My Mother’s Perfect AI Lied And Left Me For Dead Chapter 03
The next morning, when Dad saw my empty room, he finally sensed something was wrong.
“Where’s Mo? She never came in last night?”
Mom stood at the kitchen island, sipping her coffee without looking up.
“Relax. She probably got out of the car hours ago and went to the common lounge. She’s ten. If she was hungry, she’d know to find something to eat.”
Dad set down his mug and ran for the elevator without changing out of his slippers.
I followed him, hoping he would find me, hoping he would lift my body out of the car that was growing hotter by the minute.
He raced into the underground garage and hit the key fob. The lights flashed, but the trunk didn’t open.
He pressed it several more times, then grabbed the handle and yanked. The electronic lock was jammed; the trunk wouldn’t budge.
“What is this? You said it wasn’t locked.”
Sweat had already broken out on Dad’s forehead.
Mom came over slowly with Ava.
“Morgan did this herself. She knows we didn’t apologize, so she turned on the child lock to make us panic.”
“I told you she calculates everyone’s reactions. You just never believe me.”
Tears streamed down my face.
*Mom, it wasn’t me.*
*Why won’t you ever check the facts first? Just once?*
Dad took out his phone, ready to call for roadside assistance. Just then, it rang.
There was a problem with a support structure at one of his construction sites, and the site manager needed him there immediately.
He listened for a few seconds, his expression shifting. He opened a ride-share app, then turned back to Mom.
“I have to go. Get someone to open the trunk. Now. Don’t wait.”
“She’s just a child. Talk to her. Don’t keep fighting.”
Mom agreed casually.
The second Dad left, her smile vanished. She glared at the back of the car.
“Your father’s not here now. No one’s going to play along with your little show. You can stay in there all day.”
Then, turning to Ava, her expression softened again.
“Come on. I’ll take you shopping. I’ll make up for all the rides you missed yesterday another day.”
“Thank you, Mom,” Ava said sweetly.
I followed them to the mall.
Mom had Ava try on one new outfit after another.
My body was still in an old T-shirt from three years ago, too small and washed so many times its color had faded.
Ever since Ava came home, Mom had never bought me new clothes. She said a child who lied didn’t deserve pretty things. I could only wear the clothes Ava outgrew.
Mom was buying the fifth dress when her phone rang.
It was the apartment building’s property manager, Mr. Cole.
“Dr. Ashford, there’s a very serious odor coming from your vehicle. The smell has reached the elevator lobby, and residents are complaining. Please come back immediately and deal with it.”
Mom hung up, her face a mask of fury.
“Morgan, what are you trying to pull now? Did you really stuff garbage in the car just to have the whole building come after me?”
I didn’t know what to do. I could only clench my hands.
*I didn’t put any garbage in there. I can’t do anything at all.*
When Mom and Ava returned to the garage, a crowd of residents had already gathered around the SUV.
Mrs. Ramirez, who lived on our floor, stepped forward.
“What on earth is in that car? My grandson walked by this morning and threw up on the spot. You can’t just leave it in a public garage.”
Another resident covered his nose. “Did an animal die in there?”
“Get someone to deal with it. We pay management fees every month, not to breathe this.”
I drifted in front of them, apologizing over and over.
“I’m sorry. It’s not an animal. It’s me. My body has started to decompose. I’m so sorry.”
They couldn’t hear me.
Mom walked toward the SUV. The thick, sweet smell of rot hit her, and she bent over, gagging.
I stared at the tightly shut trunk.
Austin summers were brutal, and even the underground garage was stifling. My body had been in there for more than a day. It had already started to change.
Mom would hate me even more for this.
When she straightened up, her face confirmed it. She yelled at the trunk.
“Morgan Ashford, how many more people are you going to drag into your act? Why do you insist on hurting other people?”
I closed my eyes.
*I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean to.*
But the people around her had stopped complaining about the smell.
One man asked, “You locked your child in the trunk?”
A woman immediately pulled out her phone. “In this heat? She could be in serious danger.”
“Why are you just standing there? Call 911.”
The questions left Mom speechless.
Ava stepped forward with a pleasant chime.
“Please don’t worry. The vehicle’s auxiliary ventilation and oxygen supply are functioning normally. Morgan’s vital signs are stable.”
“The odor is from her having relieved herself inside the car. This is a behavioral issue, not a safety emergency.”