Login to ManoBook
icon 0
icon TOP UP
rightIcon
icon Reading History
rightIcon
icon Sign out
rightIcon
icon Get the APP
rightIcon
Not My Kids, Not My Life

Not My Kids, Not My Life

Gavin

5.0
Comment(s)
View
11
Chapters

Michael Thompson, a shell of a man at 58, lay dying in a sterile nursing home bed. His wife, Brenda, had passed a year prior, but her final words were still a fresh wound. "Michael," she' d whispered with a chilling, triumphant smile, "The children... David and Sarah... they' re not yours." "They' re Rick' s. It was always Rick." His rival, the man he despised, the one she supposedly hated with him. His entire life, every sacrifice for their family, every dream deferred, was a cruel, elaborate lie. He' d given everything, only to be drained emotionally and financially by the woman he loved. After her funeral, the children he' d raised had swiftly and efficiently stripped him of his assets, leaving him abandoned in this desolate place. Deep regret, a bitter acid, burned in his chest. If only he could go back, know then what he knew now. His last, ragged breath escaped into the silence of the room, followed by darkness. Then, a jarring burst of music blared. "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. His eyes snapped open. This wasn't the nursing home. He sat on a worn vinyl couch, the familiar smell of coffee and exhaust fumes filling the air. His hands were strong, unblemished by age. A calendar on the wall screamed June 1988. He was young. He was back. And then Brenda walked in, her deceptive sweetness a sharp contrast to the calculating gleam in her eyes. She spoke of the GM position, his promotion, and how he should withdraw for Rick. But this time, he knew everything. He had a chance to rewrite his fate.

Introduction

Michael Thompson, a shell of a man at 58, lay dying in a sterile nursing home bed.

His wife, Brenda, had passed a year prior, but her final words were still a fresh wound.

"Michael," she' d whispered with a chilling, triumphant smile, "The children... David and Sarah... they' re not yours."

"They' re Rick' s. It was always Rick."

His rival, the man he despised, the one she supposedly hated with him.

His entire life, every sacrifice for their family, every dream deferred, was a cruel, elaborate lie.

He' d given everything, only to be drained emotionally and financially by the woman he loved.

After her funeral, the children he' d raised had swiftly and efficiently stripped him of his assets, leaving him abandoned in this desolate place.

Deep regret, a bitter acid, burned in his chest.

If only he could go back, know then what he knew now.

His last, ragged breath escaped into the silence of the room, followed by darkness.

Then, a jarring burst of music blared.

"Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley.

His eyes snapped open.

This wasn't the nursing home.

He sat on a worn vinyl couch, the familiar smell of coffee and exhaust fumes filling the air.

His hands were strong, unblemished by age.

A calendar on the wall screamed June 1988.

He was young.

He was back.

And then Brenda walked in, her deceptive sweetness a sharp contrast to the calculating gleam in her eyes.

She spoke of the GM position, his promotion, and how he should withdraw for Rick.

But this time, he knew everything.

He had a chance to rewrite his fate.

Continue Reading

Other books by Gavin

More
The Monster They Made Me

The Monster They Made Me

Short stories

5.0

My life was perfect. I was Sarah, a loving mom, taking my sweet six-year-old Lily to Kids' Kraft Korner, all smiles and glitter castles. In an instant, my world shattered. A bloodcurdling scream. I raced back inside to find Lily' s lifeless body, her head gone, crafting shears beside her. My heart died. The real nightmare began. My best friend, Jessica, shrieked, pointing at me. Detective Harding arrested me. My own husband, David, abandoned me, highlighting my past postpartum depression. The media branded me a monster; "Suburban Mother Snaps, Murders Daughter" screamed headlines, bolstered by manipulated footage and a janitor's twisted testimony. Under relentless accusations, I plunged into a torturous haze. Dr. Peterson, a psychologist David suggested, hypnotized me. Horrifying images flooded my mind: me, holding the shears, filled with rage, striking Lily. I confessed, truly believing the implanted memory, convinced I was a child killer. The "recalled" physical evidence-Lily' s head, found exactly where I "remembered" it-seemed to seal my monstrous fate. I was lost in self-loathing. Still, even through the despair, a tiny flicker of inner doubt persisted. Could I really have done this? Then, as I was dragged to court, I saw Jessica in the crowd. She wasn't yelling. She was smiling. A small, smug, triumphant smile. It wasn't my madness. That hateful smile ignited something raw. "You did this, Jessica! You set me up!" I screamed, tearing at my restraints. "She's having an affair with my husband! David is the father of her son!" My desperate accusation, fueled by rage, finally started to unravel the terrifying conspiracy, pulling me from the abyss of my false memory.

You'll also like

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book