Chapter 5

At that thought, I looked up at my mother. "Aren't you the best at protecting Mr. Russell and Olivia? How come you can't even handle hearing the truth anymore?"

My mother turned grim, a flicker of discomfort crossing her eyes. When she spoke, she still chose to shift the blame onto my dad. "What happened back then was because your dad couldn't let it go. He refused to accept the reality and made the situation worse. If he hadn't kept pressing on, everyone could have just lived in peace.”

I stared at her, feeling a surge of anger. "Peace? Do you know why my hearing is damaged?"

My mother froze. This was the second time today that she truly noticed the hearing aid on my ears. When we met yesterday, she was only focused on criticizing my shabby clothes and did not notice anything new.

I turned around to make my ears clearer for her to see. "The day you kicked us out, I fell down the stairs and damaged my hearing. You don't remember, of course. You were busy with your wedding and protecting Mr. Russell and Olivia. How could you have any time to worry about whether I was injured?"

My mother's mouth parted, as if she wanted to retort.

I did not give her a chance to speak. I continued, "Over the years, Dad and I have tried to contact you. We've called, texted, begged, and waited. But every time, our phone call was either hung up on or Mr. Russell answered, telling us you were busy and that we should be more understanding.

"Later, Dad's health deteriorated, and he required long-term treatment. You assumed he was faking it before checking the medical records carefully. Finally, you threw a bank card at me, saying there was money in it and told me to disappear."

My hands clenched so tightly that they were numb by the time I finished speaking.

I believed her that day; I thought even the most ruthless person would not joke about someone's life.

I ran all the way back to the hospital with that card, even ignoring that I had lost a shoe. My mind was filled with the thought that my dad could be saved.

However, the payment counter staff swiped the card three times before looking up and telling me, "There's no money in it."

I stood in the hospital lobby, completely stunned. I did not know who to blame—the bank, myself, or my mother who had not looked back at all.

Looking at my mother at this moment, my voice grew colder. "You're telling me this is what you call living in peace? Have you ever, even for a moment, wanted Dad and me to live?"

The office was eerily quiet.

My mother looked at me, her expression finally changing. After a long silence, the first thing she said was, "There's no way I gave you an empty card."

I almost laughed out loud. Even now, her first reaction was still to try and exonerate herself.

"So you think Dad and I conspired to lie to you?"

"There must be another reason behind this," she said.

"Yeah, there's another reason." I stared at her. "But whatever the reason, Dad is the only one who died."

My mother's expression changed instantly. "What did you say?"

I looked at her and uttered slowly, "Dad is dead. He died in the hospital three months ago. Even on his deathbed, he was still thinking about my tuition fees and SATs."

My mother stood there, as if her voice was sucked right out of her.