All Chapters of My Mother Died When Her Countdown Reached Zero: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

"One of the family members needs to sign here. The cremation requires confirmation from an immediate relative."The on-call doctor pushed the death certificate toward me.I gripped the pen and wrote the name Minnie Lawson on the form.The doctor frowned."Young lady, where are your parents? This is a serious matter. A legal guardian needs to handle it."I shook my head and handed over the completed paperwork."That won’t be necessary. I have no other family."Several hours later, I walked out of the crematorium with a black, square urn in my arms.A light drizzle fell from the sky. I wrapped the urn tightly in my coat and hailed a taxi by the roadside.By the time I returned to the hillside villa, it was completely dark.The moment I pushed open the living room door, I saw the lights blazing inside.Dad sat beside the dining table, while Evelyn Hart and her daughter, Winnie, sat beside him. The three of them chatted and laughed together.They all looked up when they heard the door open

Chapter 2

I looked at the man I had called Dad since childhood, but there was no trace of familiarity left.The urn in my arms also seemed to grow unbearably heavy.It held all that remained of Mom in this world."What if she never comes out?"I asked.Dad did not even look up."Don’t imitate your mother’s pathetic tactics."He pulled a gold-embossed envelope from his suit pocket."Since your mother refuses to admit her mistake, I’ve decided to give your recommendation letter for Westbridge College of Art to Winnie."Winnie suffered a lot as a child. She needs this opportunity to establish herself."You’re my daughter. Even without that recommendation letter, the entire Lawson family will support you in the future." Evelyn bit her lip and pretended to refuse."Justin, this is far too valuable. Ms. York left it for Minnie. Winnie shouldn’t take it."Dad’s tone left no room for argument."Ava is my legal wife. Isn’t everything she owns mine? Take it and give it to Winnie."I stared at the recomme

Chapter 3

Over the next three days, I completed all the paperwork as quickly as possible.I returned to the villa the day before my departure to pack the last of my documents.As I approached the house, I heard piano music coming from the attic.My heart tightened, and I rushed upstairs.Winnie sat at Mom’s custom-made piano.Dad had flown it in from Bellmare as a wedding gift to Mom.He hired more than a dozen craftsmen to custom-make every key to suit the way she played. Mom’s name was even engraved on it.After I was born, our family often sat there together. Mom played the piano while Dad held me and watched her with a tender smile.But at that moment, Dad stood beside Evelyn, watching Winnie bang randomly on the keys.I hurried over and slammed the piano lid shut.Winnie snatched her hands back in fright, and her eyes immediately filled with tears."Minnie, I’m sorry. I won’t play it anymore."Dad pulled Winnie behind him."Minnie Lawson, what the hell is wrong with you?"I stood in front o

Chapter 4

"Where is your mother?"Dad turned around and glared at me.I looked up at him. My voice trembled, but every word came out clearly."I told you. She isn’t coming out. She’s dead!"Slap!His hand struck my face. My ears rang, and the metallic taste of blood spread across my mouth."Minnie Lawson, you’ll say anything to compete with your mother for my attention—even something this unforgivable!"Dad pointed at my face, his chest heaving violently.Evelyn hurried to restrain him and gently urged him to calm down."Justin, don’t frighten the child. Minnie must have learned this from Ava."Her gaze swept across the room before suddenly landing on my bedroom door."Why don’t we let Winnie search Minnie’s room? The necklace might be in there."Dad’s expression darkened."Search it!"The bodyguards immediately rushed into my room.Winnie followed them and pointed at the large suitcase beneath the bed."Mr. Lawson, Minnie was packing this suitcase earlier. The necklace must be inside!"They r

