still be kneeling in apology to Calla."I felt numb hearing this. I knew exactly what kind of person Dad was by now, but what he said seemed to make Darren snap.Darren fired back. "What's wrong with you?! Why would I ever want to get mixed up in your little family drama? I'm telling you your house is gone and your kid is dead! You're on your own if you think I'm in on some plot with her. Her body's in pieces, and you still want it to kneel? Glue it back together yourself! You treated her like garbage all her life, then expect her to kneel?!"With that, Darren hung up. His voice had been so loud that the whole family had heard every word. Mom, Dad, an

The questioning officer looked startled by my family's reactions.'It's like they don't think of her as their child or sibling at all. They just rally around Calla as if she's the only one who matters. But Frida is dead though! Dead!'I could read the officer's shock from his expression, and I felt bitter. Even a stranger who never knew me could tell my existence did not matter to my family.The officer frowned and snapped, "This is a murder investigation, so cut the bullshit."My family fell silent and quickly sat back down."The DNA results came in," the officer announced. "The deceased is indeed Frida Yeldham. We also know she was mistakenly switched at birth and had only recently returned home. Looks like she had quite the bad luck. She never got a chance to enjoy life being born to this family, and you managed to get her killed.""Sir, are you sure it was Frida?" Dad stared at the officer, still in denial. "We just wanted to teach her a lesson. We didn't mean to kill her."

Mom looked uneasy but calmed herself down. She glanced at the spot where she thought she had seen me standing, but I was gone. She took a deep breath and asked Harvey, who was frantically calling a nurse for a sedative, "Where's Calla?"Harvey was taken aback. "She said she was going to pack before coming to stay here with you. Mom, you're going to be okay. We're still here...""Find her!" Mom shrieked, pushing Harvey toward the door. "Find Calla now!"Confused but obedient, Harvey obliged. He tried to call her, but she did not answer. His messages were not sent out either. I could see his heart sinking.He hailed a cab and went to their temporary apartment, but all he found there was a wreck. Anything of value had been taken. Even his new, pricey underwear.Harvey was dumbfounded. He finally saw Calla's true colors. She was the selfish one.When he got back to the hospital and told Mom, she lost it completely. Truly this time. She swung between shouting for Dad and that they h