C224 Years of Sorrow

The journey back to the Mooney Residence was unusually quiet. Unlike earlier, when everyone had been laughing during dinner, the atmosphere inside the house carried a different feeling. It was warm... Yet heavy. As Alicia and I stepped through the front door, we immediately noticed that no one had gone to bed. Peter sat quietly in his favorite armchair. Mark was sitting on the sofa beside Georgia, the television playing softly in the background. None of them were actually watching it.

It was obvious... They had been waiting for us. The moment Alicia entered, Georgia stood up immediately. "My child." "You were just discharged you shouldn't have drove." "Family driver would have helped you drive Sarah home." Alicia smiled gently. "I'm fine, Grandma." "I'm home now." "That's all that matters." Peter looked at her carefully. He noticed the exhaustion behind her smile. He also noticed how she unconsciously rested one hand over her stomach.

His expression softened. "My granddaughter" "You've been through too much these past two days." Mark stood up and walked over. He gently patted Alicia's shoulder. "You were only discharged today." "You should've rested here at home." "You shouldn't be running around already." Alicia laughed softly. "Dad..." "If I keep lying in bed everyone will treat me like I'm seriously ill." "I'm pregnant..." "Not disabled." Her joke made everyone smile.

Even Peter chuckled. "You inherited your stubbornness from someone." "I wonder who." Georgia immediately glanced at him. "Don't look at me." "I wasn't stubborn." Peter laughed. "No..." "You were impossible." The room erupted into gentle laughter. For a brief moment... The heavy atmosphere disappeared. After everyone settled down, Alicia slowly sat beside me.

Without saying anything... She reached for my hand beneath the coffee table. Her fingers wrapped tightly around mine. I gently squeezed her hand in return. Peter watched the two of us quietly. His smile slowly disappeared. He cleared his throat. "Alicia..." "There is something your grandmother, your father and I wish to discuss with you." The cheerful mood inside the living room instantly faded.

Mark turned off the television. Silence filled the room. Georgia lowered her head. Even I could feel my heartbeat becoming heavier. Alicia looked around the room. She immediately understood. "This..." "...is about the room." Peter nodded slowly. "Yes." "Your mother's room." "And..." "...what happened the night you collapsed." Alicia subconsciously tightened her grip on my hand. She looked at me. I looked back at her reassuringly. No words were needed.

She slowly took a deep breath before facing the three elders again. "Dad..." "Grandpa..." "Grandma..." "I've been thinking about it ever since I woke up." "My childhood memories..." "They're incomplete." "I remember Mother's face..." "I remember the study..." "I remember running through that room..." "But." She lowered her eyes. "I don't remember how she died." "I don't understand why no one ever spoke about her." "And..." She paused. "I don't know who my Aunt Malice really was."

Her voice became quieter. "I don't even know why everyone cried so much." Georgia immediately covered her mouth. Fresh tears gathered in her eyes. Peter slowly leaned forward. "We discussed whether we should tell you now..." "...or wait until after your child is born." "We are afraid..." "The truth might place too much pressure on you." Mark nodded. "Doctor Kendrick specifically told us to avoid emotional stress." "We didn't want to risk your pregnancy."

For several long seconds... Nobody spoke. Alicia remained silent. She gently rubbed her stomach. Then she looked at each member of her family one by one. Finally... She smiled. Not a cheerful smile. A determined one. "Dad..." "If I don't know the truth..." "My heart will never be at peace." "I've already remembered fragments." "If everyone keeps hiding everything..." "I'll only keep imagining worse things."

She looked toward Peter. "Grandpa..." "I'm no longer a little girl." "I'm married now." "I'm going to become a mother." "If I'm old enough to raise my own child..." "Then I'm old enough to know the truth about my own mother." The room fell silent once more. Peter closed his eyes. His breathing became noticeably heavier. Mark slowly looked away. Georgia quietly wiped another tear from her face. Even I could feel a lump forming in my throat.

Alicia leaned against my shoulder. She whispered softly enough that only I could hear. "I'm scared..." I intertwined my fingers with hers. "So am I." She looked up at me. "What if..." "...what I hear changes everything?" I gently smiled. "No matter what happened..." "You won't face it alone." "I'm here." She nodded slowly. "I know." Peter watched us. For a long moment... He said nothing. Then he stood up. His movements were slower than usual.

As though the memories he was about to uncover weighed more than his own body. He walked toward the large window overlooking the garden. His back remained turned to everyone. No one interrupted him. No one rushed him. After nearly a minute... He finally spoke. His voice was calm. But it carried years of buried sorrow. "My granddaughter..." "The story I'm about to tell you..." "...is the greatest regret of my life."

He paused. Another long silence followed. Then... Very slowly... He began. "During my younger days..." "I served in the Army." "As both an ordinary soldier..." "...and as a Special Forces investigator." The room became so quiet... That the ticking clock on the wall suddenly sounded unbearably loud. His eyes remained fixed on the darkness outside the window, as though he could still see the past standing there.

After taking a slow, deep breath, he continued. "Back then..." "I believed there was no criminal who could escape the law." "If a case reached my desk..." "I would solve it." "No matter how dangerous it was." Mark lowered his head. He had heard bits and pieces of this story before... But never from the beginning. Peter continued quietly. "People called me fearless." "They said I was obsessed with justice." "I wasn't." "I simply believed innocent people deserved to sleep peacefully."

He paused before smiling faintly. "I spent years moving from one operation to another." "Drug trafficking." "Kidnappings." "Organized crime." "Illegal weapons." "My life was spent chasing criminals." He looked toward Georgia. "The one who truly held this family together..." "...was your grandmother." Georgia's eyes immediately turned red.