Chapter 4My Perfect Grades Came From Mom's Murder

The sky was dark with storm clouds when I found Mom on the mountain.

She was wearing an old coat, her hair tousled by the wind, and she had a bundle of branches in her arms.

"Mom, it looks like it's going to rain. Let's go home," I called out.

Mom turned and saw me. A flash of happiness crossed her eyes.

"Lindsay, what are you doing here? I need to gather more firewood. You love food cooked over a wood fire, and you won't get to eat it once you move to the city."

I studied her. Her hair had already turned gray at the temples, and her face was covered in wrinkles.

I knew she had spent all these years doing everything she could for me.

Yet I couldn't get the words in the merit ledger out of my mind.

After hesitating for a long while, I finally asked, "Mom, what was that merit ledger really about?"

The branches fell from Mom's arms. She looked at me in silence.

After a long pause, she asked, "Does it matter?"

"It matters! Of course it does!" I practically screamed. "I need to know which parts of my life I earned through my own hard work and which ones came from you killing people for me! I don't want to live off any of that. And I don't want to be tied to you for the rest of my life."

I sniffled and felt tears stinging my eyes.

"Besides, I'm going to suffer the consequences," I said. "Mom, are you really going to stand by and watch me die?"

The wind on the mountain howled around us, but Mom's expression slowly grew calm.

"If you really want to know, then come with me," she said.

She turned and walked deeper into the mountains.

I followed behind her, stepping over loose stones as we went down a path I had never seen before.

The clouds overhead hung lower and lower, as if rain could start at any moment.

After about 15 minutes, a run-down chapel suddenly appeared ahead.

For some reason, the closer I got to the building, the worse my headache became.

Every step closer made the pain worse.

Mom stopped and sighed. "You can still turn back. Go home, burn the merit ledger, and forget everything that happened today. Go on with your life."

I gritted my teeth. "No. I still have to deal with the consequences. I need to know the truth!"

Mom didn't answer. She reached out and pushed open the crooked wooden door.

The chapel was dark and covered in cobwebs. An old statue stood in the shrine.

The moment I looked at the statue, a sudden realization hit me.

In that instant, I understood everything!