C192 Painful Memories

Alicia watched her family members grieving without understanding Anything. She slowly asked, "Grandpa..." "...what happened to Aunt?" Peter's gaze returned to the photograph. "My eldest daughter..." "Malice Mooney." The name sounded unfamiliar to Alicia. She had never heard it before. Not once. Peter smiled bitterly. "She was much older than your father." "From the time she was little..." "...everyone believed she would one day inherit everything."

Mark nodded slowly. "My sister was extraordinary." "She graduated at the top of every class." "She played the piano beautifully." "She loved designing." "She could negotiate business contracts better than many experienced executives." Georgia smiled through her tears. "She always laughed." "Our home was never quiet whenever she was around." Peter's eyes became distant. "As she grew older..." "Many companies tried to recruit her." "But she refused." "She wanted to build her own company."

Alicia quietly listened. Somehow... She couldn't explain why. But hearing those descriptions... She felt strangely familiar with them. Peter noticed her expression. He smiled sadly. "You remind me of her." Alicia blinked. "Me?" Georgia nodded immediately. "The way you smile." "The way you care about everyone." "Even your stubbornness." Mark chuckled softly. "And your cooking skills." Alicia looked down shyly. "I..." "I never knew."

Peter slowly continued walking around the room. Every piece of furniture had remained exactly where it had been years ago. Nothing had been moved. Nothing had been replaced. Even the curtains looked untouched. "This room..." "I never allowed anyone to renovate it." "I couldn't." He gently touched the old wooden desk. "It always felt like..." "...she would walk through that door again." Georgia quietly leaned against Mark. Time had healed many wounds. But not this one. Never this one.

After a long silence... Alicia softly asked, "Grandpa..." "How did Aunt die?" Peter slowly closed his eyes. "When the police arrived..." "They called it an accident." "The official report said..." "...her car lost control during heavy rain." "But..." He opened his eyes again. "I never believed it." The atmosphere instantly became heavy once more. Mark nodded slowly. "I also had doubts."

Peter looked toward the window. "My daughter was an excellent driver." "She knew those roads better than anyone." "There were no witnesses." "No proper investigation." "Everything ended too quickly." Georgia clenched her hands. "I wanted justice." "But..." "There was no evidence." "So..." "...we had no choice but to accept the police report." "Which is why your father ended up being the police minister."

Peter slowly shook his head as tears kept falling. "No." "I accepted it because I was weak." His voice became filled with regret. "I should have investigated." "I should have questioned everyone." "I should have protected them." Instead... "I buried my grief." "And buried the truth with it." Mark gently placed a hand on his father's shoulder. "Dad..." "You've blamed yourself for years." Peter gave a bitter smile. "Because I deserve to." "If I had looked deeper..." "Maybe..." "...I would've discovered something."

He looked back at the old photograph. "But instead..." "I chose to move forward." "I convinced myself it was fate." "I convinced myself there was nothing more I could do." His voice trembled. "I was wrong." Alicia quietly walked toward him. She gently held his arm. "Grandpa..." "You don't have to carry this alone anymore." Peter looked at her. For a brief moment... He saw his eldest daughter. Then reality returned. He smiled sadly. "No." "I don't."

He looked toward Mark. "You." Then toward Alicia. "And you." He finally looked at me. "And you too, Mike." "I believe the three of you..." "...can find answers that I couldn't." I was slightly surprised. "Me?" Peter nodded. "You're family now." "If this family carries a burden..." "...then you carry it too." I slowly nodded. "I understand." Peter took one last look around the room. Then quietly said, "This room shouldn't remain closed forever."

He turned toward me. "If your parents agree to stay here..." "...then let them use it." Georgia looked surprised. "Husband..." Peter smiled faintly. "I think..." "Malice would have liked that." "Keeping this room locked..." "...won't bring her back." "But filling it with laughter again..." "...might finally let her rest." Georgia's tears flowed once more. This time... She nodded. "I think so too." Alicia smiled warmly. "Thank you, Grandpa." "I promise..." "We'll treasure this room." Peter nodded. "I know you will." The heavy atmosphere slowly began to lift.

Mark clapped his hands gently. "Enough sadness for one evening." As we began walking out of the room, Alicia couldn't help glancing back at the old photographs hanging on the wall. One photograph, in particular, caught her attention. A young woman. Elegant. Confident. Wearing a warm smile. For a brief second... Alicia had the strange feeling that I had seen her face somewhere before.

She frowned. "...Where?" No matter how hard she searched her memory... She couldn't remember. She quietly closed the door behind us. But somehow... she had a feeling... Peter's decision to reopen an investigation into Malice Mooney's death... Was about to uncover secrets that had remained buried for decades.

Alicia frowned, her confusion growing with every passing second. She then turned to Peter. "Grandpa..." she asked softly, her voice trembling. "What did you mean... by saying both?" She looked from Peter to Mark before asking again, "My aunt was murdered?" "...She wasn't the only one?" "...Who else?" Silence. A heavy silence settled over the room. Mark lowered his head. His shoulders trembled slightly.

For the first time since I had met him... I saw tears slowly roll down his face. The powerful Police Minister ... The confident father who always carried himself with dignity... Now looked like nothing more than a grieving parent carrying decades of regret. Even Peter, a man whose commanding presence could silence an entire room, quietly removed his glasses and wiped away the tears gathering in his eyes. Georgia covered her mouth. The corridor suddenly felt suffocating.

Without Anyone noticing Alicia took my hand and opened another door. She whispered "This room has always been closed as well. Let's go inside. Maybe this one does not have painful memories." We slowly entered. Mark snapped put and called us "Wait don't go to that one." But it was already too late. We were already inside.