GoodNovelJack didn't understand why | would do what | did.
| scoffed. "What father would treat their daughter as something that could be exchanged for money? | assume
your beloved wife and daughter had never once cto visit you, right?"
Elene and Ivy had seemed to be long gone. These two women were the truly smart ones.
Out of sight, out of mind. After Jack was thrown in prison, it was really the case for this mother-daughter duo.
Jack's eyes grew distant and bleary like he was looking through the fortress of tinto thethat he had
intricately woven but could not control.
"Did you think that | wanted this to happen?" he asked. "I tried to protect you two as well, but in this humongous
chain of profit hierarchy, I'm nothing but a puny pawn."
| took a deep breath as | tried to calm the chaos in my heart. "What's the real secret, then? What's the scam that
you had mentioned about?"
He was silent for a while, like he was contemplating something before he spoke again.
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"The art gallery was just a tool those people used to launder money and to cover up for illegal transactions. | was
unexpectedly caught in this mess and wasn't able to free myself from then on. Your mother might not have
known about all of these, but her presence becmy biggest weakness."
My heart constricted. The beautiful memories | had of my mother were shrouded by a dark shadow.
"Are you saying that my mother was..."
Jack shook his head, gentle flashed in his eyes.
"No, she didn't know about anything. All she knew was that her husband was an artist, and her daughter
inherited this talent. She protected our hin her own way, even when the hwas broken and tattered."
"What about me? What role did | play in this scam?" | asked eagerly, anxious to know the truth.
He laughed bitterly, and there
seemed to be struth in his words. "You? You're the leverage they use to threaten me. Your safety is my only
weakness. They knew as long you were with me, | wouldn't betray them."
Shock reverberated through my body as | found out | was the one that was used all this while.
I didn't know what else he said next, but | knew what he had said shookto my core.
The world | have known for years had been a lie. It seemed like | was the troublemaker stirring the pot when |
knew nothing about the truth.
I was in a daze when | left prison. | quickly called Kevin. But, he didn't answer the phone. | wandered on the
streets like a directionless ghoul.
The street lights emitted a yellow hue, casting a long, lonely shadow behind me.
The chilly breeze caressed my face, but it was almost like the air was also mocking my naivety and ignorance.
| held tightly onto my phone. The
|
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"unanswered call" notification on my
screen seemed to be mocking me
like a cold taunt, remindingthat the support | was once dependent on was now far out of my reach.
| took a deep breath and tried to suppress the chaos and hopelessness within.
Just when | no longer knew what | could do, | saw a pair of feet appearing before me.
"Why didn't you ctoso we can talk alone? | feel like | need to talk to you."
A glimmer of light flashed through Ethan's eyes. He seemed to be looking for me. However, | wasn't in the mood
at that time.
| lifted my head and met Ethan's
gaze. At that motherent, | saw a certain warmth and determination that was familiar to me, which was
exceptionally moving on this cold, windy night. en
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