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Scarlett tried to reach out to me several times, but I refused to see her. Eventually, she must’ve understood my resolve, as she stopped visiting.
Meanwhile, I continued to go on my walks, work with clay at The Clay Haven, or pick out a pretty dress at the mall. I’d earned the right to enjoy
life.
The next time I heard about Scarlett, it was a few weeks later.
When Scarlett was younger, the trauma she endured had impacted her mentally, and it took years of care to help her recover. Now, abandoned by everyone–including her own child–she fell apart. With her family gone and Delilah wanting nothing to do with her, she announced that she’d leave and start fresh in another town, requesting a final family dinner before she left.
The meal, as it turned out, was one Scarlett made herself.
That night, paramedics were called.
Scarlett had mixed together every toxin she could get her hands on and put them into the food: rat poison, pesticides–anything she could buy. She waited for the toxins to take effect, then sealed the windows and opened the gas line. By the time they were found, it was too late; the whole family didn’t make it through the night. Even little Delilah was among those lost.
The story became a national headline as their twisted history was revealed. People learned of Harrison’s philandering and Vivienne’s affair; that Kellan “Kel” O’Reilly was a delinquent; that Sabi and her mother were both homewreckers; that Jasper was a cheater without a conscience, and even that Delilah, though just a child, already showed hints of her family’s cold–blooded nature. The public scorned Scarlett for her blindness, for letting things escalate this far.
Across the country, people were disgusted, some going so far as to say the family got what was coming to them.
As for me, I got my own slice of fame and found myself trending on social media.
Seeing an opportunity, I started a livestream where I showcased my ceramics work. A flood of viewers joined, with many sympathetic enough to send tips my way. I donated everything to charity, hoping to help others who genuinely needed it.
As for me-
From that point forward, I had no burdens, no ties, just the freedom to live in peace.
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