My father slapped me hard, and my mother furiously hurled Kora's art awards at me, demanding an explanation. "Do you understand that Kora was destined to be an artist?" they yelled. "Bringing you back was our mistake, and yet you choose to direct your anger at us. Kora is blameless!"
Even my brother hurried back overnight from a business trip across the world, brandishing a knife and threatening to force me to kneel and apologize to Kora in the hospital. I was to stay on my knees until she deemed me forgiven; otherwise, he'd sever my tendons.
I refused to kneel, tears streaming down as I insisted it wasn't my doing, presenting evidence that they ignored. My brother held me down, trying to strip away the last shred of dignity I had in front of a smug Kora.
Perhaps I'd lost my mind. In a desperate moment, I grabbed a kitchen knife and slashed my wrist. The blood gushed out, leaving everyone stunned, while I simply smiled. "Now, I don't have to kneel, do I?"
The knife clattered to the ground, landing in the pool of my own blood with a sharp sound. Something broke within me. Oh. It was my heart.
From that day, I thought my life was on its final countdown. With nothing to lose, I could only fight back in death. In my remaining days, I accomplished many things. I filled my worn diaries with words of confusion about the future and my family's indifference.
Truthfully, my heart had long grown cold by then. I couldn't help but smile at the irony, even as I penned words filled with emotion. I then bribed one of Kora's little accomplices to gather evidence against her after my death. It was absurd, really, considering she was my former friend who had betrayed me. I despised her, yet in my last moments, I had no choice but to use her. After all, she owed me that much, right?
She wouldn't have dared betray Kora originally. Being a coward, she feared Kora's anger and joined in the bullying. But like me, she too longed to escape Kora's shadow. I challenged her, "We were friends once; will you wager my death for your freedom?" She looked at me, her resolve hardening. To make sure she really followed through, I lied, claiming I had evidence of her bullying set to release online, ensuring a grim future if she didn't comply.
In life, my words were always doubted. But in death, the rules changed. She had no choice but to obey me. Everything unfolded as planned. On the day of my death, Kora’s minions didn’t push me. I had already placed myself, ready to fall at just the right angle for it to be fatal.
I deceived that former friend of mine; neither I nor Kora wanted her freedom. She needed to face the consequences of her betrayal, so even though she helped me, her bullying evidence wouldn't remain hidden. It would make its way to the police.
There was one final thing—my body. I had signed the donation agreement. My parents loathed me so much, I doubted they'd bother to claim my body. But what if they realized they'd misunderstood me? Would they come to see me, to discover that besides the cuts, my body bore many gruesome scars, all thanks to Kora? It would be a shocking revelation, a final blow to both Kora and them.
And with that, it would all end. I awaited Kora’s downfall.
