chapter 15

Chapter 15

The police came for the second time and collected a blood sample from me. After that, they kept a close watch on our home, in case my missing father returned.

One officer in particular, Officer Lu, was very dedicated to the case. He had handled the family massacre years ago, and now happened to be assigned to our area.

Our home was in a mountain village, surrounded by hills and far from the city. The police couldn’t monitor us constantly, so they could only visit periodically.

My mother and I were skilled actors. From our initial shock and disbelief when the police revealed the truth, to our hatred and ignorance during each subsequent visit, we played our roles convincingly.

We also deliberately hinted to the police that my father had behaved strangely before his disappearance, and had said some harsh, resolute words. At the time, we hadn’t paid much attention, but looking back, it seemed he was afraid of implicating us and would never return.

When the police weren’t around, we remained cautious. With a murderer in our family, the neighbors gradually distanced themselves, but they never noticed anything amiss. So when the police questioned them, all they could say was that my father had left and never come back.

Gradually, the police concluded that it was unlikely my father would return, and their visits became less frequent. They never guessed that my father had been at home all along.

In 2001, I graduated from university. My mother fell ill and passed away. I returned to my hometown to arrange her funeral.

Without my mother’s protection, my father could no longer hide at home. After four years, he had hidden long enough.

After the funeral, I secretly brought my father into the city and found a small clinic to arrange plastic surgery for him.

The operation was a success, and my father recovered quickly. His new face wasn’t completely unrecognizable, but at least it allowed him to walk in the sunlight.

Outside the clinic, I wrote my phone number and address on a slip of paper and handed it to my father, telling him that, just in case, we couldn’t live together.

So we parted ways in the morning mist.