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The Game of Atonement
The Game of Atonement
Author: The Gardener's Robin

Chapter 1

Author: The Gardener's Robin
My mom lay in the morgue, without a single trace of life.

I crawled over and grabbed her hand. The very hand that used to hold me was now as cold as a block of ice.

"Your mother committed suicide at 9 p.m. last night. We called your phone, but you didn't answer.

"Mr. Walker, please accept our condolences. You've already pushed your body past its limit, so you shouldn't get too emotional."

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

At 9 p.m. last night, Aria Walker punished me by locking me inside a walk-in freezer. And because of that, I missed seeing my mom for the very last time.

Thinking of the scene I had witnessed outside the office, I lost all my strength and collapsed to the ground.

I wanted to hate Aria, but at this exact moment, even the strength to feel hatred had been drained from me.

It wasn't until my mom was placed into a small urn that I finally broke down into heart-wrenching sobs.

Holding the divorce papers, my hand trembled as I dug out a number I hadn't used in ages.

"Please take me away from Stepford..."

The voice on the other end sounded pleasantly surprised.

"Mr. Walker, you've finally contacted us. We have already booked the plane tickets, and we will send people to pick you up right away."

When I got home, Aria was accompanying Tom Robinson as he pruned the branches.

The entire yard was planted with peach trees—the exact trees that cause my allergies.

I walked over and handed her the divorce papers. "Aria, we..."

Before the words about divorce could even come out, a sharp slap sent me crashing to the ground.

"Conrad, you still dare to come back?! I told you to atone for your sins, and you actually dared to put rats in Tom's room!"

The taste of blood filled my mouth, and I instinctively protested. "I didn't..."

"Holy crap!" Tom frowned, kicking over my mom's urn. "Putting rats in my room wasn't enough? Now you're even trying to harm me with toxic powder!"

The ashes scattered all over the ground, mixing into the dirt.

I roared and lunged forward, but a brutal kick to my chest sent me back, making my internal organs throb with pain.

"Conrad, you're truly beyond redemption!"

Aria picked up the urn and smashed it straight over my head. Blood instantly poured down my face.

"Mom... Mom..."

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  • The Game of Atonement   Chapter 11

    I lifted my hand and delivered a fierce, uninterrupted slap straight across her face."Shut up!"Aria, you are the most hypocritical woman I have ever encountered!"Even if you genuinely believed then that Tom was the one who pulled you out of that river, you had ten thousand different ways to show your gratitude to him. You didn't have to step over the Walkers to make it up to him!"The Walkers have never owed you a single thing!"Years ago, my dad had discovered Aria wandering the slums, taken pity on her, and brought her home to be raised as an adopted daughter within the Walkers. He even went out of his way to help her reconnect with her biological family. Without us, she would have died a hundred times over.But in the end, all my dad's kindness did was breed a heartless, ungrateful wretch!Seeing that I was ignoring her, she turned her gaze toward Cleo, forcing a smile. "Ms. Parker, Conrad and I haven't legally separated yet. Technically, I'm your sister-in-law...""A

  • The Game of Atonement   Chapter 10

    "Don't you guys think her brother looks exactly like someone we know?""Who?""Aria's husband."In an instant, everyone's gaze snapped over to Aria. She looked completely exhausted, with deep, dark circles under her eyes, looking utterly disheveled."How is that even possible?" She muttered to herself, letting out a self-deprecating, hollow laugh. "How could Conrad possibly be Cleo's brother?"The moment the words left her mouth, the heavy doors swung open. Dressed in a flawless, custom-tailored designer suit, I walked on stage, my arm tightly locked with Cleo's."Ladies and gentlemen, it is my absolute honor to introduce my older brother, Conrad Walker!"The entire venue erupted into utter chaos."It really is Conrad! I thought his face was completely ruined? How the hell did he become so handsome?!""Wait, isn't he Ms. Carter's husband? Since when did he become Ms. Parker's brother?!""Oh my god, what are we going to do? He's a Parker, and we treated him like dirt before.

  • The Game of Atonement   Chapter 9

    "It's getting colder, so I knitted a scarf for you."Cleo tilted her body playfully towards me. "Thank you, Conrad. I love it."Our foreheads brushed against each other, leaving us close enough to feel each other's breath. It was as if an electric shock had zapped through me, and I hastily took a half-step back."Um... if there's nothing else, I'll head back inside first..."I turned to leave, but Cleo caught me by the arm."Don't be in such a rush, Conrad. I want to take you to see someone."She led me deep into the underground vaults of the Parker Estate. Walking all the way to the absolute end of the corridor, I was brought face-to-face with two people. One was Tom, and the other..."You! You're actually still alive!"It was Bob Cooper, the man who had worked for my dad since I was a child. Years ago, when my dad was framed, Bob was the one who had stepped forward with fabricated evidence to nail him to the pillar of shame.The moment Bob saw me, he burst into a hyste

  • The Game of Atonement   Chapter 8

    Conrad was holding that same small wooden box as he finalized the death certificate.Looking at the video, Aria’s eyes widened.That box was the same one he had brought back to the house that day!The sudden realization that the gray-white powder Tom's dog had been licking was actually his mom's ashes made her gag.When Conrad had returned home that day, his spirit was already broken. Yet, she had still ordered the servants to beat him, lock him away in a cage, and even ruin his face!However, she had rationalized it back then. She loved Conrad not for his appearance. Besides, those knife wounds weren't that deep. They could easily be treated and healed. She had only done all of it to make it up to Tom...By doing so, she had completely forgotten that from the very beginning to the bitter end, Conrad didn't owe Tom a single thing.Remorse and regret crashed over her all at once. Aria covered her face and began to wail uncontrollably, her tears leaking through the gaps of her

  • The Game of Atonement   Chapter 7

    So where could Conrad possibly be right now?He had no family left in Stepford and hardly a circle of friends. Just who on earth could have taken him away..."And what happened to these people?!" Aria pointed a trembling, furious finger at the horrific remains of the vagrants."According to our current timeline, it appears this group assaulted Mr. Walker right before they were killed. Their hands were completely covered in his blood…"The officer was trying to put it delicately, but to Aria, the words landed like a physical blow to the head.These wretched b*st*rds dared to lay a hand on her man?! They deserved every bit of what happened to them!"How did a pack of vagrants even get into this district?! If I remember correctly, this area is under constant security patrol. Conrad shouldn't have been left vulnerable in the first place!"Robert was breaking out in a cold sweat, his eyes wide with sheer panic. "It was Mr. Tom who arranged it all..."He told us to call off the s

  • The Game of Atonement   Chapter 6

    Back at the party, Aria’s heart suddenly spiked with a sharp, stabbing pain.Frowning, she quickly speed-dialed her executive assistant, Robert Vito."Has Conrad learned his lesson yet? Bring him back inside."The voice on the other end of the line was trembling violently, his tone laced with panic. "M-Ms. Carter… Mr. Walker isn't at the scene anymore. There's only..."Aria suddenly shouted, "Only what?!"However, Robert didn't answer with words. Instead, he snapped a photo of the scene and sent it over.Without hesitation, Aria tapped on the image. But the exact second she saw the picture clearly, she nearly lost her mind.…In the photo, the ground around the trash can was drenched in a massive pool of blood.The vagrants littered the pavements.A wave of terror enveloped her. Aria’s legs went weak, and she had to grab onto the wall just to keep herself standing.Aside from that person, she couldn’t think of anyone else with the sheer power to pull off something this bruta

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