A Lonely Death

Patrick remembered this all along!

Before he could finish speaking, Mom cut him off furiously.

"Pat, don't say another word. I know you're trying to smooth things over between me and Aubree, trying to get me to care about her again. But every time I think about her, all I can see is Daniel's death. I will never forgive Aubree for as long as I live. She is the one who killed Daniel."

A sharp pain stabbed through my chest, so intense that even my soul trembled.

All these years had passed, and Mom still couldn't forgive me.

I was the one who killed Dad.

I deserved to die a thousand times over.

Years ago, my aunt and uncle died in an accident, leaving my cousin Freya an orphan.

Dad felt sorry for her. She was alone in the world, so he took her in.

But Freya and I never got along. We were always arguing over the smallest thing.

Three years ago, on a rainy night, we had a huge fight. Furious, Freya ran out of the house.

Dad drove out to look for her.

On the way, he got into an accident and died on the spot.

Mom called me a murderer and said I killed Dad. She threw me out of the house and never looked back.

She said Freya was the only bloodline of the Nicholson family left in this world and treated her like her own daughter.

And now, I had been murdered in the cruelest way possible.

The "murderer" had finally received the harshest punishment.

Would Mom ever forgive me?

…

As soon as Mom walked out of the police station, her phone rang.

Grandma's anxious voice came through the speaker. "Grace, Aubree is missing."

Hearing Grandma's voice made my heart clench.

If she knew I was dead, how heartbroken would that kind old woman be?

After Mom kicked me out, Grandma took me in.

She and Mom had never gotten along, and after she took me in, they cut ties completely.

Mom scoffed dismissively. "She's pulling this childish stunt again? Does she still think she's three years old?"

Grandma's voice was worried. "But I haven't been able to reach her for three days…"

Before Grandma could finish, Mom snapped at her.

"I told you, I don't want to hear another word about that disgrace."

Then, she hung up and blocked Grandma's number.

…

When Mom got home, the first thing she did was go to Freya's room.

"Freya, I'm back." Her voice was warm and gentle, just like any loving mother's.

I used to have that love, too. But not anymore. Now, she was only Freya's mother.

Freya got up and threw herself into Mom's arms, clinging to her. "Mom, you've been so busy. I haven't seen you in days. I missed you so much."

Mom stroked her head affectionately. "Don't worry. As soon as I wrap up this case, I'll take some time off and bring you to Saxondale."

Saxondale! That was the place I had always dreamed of going, where I had wanted to watch the flag-raising ceremony.

Now, all those beautiful things belonged to Freya.

Freya beamed and nodded, then casually asked, "Mom, is this dismemberment case really difficult? Do you think you'll catch the killer?"

Mom, ever the professional, immediately caught the key detail. "Freya, how do you know it's a dismemberment case?"

My heart tensed. If they started looking into Freya, they'd be able to find the killer quickly.

Freya froze for a second, but she recovered fast. She buried herself in Mom's arms, whining sweetly, "You called me that day, and I got worried about you. I know the station has rules, so I didn't dare to ask, but I looked it up online and found out about the case."