"What are you saying, Haruto? Of course not. Your mother and father loved each other very much."

Grandma said it firmly, but her hands were clenched tightly in her lap. The smile on her face was stiff, forced, and it did not reach her eyes.

Haruto noticed the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers dug into the fabric of her clothes. His grandpa remained silent, staring at the floor.

"I’m not a child anymore," Haruto said calmly.

"I have the right to know. I don’t believe my father became a drunkard and a gambling addict because he loved my mom."

He turned his head slightly, jaw tight, as if holding back something bitter. It annoyed him to play this role, but he needed answers.

Still, his grandparents avoided his gaze, clinging to their denial. So Haruto used the last thing he had.

"Then consider this repayment," he said quietly.

"For everything you couldn’t do as grandparents. For not taking me and my sister under your wings and leaving us alone with him, knowing what kind of man he was."

His eyes lifted, steady and accusing. The room fell silent. Both of them looked surprised and ashamed.

"Your mother was a lost cause," his grandpa said suddenly.

"Stop it," Grandma said at once, clutching his arm. "Don’t tell him that. He doesn’t need to hear this."

"We can’t hide it anymore, he will learn the truth whether we speak or not. I would rather it come from us."

His gaze drifted toward the open sliding door facing the garden. Cold air slipped inside as heavy snow slid from the roof, the dull sound filling the pause between his words.

"Your mother loved your father obsessively," he continued.

"She followed him everywhere. The police detained her several times because of it. We grew tired. We were ashamed. So we locked her at home."

"Tired," Haruto echoed sharply. "Because she would stain the family name, right?"

It was just a guess, since Mr & Mrs. Suzuki didn’t say anything about his crazy mother. After all, in this small village everyone knows everyone and everything.

Meaning that his grandpa bribe the police and shut them up.

Grandpa nodded slowly, his shoulders slumping.

"One night, she ran away. Months later, we learned she was pregnant. Your mother, Mina, forced us to threaten your father into marriage." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

His breathing grew heavy. "She said she would kill herself if we refused. At first we reject the idea but she did multiple suicide attempts and we didn’t have a choice."

Grandma began to tremble. "We wanted to take you and your sister away," she said through tears.

"But he threatened us too. He said he would kill you both. He said we were monsters and that his children belonged to him."

"That bastard also threatened to kill you and Haruka if we did not give Chiyo to him. My poor Chiyo, I try my best to separate your mother from her so she won’t end up like her sister." Grandpa’s body trembling hard full of anger.

She bowed her head, sobbing. "Maybe this is our punishment. For ruining his life."

"Yes," Grandpa said quietly. "You were born before marriage, Haruto. But none of this was your fault. It was ours. We failed Mina. We failed you."

They bowed deeply, regret weighing down their aging bodies.

Haruto did not move.

Haruto did not feel any anger toward his grandparents. Not even a trace of it. He loved them, the way a grandchild was supposed to love them.

Yes, he had been disappointed. Deeply so. If they had taken him and Haruka back then, maybe everything would have been different.

Maybe Haruka would never have met Daiki. Maybe his sister would not have died in that bastard’s hands later in life.

But what truly shocked him now was his mother. She had not been as innocent as he had always believed.

The truth was tangled and ugly, nothing like the simple story he had built in his head. And somewhere along the way, he finally understood where the psychopathic traits of his childhood had come from.

Haruto let out a slow breath. "Please raise your heads, I never hated you. Not once."

He paused, choosing his words carefully. "I only wish you had tried harder back then to take me and Haruka with you, our life would be better."

He looked at them steadily. "But it’s fine now. We’re fine. Father is gone, so you don’t need to worry anymore."

Their eyes widened as they slowly lifted their heads. Relief washed over their faces, followed by tears. They thanked him again and again, apologizing as if it might somehow undo the past.

For Haruto, though, the most important thing was that the weight in his chest had finally eased.

Now, only two mysteries remained.

One was his lost memories, his past with Ayaka, and the murder tied to this town.

The other was the sect rumored to exist in this village.

Before he could move, his phone vibrated.

It was Ayaka.

[Haruto, where are you? When are you coming back?]

[I feel uncomfortable being alone in this weather and house.]

[Everything looks white and scary.]

[Can you come back now?]

He sighed, then smiled softly. He had been so consumed by everything that he had neglected her.

As for their blood relationship, if it even truly existed, he decided then and there to bury that secret with himself.

Ayaka had suffered enough already. This truth would only wound her further, even if there was a chance she already sensed it.

"I think I should go now, my friend is waiting for me."

"Oh my," his grandma replied with concern on her face. "Won’t you stay until dinner? You can invite your friend here."

He shook his head. "It’s fine. I’m staying in a neighboring village with friends."

Staying here with Ayaka would only complicate things further.

"My friend is... a bit of a coward," he added with a small smile. "He believes in superstition and hates being alone. I should get back."

His grandma laughed softly and packed him snacks to take with him. His grandpa remained quiet, his expression solemn, as if there was nothing left to hide anymore.

Haruto bowed and said his goodbyes, then stepped back into the snow, his mind clearer than it had been all day.