Chapter 3

After the incident, the "Macaroni Curse" blew up on TikTok and Reddit again.

"That's the fourth victim. What kind of dark magic is this?"

"I’m done making jokes. The daughter must be living in a horror movie, watching her fiancé die like that."

Netizens began analyzing the lives of my four exes, trying to find some common flaw—infidelity, hidden crimes—to justify their deaths.

But only I knew the truth. None of them were bad guys.

I mindlessly scrolled through the comments, my mind filled with memories of Ethan.

College had been so hard, but Ethan was always there, saving me from my own darkness. He was kind, compassionate, and never raised his voice at anyone.

He was such a good man. We were one step away from our happy ending.

Why did my mother have to destroy it?

I locked myself in my room, refusing to eat or drink.

The next morning, my mother knocked on my door.

"How long are you going to throw this tantrum? Are you trying to kill yourself to punish me?"

Her brow was furrowed with deep concern, looking exactly like the loving mother she used to be.

But I knew it was an illusion.

"I'm not throwing a tantrum. I just can't eat," I whispered, my voice cracking. "Just tell me what's in the macaroni. Why is everyone else fine, but my boyfriends always..."

My voice faded into quiet sobs.

My mother's expression softened into something incredibly complex.

"I told you, their deaths have nothing to do with me. I'm not hiding anything from you. Even the police found nothing, didn't they?"

Since the incident, the police had placed our house under constant surveillance. But there was indeed no evidence connecting her to any crime.

"Then what is happening?!" I screamed in agony. "Am I just not allowed to be loved? Is that it?!"

"Anyone who truly loves you is cursed," my mother sighed. "Next week is your twenty-third birthday. You’ll get your answers then."

"So stop starving yourself. I need you to survive until that day."

I snapped my head up, a glimmer of hope returning to my eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes. The macaroni is on the table. Go eat."

She gave me one long, deep look before turning away.

Watching her walk away, I noticed how hunched and frail her back had become. I felt a pang of pity, but I quickly shook it off.

My soft-heartedness was the very weapon that killed the people I loved.

Sitting at the table, I choked down her famous cheese macaroni, tasting nothing but my own tears.

Ethan's death had nearly broken me. I had thought about ending it all.

But a small, persistent voice in my head kept telling me there was more to this story.

Before Ethan jumped, he had turned and looked at me.

There was no fear of being controlled in his eyes. Only a deep, agonizing sorrow of leaving me behind.

Could it be... he did it willingly?

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. I finished the food and went back to my room to piece the puzzle together.

My phone buzzed. It was a message from Detective Vance.

"Any new leads? You’re living with her, you need to be extremely careful."

We had become close over the years due to the recurring cases.

I typed back: "No leads yet. But she said she’s throwing me a birthday party next week. She promised to explain everything."

Detective Vance sent back a series of urgent voice notes.

"This could be our breakthrough. Chloe, I need you to install a hidden camera in your living room. We’re going to catch her in the act and end this once and for all."

I agreed. The next day, I discreetly set up a hidden camera in the living room corner.

For the next week, I acted completely normal around my mother.

She seemed to have reverted to her old self, though she spent most of her time just staring at me in silence. Whenever I asked what she was thinking, she would turn away.

Finally, my birthday arrived.

She baked a cake and lit twenty-three candles.

I took a bite and forced a smile. "Thanks, Mom. It's sweet."

But when I leaned in to blow out the candles, my mother suddenly grabbed my wrist. Her face was contorted in pain.

"I need to tell you about your father."

I froze. For as long as I could remember, we had been a single-parent household. Whenever I asked about my dad as a kid, she would shut down.

Did my father's death have something to do with Ethan and the others?

"I know the neighbors say I cursed your father to death," my mother began, her voice trembling. "But that's a lie. I killed him myself."

"He had partnered with some dangerous people. He wanted to sell you off to pay his debts. I had to stop him."

"Since that day, I vowed never to trust another man."

I sat there, paralyzed by a cold, nightmare-like dread.

"Even if that's true, Mom... that doesn't justify murdering my four boyfriends!"

My mother ignored my outburst and continued, "You're twenty-three now. You're an adult. You don't need me to worry about you anymore."

"Even when I'm gone, you have to survive. Remember, your life doesn't just belong to you."

"Mom, what are you talking about?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

Suddenly, her face went blank, as if a switch had been flipped.

She violently shoved me into my bedroom and locked the door from the outside.

"No matter what you hear out there, do not open this door!"