Chapter 11%
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“For my mom, the college entrance exam was her only shot at a better life. So, she studied day and night, burning the midnight oil every single evening, never giving herself a break. In the end, all that hard work paid off. She became that year’s top scorer in that entrance exam. In that moment, my mom truly believed she’d made it. When the results came out, she was so excited she couldn’t sleep a wink that night.”
Preparing for the twsit of the story, I took a deep breath before continuing, “But three days later, when the official rankings were released, everything changed. The top scorer was suddenly listed as the daughter of a wealthy businessman. And my mom? Her results were thrown out as they accused her of cheating. But she knew she hadn’t. She was framed.“{
As I looked at everyone, I saw each of them was all ears to me.
“She tried to file a complaint, but no one would listen. Instead, she ended up offending the businessman’s family. From that day on, rumors of her ‘cheating‘ spread like wildfire. She was marked for life–banned from ever taking the exam again. People pointed at her in the streets, whispering and laughing behind her back.“>
“It was during those dark days that my dad came into her life. He had admired her for a long time. Whenever someone tried to humiliate her, he was the one who stood up for her, chasing off those who mocked her. To my mom, my dad became the one bright light in a world that had turned cold. Eventually, they fell in love, got married, and had children.”
“To escape the past and to protect my mom from the cruel gossip, my dad moved her to a new city, hoping for a fresh start. But the year I was born, something shattered that peace. My mom saw the daughter of the businessman who stole her spot again.”
“She had just returned from studying abroad and was now appearing on TV, all glamorous and confident. She smiled brightly and told the cameras that everything she had achieved was thanks to her own hard work and determination–earning the title of top scorer all those years ago. And then, as if that wasn’t enough, she threw in a smug remark, saying there had been someone shameless back then who dared to challenge her for that title.“N
“Laughter echoed through the studio audience. And that laugh completely broke my mom. That night, she didn’t come home, and the next moming, someone found the daughter’s body in an alley.”
Everyone gasped in unison and immediately threw my mom a shocked and terrified look.
Before they could comment, I continued the story. “The body had been carefully handled. Aside from a high level of alcohol in her system, there was no sign of foul play. As such, the official declared alcohol poisoning as the cause of her death. And after that night, my dad disappeared. When people asked, my mom simply said he was dead. She held a small, simple funeral and built this lonely grave. But the truth is… my dad never died.”}
“That night, he noticed something was off with my mom. To keep her hands clean and to help her get revenge, he was the one who killed that girl. To protect her, he faked his own death. And all the top scorers who’ve died over the years since were either helped steal my mom’s score back then, or were the children of them. My dad figured out they were using the same dirty tactics to cheat others out of that top spot. So he went after their weaknesses and used them to push each one to take their own life.“}
After my long narration, Captain Shelton stood there, stunned for a long moment. Then he finally asked, puzzled, “Then, what about your sister? If that’s how it all happened, how did she end up dead?“}
I glanced at my mom, let out a quiet sigh, and said seriously, “My sister died because she found out that our parents were the ones behind the murders of all those top scorers. She couldn’t handle it. And that’s why… she took her own life.“>
Not a day had gone by in the past three years that I hadn’t thought about the way she looked at my mom right before she died.}
I’d replayed that look a thousand times in my head, trying to understand it.”
