96 Betty 2

"I still dream about that day often. I see flashes; of my parents at the door, talking to my grandfather, before they wave me to and leave to climb the car. After that, they never came back. The care fell into a lake, so I never even saw their…bodies. I never saw them again. All I had were pictures. And childhood memories that kept fading from my mind no matter how much I tried to hold on to them. Later, I heard a few maids in our house eavesdropping that my grandfather was the one who sent them. They were planning not to go due to the bad weather, so if he hadn't stopped them and insisted, maybe…they would still be alive."

"Be-"

As Betty said this in between sobs, Liz was just about to say something, but she was interrupted by the girl who had just slammed the table in front of her with frustration.

Her face was angled down, and the tears started to pool on the part of the table below her face.

Her distraught voice echoed through the room, making anyone and everyone who could hear it understand her raw emotion of pain.

"I KNOW IT'S ILLOGICAL, OK? Of course he couldn't have known! But I still blame him! He should have known! Don't ask me how, but he should have! He should have stopped them!"

Hearing this, Liz only sighed and didn't speak.

Clearly, the girl in front of her was intelligent enough to understand this fact, but she couldn't help it.

"I understand. You needed someone to blame. If you hadn't found them, you might have been destroyed."

Without replying, Betty only nodded, as if this was all she could do. However, her sobs only increased in intensity, as it seemed that she was letting out things that she had controlled for a long time because she hadn't found anyone whom she could share it with.

After a few seconds, she continued.

"That's not the only reason. After my mom and dad died, my grandfather tried to replace them. He started to do everything like they used to when they were alive. He would mix cereal like my dad. He would lay out dresses for me like my mom. He would talk to me like he was my mom and dad combined. We never talked about their deaths. No, he spoke as if they were still alive. In his form. He tried to make me forget them! To make me forget that it ever happened! I bet that it was guilt. He knew he was responsible. What was that?"

"Nothing. Go on."

Towards the end of Betty's words, a loud sound of something banging against a surface had been heard inside the room, even though it was completely closed off and sound-proofed.

Betty's words had started to be filled with anger along with that feeling of loss, and Liz knew tactfully that she didn't need to encourage her much anymore.

Once someone started to unload feelings like these, they would go on, like a boulder that would keep rolling once it picked up momentum.

Nodding, Betty went on.

"And that house. That damn house. All I wanted was to move on from my parents' deaths. How could I do that if I saw the scenes of me being with them no matter where I turned? Their memories were EVERYWHERE. They weren't even the good sort of memories, like the ones I fought to keep in my mind. No, they were those that kept reminding me and hurting me. That I had no one except a grandfather who was responsible for everything. I had to get away. And I did. And I have no intention of living with him or even meeting him ever again, because I would just be reminded of all these things again. That is why I will be living alone, miss. I'm not heartless; I still care about him. I call and keep in touch. But that's it. Thank you for listening. I don't know what-"

BANG

As the door was kicked open, the Mayor marched into the room with an energy that didn't match his age.

"Gr-grandfather?"

While he huffed and puffed for a second after doing so, Betty pointed at the man and spoke with shock.

His hair was disheveled as if he had been running his fingers through it repeatedly, and his face, which was set into an expression of anguish, was filled with tears. His bloodshot eyes stared at his granddaughter, but just when he was about to open his mouth and speak, Betty got up and said, "So my grandfather used his power to arrange this fake meeting. I didn't think you would stoop to this, grandpa. No matter what you say, nothing will change. I'm leaving."

After shooting a look of disgust at Liz and the Mayor, Betty started walking to the door.

BANG

However, as the Mayor stamped his foot hard on the ground and screamed at his granddaughter for the first time, she just sat down meekly and stared with a bewildered expression on her face.

"BEATRIX ANDERSON, YOU WILL SIT DOWN AND LISTEN! I NEVER RAISED MY VOICE AGAINST YOU NO MATTER WHAT YOU DID, BUT IF YOU DO NOT LISTEN TO ME NOW, I SWEAR ON MY DEAD SON'S GRAVE THAT YOU.WILL. REGRET IT!"