Chapter 5

The butler clutched the landline receiver, shaking like a leaf.The living room fell into complete silence.Justin shot to his feet, knocking over the dining chair behind him.He snatched the receiver from the butler, the veins on the back of his hand standing out."How much did Ava pay you to play along with this charade?"The doctor on duty spoke sternly from the other end of the line."A charade? I’m calling from the city hospital morgue! Mr. Lawson, correct? Your daughter personally signed the paperwork to have the body cremated. Come settle the outstanding morgue and emergency treatment fees."The line went dead.Justin gripped the receiver tightly, his face deathly pale.Evelyn stepped forward and took hold of his arm."Justin, Ava must only be trying to scare you. She loves you so much—how could she bear to die? She must have hired someone to put on this act with her.""Get away from me!"Justin violently shook off her hand.Evelyn lost her balance and fell onto the sofa.Justin

Chapter 6

Winnie stepped out of the room and covered her nose in disgust."Mr. Lawson, why are you touching that disgusting stuff? Minnie brought this filthy garbage here on purpose to make everyone sick."Justin suddenly raised his head, terrifying blood vessels filling his eyes.He stared fixedly at the leather shoes on Winnie’s feet.Stains from the ashes still clung to the soles."You stepped on her."Justin’s voice was so hoarse that it was impossible to recognize its tone.Evelyn sensed that something was wrong and hurried to shield her daughter."Justin, Winnie didn’t know any better. Don’t blame her."Justin grabbed Evelyn by the throat and slammed her hard against the wall."You knew better. You knew better when you pretended to be depressed and pressured me into hanging up on the hospital."You knew better when you let your daughter crush my wife’s ashes!"Evelyn struggled to breathe as her face turned purplish-red.She desperately beat at Justin’s arm with both hands.Winnie burst int

Chapter 7

The plane landed at the airport.I carried the black bundle close to my chest as I stepped out of the terminal.The wind carried a chill, without the sticky humidity of Harbor City.I hugged the bundle closer to my chest."Mom, we’re here."It took me three full days to settle in.I rented a red-brick house with an attic. A huge skylight filled the attic with unobstructed sunlight.One bright morning, I walked into the yard.I spent the entire morning digging into the earth by hand before scattering Mom’s ashes beneath the tall magnolia tree.The grayish-white powder slowly disappeared beneath the soil.I did not put up a gravestone for Mom.She didn’t need cold stone weighing her down. She deserved to grow freely.I stood up and brushed the dirt from my hands.The wind rustled through the leaves.My entrance interview at Westbridge College of Art went smoothly.The professor who welcomed me had been Mom’s mentor—a silver-haired woman from Bellmare.She turned through my portfolio page

Chapter 8

Justin knelt on the floor, digging his fingers desperately into the cracks between the tiles."I found out the truth. Minnie, I uncovered everything that happened back then."He lifted his head, terrifying red veins filling his eyes."The pier explosion was never an accident! Evelyn bribed a local thug to plant explosives beneath my car! I reopened the old case and tracked that thug down at a casino in Avarra. I had his hands and legs broken, and he confessed to everything."Evelyn paid him one hundred thousand dollars to plant the explosives beneath my car. She planned to time the blast perfectly, then play the heroine who saved my life."But the explosives went off too early. She was so frightened that she hid behind a shipping container and didn’t dare come out."Justin’s chest heaved violently, and every word carried the metallic taste of blood."Your mother was the one who rushed forward and took the knife meant for me! She lost so much blood, yet she still shielded my head with h

Chapter 9

At ten o’clock the next morning, my solo exhibition, Toward Life, officially opened.The gallery was packed with art journalists and critics.Camera flashes went off nonstop.I stood in the center of the exhibition hall in a simple white dress, answering questions from reporters.After the interviews ended, I walked to the deepest part of the gallery.A painting marked “Not for Sale” hung there.It was titled “Moonlight.”The painting used no complicated colors, only broad expanses of blank space.A soft beam of moonlight fell across a black piano.A woman in a red dress sat before it, seen from behind.Her hands rested lightly on the keys.It was Mom.It was also the most beautiful version of her in my memories.There was no countdown forcing her forward and no despair from a failed mission.She was simply herself.A gifted pianist and painter.A mother who loved me."This painting is beautiful."A silver-haired art critic stood before it and praised it sincerely."The woman in the pa

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP