My heart was practically leaping out of my chest. I didn’t know how to describe the emotions of this moment – excitement? Nervousness? Perhaps a mix of both. My body trembled, and my palms were sweaty. The thought of meeting my father tomorrow kept me up the entire night, filled with chaotic dreams.
In my dreams, I transformed into my eight-year-old self, living in a dilapidated house surrounded by empty liquor bottles. There was a father who stayed perpetually drunk, and when he was in a bad mood, his large hand would swing towards me, leaving bruises all over my body.
I woke up crying.
The next afternoon, I arrived promptly at the prison gates, where Patrick took me inside. As the iron gate closed behind me, a sinister and terrifying atmosphere enveloped me, with armed police officers stationed everywhere.
“Don’t be scared,” Patrick chuckled. “This is how it is here. All the ones locked up in here are desperados, so we have to be fully armed to keep an eye on them.”
I nodded and followed him inside.
Patrick led me into a room, presumably the meeting room. The setup was similar to what I had seen in TV dramas – a transparent partition in the middle, a table with a phone, and on the other side of the partition, a cold prison door.
I sat there, waiting, becoming increasingly uneasy.
The door on the opposite side opened, and a familiar yet unfamiliar figure gradually appeared – Jacob Campbell, my father.
At this moment, he sat across from me. He stared at me for a long time before suddenly grinning at me.
I was startled and nearly fell off my chair. To be honest, I was always scared when he smiled. It wasn’t a father’s affection for his daughter; it was a harbinger of an impending storm. If he smiled, I was bound to be punished.
But now, he wouldn’t hit me. Separated by a transparent partition, he was on one side, and I was on the other – two worlds apart.
He pointed at the phone, gesturing for me to pick it up. My hand holding the receiver trembled.
“Have these years been good for you?” My father’s hoarse voice came through the line. He looked thinner, his hair had turned white, but his voice remained unchanged.
“Quite good,” I replied.
“Aren’t you eagerly hoping that I’d be caught?” He squinted at me. “Are you satisfied now?”
“No…”
“You brat!” He scolded fiercely.
My heart sank. I hadn’t expected that after all these years, our reunion would still be like this. There was no hint of fatherly affection.
“Don’t you… deserve to be caught? You’ve done so many outrageous things; you should’ve faced the consequences!”
“Shut up! You brat… Do you think becoming the young madam of a wealthy family allows you to act recklessly?” he sneered.
I was taken aback. How did he know about my situation?
“Do you think that over these years, just because we haven’t been in contact, I don’t know anything?” He smirked. “Let me tell you, Laura, I know everything! When Anne died, I personally witnessed The Lynch Family taking you back!”
“Fifteen years have passed… You’ve been living in The Lynch Family, and now you’ve become The Lynch Family’s young madam, haven’t you?”
“No!” I shouted in panic, “I’m not The Lynch Family’s young madam; I’m nothing! What… what do you want? Can’t you leave me alone after all these years?”
“What do I want?”
Jacob Campbell crossed his legs, touched the corner of his mouth with his thumb, revealing a sinister smile.
“Of course, I want to get out of here, my dear daughter!”
“No…” My legs felt weak. “It’s impossible!”
I took a deep breath, desperately telling myself, ‘Laura, all the nightmares are over. Jacob Campbell is now locked in prison, and he won’t pose any threat to your life.’
I am me, and he is him. We are two people from different worlds.
“Impossible,” I stared into his eyes, a complex emotion surging within me. “You’ve committed crimes… countless heinous crimes. Do you know? From my earliest memories, you’ve been conspiring with people to do those unspeakable things! Kidnappings, murders… there’s nothing you wouldn’t do!”
“Dad…” My voice trembled, and it was incredibly difficult to call him ‘Dad’, “I am willing to call you Dad because, after all, we are my father, and you are my only family in this world. But it doesn’t mean I can shield you from legal consequences!”
Jacob Campbell sneered.
Suddenly, he leaned in, his face contorted into a grimace. Startled, my hand trembled, the receiver slipped from my grasp, hitting the tabletop, and I nearly slid off the chair.
His face pressed against the glass, and he grinned at me. His eyes emitted a malicious light, like a devil emerging from hell. He opened his mouth to laugh, revealing the few uneven teeth left, resembling the wicked wolf from fairy tales that devoured children.
“Laura!” He pounded on the glass.
Even without the receiver, I could hear his maniacal screams.
The prison guard restrained him from behind, and the baton struck him relentlessly. But he showed no reaction at all. His eyes remained fixed on me, with a smile that carried with it a chilling sense of despair and terror.
“Laura, I’m telling you! I know everything… I know it all! Hurry, find a way to get me out… go plead with them to release me! Otherwise, I’ll let the whole world know that you’re the daughter of a murderer… hahaha!”
“Laura! If you don’t get me out, don’t expect to live a peaceful life!”
He was dragged away by the prison guard, but his voice continued to echo in my ears. I sat on the ground, staring blankly, feeling as if all the energy had been drained from my body. I didn’t know what to do. I was the daughter of a murderer-this was a secret I never wanted anyone to know.
For a long time, I sat there, crying softly, holding my head in my hands. How could I have such a father? Why couldn’t my life be like Anne’s, born into a wealthy family with the love of parents and the care of a brother?
Why was fate so unjust!
A large hand gently patted my shoulder, startling me, and I screamed.
“Don’t be afraid, Laura, it’s me.”
A pair of gentle eyes appeared before me.
Patrick…
His gaze held a hint of sympathy as he helped me up from the floor. In that moment, I clung to him, pressing my face against his chest.
At this moment, I desperately needed someone to rely on, someone to offer comfort. Holding onto Patrick, I sobbed uncontrollably.
“Laura, it’s okay,” he patted my back, “I’m sorry; maybe I shouldn’t have let you two meet.”
“No need to apologize,” I whispered, “This is what he wanted, right? He asked me to get him out, or he’d expose me as the daughter of a murderer! Patrick, I…”
“No, no!” he reassured, “You can rest assured; he can’t do anything to you. Next, he’ll be interrogated, and when he’s formally convicted, he won’t have a chance to tarnish your reputation.”
“Besides, what does it matter if you’re the daughter of a murderer? Your father committed the crime, not you!”
My heart trembled. Then, slowly, I released my grip on him.
My emotions had calmed considerably, and I was grateful for Patrick’s comfort at a time like this. Yet, I was well aware that even though I and my father were on separate paths, in the eyes of the outside world, the stigma on me was something that could never be erased.
People would look at me through colored lenses – the daughter of a murderer, maybe she’s capable of murder too?
The daughter of a murderer surely wasn’t a good person!
My marriage wasn’t peaceful either, involving seducing my husband’s brother and meddling in others’ relationships… I could easily commit such vulgar acts, after all, I was the daughter of a murderer!
My heart turned cold.
After expressing my gratitude to Patrick, I walked away from him like a wandering soul.
The weather was scorching, and I looked up at the steel cables surrounding the prison, set against the deep blue sky. A bird flapped its wings, emitting a mournful cry.
My heart raced, and I realized I couldn’t stay here for long. I quickly made my way toward the main gate. However, as I stepped out, I saw two people standing across the street…
An instant chill ran from my feet to my head.
I stared at them, forgetting that I was standing under the blazing sun.
The sun scorched my skin, yet I felt an icy chill. Cold sweat trickled down my spine, drop by drop.
“Cameron…”