chapter 14

Chapter 14

My mother learned about my father’s past earlier than I did. She loved my father just as deeply, but was powerless in the face of his choices.

For the past two days, she endured her sorrow and kept it from me, watching me anxiously search everywhere, yet unable to say a word. Tonight, when she saw my father again, she broke down in tears immediately.

After experiencing a terrifying brush with life and death, the three of us huddled together and wept bitterly that night.

From the next day on, my father became a ghost in our home, never to be seen in the light again. Even though his crime had not yet been exposed, we had to erase his presence in advance, just in case.

It wasn’t the best solution, but it was the most suitable one. We could only take things one step at a time.

My mother and I spent nearly a month gradually clearing out my father’s belongings, and intentionally spread rumors to create the impression that he had left home with his luggage.

Having watched many crime stories, I had some understanding of fingerprint technology. So I carefully wiped clean every place in the house where my father might have left fingerprints.

When no one visited, my father could move around the house wearing gloves; if someone came, he had to hide in the cellar. For someone who loved outdoor activities, this was torture for my father. But he could endure it.

What we never expected was that justice would come so swiftly.

A month later, a well-meaning neighbor “helped us” by calling the police, and the officers became suspicious.

I had wiped the fingerprints thoroughly, but the police were even more meticulous. They found one of my father’s fingerprints above the door frame.

And so, the other shoe dropped.