Chapter 222 A Mother’s Secret

Chapter 222: Chapter 222 A Mother’s Secret

?The cemetery was very quiet and still.

?Veyra walked slowly down the narrow gravel path, her high heels sinking softly into the damp earth with every step. She held a fresh bouquet of white lilies in her right hand, while her college acceptance letter was safely tucked away inside her shoulder bag.

?She finally stopped walking when she reached a simple stone headstone near the edge of the trees.

?Vivian Solenne. Beloved mother. Forever in our hearts.

?Veyra knelt down slowly on the grass. She laid the white lilies down gently against the base of the stone and reached out to trace the engraved letters with her trembling finger.

?"Hi, Mom," she whispered softly into the quiet air.

?She sat back on her heels, resting her hands neatly in her lap.

?"I brought you something special today," she said, her voice shaking just a little bit.

?She reached into her bag and pulled out the folded paper containing her official acceptance letter. She unfolded it carefully and held it up so the stone could see it.

?"I got in. I really got in to the Etland University of Medicine for their Medicinal Chemistry program."

?She felt her eyes begin to burn with sudden hot tears, and she blinked rapidly to keep them from spilling over.

?"I know you always wanted me to become a doctor. I know you believed in me and my abilities even when no one else around us did."

?She set the folded paper down carefully on the green grass right beside the bouquet of white lilies.

?"I did it, Mom. I actually did it."

?She stayed quiet for a long moment, letting the peaceful silence wrap around her.

?Then she opened her mouth to speak again, her tone shifting to something much more serious.

?"But there is something else I need to talk to you about. Something I have been holding onto."

?She took in a deep, shaky breath.

?"I have been having those terrible nightmares again lately. All about that night. The clown mask. The gun. The blood."

?Her voice cracked slightly under the weight of the memory.

?"I do not understand why they are coming back to haunt me now. For a long time, I honestly thought I had buried those memories deep away. I thought I had finally moved on with my life."

?She pressed her palm firmly against her chest, right over her beating heart.

?"But I have not moved on. I cannot leave it alone. Not until I finally find the real truth."

?She stared up directly at the cold stone headstone.

?"I am going to find out who killed you. I am going to figure out why they did it. And I am going to make them pay for taking you away."

?She paused, swallowing the lump in her throat.

?"I promise you that."

?She pushed herself up from the ground, brushing a little bit of loose dirt off her knees with her hand.

?She was just about to turn around and walk back toward the path when she suddenly heard the sound of footsteps crunching on the gravel behind her.

?They were soft, slow, and sounded quite uncertain.

?She spun around quickly to see who was there.

?An elderly woman was standing just a few feet away from her.

?The woman was small and frail-looking, with neat white hair and a face lined with the gentle wrinkles of old age. She was dressed in a simple black dress and carried a small, modest bouquet of wildflowers in her hands.

?"I am so sorry to interrupt you like this," the elderly woman said, her voice trembling slightly. "I truly did not mean to eavesdrop on your conversation."

?Veyra shook her head and offered a small reassurance. "It is fine. You are okay."

?The woman stepped forward and walked slowly toward the grave. She bent down and placed her wildflowers right beside Veyra’s white lilies.

?"Your mother always loved wildflowers," the woman said softly. "She used to pick them fresh from the garden every chance she got. She always told me they were the most honest flowers in the world because they had no pretension. Just pure beauty."

?Veyra stared at the stranger in complete surprise.

?"Did you actually know my mother?"

?The woman gave a slow nod of her head. "We used to be neighbors, a long time ago. Right before..."

?She trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.

?Veyra’s heart gave a hard thump against her ribs.

?"Before she died?"

?"Yes."

?The woman looked down at the engraved headstone, her eyes growing distant with old memories.

?"My name is Mrs. Harlow," she introduced herself. "I lived right next door to your family years ago. I watched you grow up from afar. Just a little girl, until..."

?She stopped for a second, catching her breath.

?"Until that terrible night happened."

?Veyra’s throat tightened up so much she could barely speak.

?"You actually remember that night?"

?"I remember every single detail of it," Mrs. Harlow said, turning her head to look right into Veyra’s eyes. "I remember the flashing police lights and the sound of the sirens. And I remember seeing you there and you were already a young woman."

?Veyra did not say anything in response right away.

?Truthfully, she did not remember Mrs. Harlow at all. She had no recollection of living next door to her. Her childhood memories from that period were all a blurry, fragmented mess.

?"I am sorry, but I do not remember you," Veyra admitted honestly.

?Mrs. Harlow offered a soft, sad smile that did not reach her eyes.

?"That is completely all right, dear. It was a very long time ago. And you have been through so much trauma since then."

?She looked back down at the flower-covered grave.

?"I have been meaning to tell you something important for years now. But I never knew where to find you after that day because your family moved away and you completely disappeared from the neighborhood."

?Veyra felt her heart race even faster.

?"Tell me what?"

?Mrs. Harlow took in a deep breath, gathering her thoughts.

?"Your mother was acting very strangely in the weeks before she got into that accident."

?Veyra blinked in confusion. "Strangely in what way?"

?"She started having visitors coming over late at night. Men wearing plain clothes would show up, and they would come and go in secret. I never knew who those people were. But I could tell your mother was always frightened of them."

?Veyra’s blood ran ice-cold in her veins.

?"Did you ever tell the police about this?"

?"I tried to mention it to them," Mrs. Harlow answered, shaking her head. "But they told me it was nothing to worry about. They claimed it was just a routine burglary, a random crime gone wrong."

?Mrs. Harlow’s voice dropped to a low whisper.

?"But I knew better. I knew in my gut it was never random."

?Veyra stepped closer to the older woman, hanging on her every word.

?"What do you mean by that?"

?"Your mother was hiding something very important from the world. I do not know what it was exactly, but I know she was trying to protect it. And she was trying to protect you."

?Veyra’s hands began to shake uncontrollably at her sides.

?Veyra’s mind raced wildly through a million possibilities.

?Her mother had been hiding something valuable. She had been receiving secret visitors in the dead of night.

?This was completely new information, and it changed everything she thought she knew.