Chapter 4

The middle-aged man sitting on the couch stood up. He rubbed his hands together awkwardly and gave me a fawning smile as he said, "Beau, it's been a long time."

The moment I saw his face, I froze.

It was my father.

Or rather, it was the man who had beaten my mom to death with a belt and a metal rod during the mandatory waiting period for their divorce.

Jason sounded cheerful and proud as he said, "Surprise! I pulled a lot of strings before I found out your dad had been released from prison. He said he really missed you, so I brought him here."

Jason turned to Jewel. "Jewel, didn't I handle this perfectly?"

Jewel walked over and put an arm around my waist. "You really did put a lot of effort into this. Beau, we shouldn't pass down the older generation's grudges. He's your only family, after all."

I shook off Jewel's arm, trembling uncontrollably as I stared at the man. "Get out."

My father sighed, his eyes red. "Beau, I know what I did was wrong. I spent every day repenting all those years inside."

Jewel nodded beside him. "The dead can't be revived. We have to move forward. Haven't you always wanted a family? Now that your father is back, you should learn to let things go."

Jason nodded even harder. "Exactly. I'll decide for everyone today. You two should make peace as father and son!"

My father fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a voice recorder. "Beau, I really came here to apologize. Look, I even kept what your mom left behind."

My mind went blank. The voice recorder held the lullaby Mom used to hum when she put me to sleep. I had always kept that recorder locked in the safe at our apartment.

Only one person could have taken it.

I turned to Jewel. "You gave him what Mom left me?"

Jewel's face didn't change, and she didn't look guilty at all. "I returned it to its rightful owner. It can also help break the ice between you two."

Returned it to its rightful owner.

She had handed a victim's keepsake to her murderer.

I shook with rage and lunged at my father. "Give it back!"

My father clutched the recorder and refused to let go. "Beau, this is all I have left to remember your mom by! You can't be this heartless to your own father!"

During the struggle, he suddenly let go and shoved me hard at the same time. Then, a sharp crack sounded. The recorder fell to the floor, and my father stepped right on it.

The case shattered, and the pieces inside scattered across the floor.

My father quickly pulled his foot back, looking apologetic. "You… You were grabbing at it too hard. I didn't mean to break it."

I stared at the broken pieces on the floor, my mind completely blank. That was the last trace of Mom's voice she had left behind for me.

I dropped to my knees and picked up the shattered parts with trembling hands.

However, Jewel grabbed my arm and yanked me up. "Enough! Beau, haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? Broken things can be replaced. Are you really going to drive away a living person over an object?"

Jason wiped his tears beside us and bowed to my father. "Walter, I'm sorry. Beau isn't emotionally stable today. I apologize on his behalf. You should go home for now. I'll arrange another meeting another day."

My father sighed, shook his head, and left the apartment.

I collapsed onto the floor, and Jewel crouched beside me, her voice softening. "Alright, stop crying. I'll have someone fix it for you tomorrow."

But it was not something that could be fixed. The memory card inside had already been snapped in two. I gathered the fragments and staggered toward the door. "We're done, Jewel."

Jewel instinctively took a step toward me.

Jason suddenly called out to her. "Jewel! You promised you'd go to the concert with me. I already picked up the tickets. We planned this three months ago."

Jewel stopped.

I also walked out without looking back.

Later on, I bought a plane ticket to Southton. After packing my things, I took a cab straight to the airport.

My phone buzzed with a message from Jewel. [Rules are rules. I have to go to the concert with Jason today.]

[I'll make it up to you tomorrow.]

[Calm down for now. Don't joke about breaking up.]

I did not reply.

I checked the weather forecast for the south. Tomorrow was supposed to be clear and sunny.

At the very least, there would be no more rain soaking me through. There would be no one left who would never turn back for me.

I rested a hand over my stomach, and my breathing slowly steadied.

The plane soon passed through thick clouds.