It was a cold saturday night of December when I was returning back home from my shift at The Meal. My legs shook a little as cold wind stroke them. My heart pounded fast and I felt uncomfortable. Something just didn't feel right. I turned around to look if someone was following me, but my heart relaxed a bit when I saw an empty street. I shook my head and walked fast as much as I could to reach home. I unlocked the door with the key and stepped inside. I had taken a few steps forward when I heard my mom's voice coming out of her bedroom.

"Jack, please! Stop it!" She was shouting.

"Who do you think you are?" My dad shouted back at her.

I hurried towards their room. The door was half-open and I saw that my dad had pulled mom closer by her hair, cupping her face hardly with his hands. Mom was continuously trying to get rid of his tight grip but that monster slapped her. My eyes grew wide and silence occurred in the room. I saw tears falling down from my mother's eyes as my dad pushed her away by hitting her on her shoulders.

"You know what, Jenna?" He said angrily, "you're a bitch! You tried to defeat me? What made you think you're gonna succeed with that? " he was now holding her by her neck. My mom gasped with pain.

"I hate you." She struggled to say.

" I don't care!" My dad shouted and threw her on the floor. I ran towards my mom and sat beside her, holding her hand. She was crying out loud and her body shivered as my dad kicked her on her legs.

"Dad, what's wrong with you!" I yelled at him, but instead of answering me he spoke to my mom.

"You heard that, Jenna? I don't fucking care about you or your stupid daughter! It's not your job to keep an eye on me! I can't be home all day and watch you babysitting me! I sleep with two girls or four, that's not your fucking business!  Do you understand that? " he shouted loudly and I understood the matter then. Mom had checked up on him and he didn't like anyone in between his way.

"I will tell the police about you!" My mom cried.

"Oh really?" He said sarcastically and pulled mom up from my lap, held her up in his arms like we hold the babies and brought her towards the balcony.

"Dad!" I shouted and ran towards them.

"You'll tell the police?" He asked mom, his eyes filled with hatred and revenge.

"Yes." My mom replied in pain.

"You'll never get that chance." He said slowly but proudly, with a wicked smile.

"Try me." She said

No!

"Try you? " he said, stepping towards the edge of our balcony. Mom was too close to fall down, she held his shirt to prevent herself from falling.

"Dad! Stop it!" I ran towards them and tried to back him up.

"I'll tell the police about you, Jack. If I don't, then Lily will." She said.

"Dad, please. Let her in!" I cried and begged him.

"Only if you get to see another day of your life, love." He said and threw her.

"Mom!!" A loud scream escaped out of my mouth. My eyes got filled with tears at once and I ran downstairs as fast as I could. I ran towards my mom who was lying there, un-moving. I held her face in between my hands.

A beautiful face covered with blood.
A beautiful soul laid dead there....

"Mama, please.." I cried over her chest.
"Mama, please wake-up!" I shook her body a little to make her move.

But, no response.
No heartbeat.
She was dead.
My mom was dead!

I heard heavy footsteps coming behind me. A loud voice filled with proudness stroke my ears.

"I'll tell the police about you, Jack!" He said in a sarcastic tone and laughed.

"I hate you!" I shouted at him.

"I hate you too." He replied calmly and said, "Now listen, I'm gonna tell the cops that she attempted suicide. They will ask you about it and you're gonna tell them the same."

"And if you didn't do as I asked you to, you're fucking dead, too. Do you understand, Lily?" He asked and pointed his finger at me.

I couldn't reply him. I had no words to say. The man standing in front of me was not a human. He didn't own a heart. He was a monster and I hated him. I'd hate him all my life.

"I'm gonna call 911 now. Don't stop this drama." He said and started dialling the number.

"I'll tell them the truth." I said out loud.

"Get ready to face your death then." He said calmly.

"I don't care! Kill me! There's no way I'm gonna live my life with a person like you! You know what? You're not a human. You don't have a heart, Dad! Ugh! I don't even want to call you my dad. I feel ashamed of you! How good it would be if it was you who fell from there instead of mom!" I cried out loud.

He took a few steps to reach me and held me up by dragging me by my arm.

"You will do as I say, Lily. Or I'll kill you and then I'll kill every single person you care about. I will kill your best friend, Nora. And only you will be responsible for that innocent crime I will commit."  He said and pointed his finger on me.

For a moment, my heart stopped beating. After mom, the only person who was close to me was Nora, my high school friend. My best friend actually. Apart from some teachers, Nora was the only girl in my class who thought I wasn't what everyone thought I was. I could never ever want to hurt her. I couldn't even imagine her getting hurt by my dad.
No, I won't let him do that.

"Choice is yours." I heard him say. "Now let me call 911." He said and dialled while I stared at him and then at my mom. What was her fault?

"Hello? I... I need an ambulance at Black Quarter street house number 401. My wife threw herself from balcony." He said in a worried tone.

Bloody liar!

"Yeah sure. Be quick." He replied to someone and then hung up.

"Don't you mess things up, Lily." He said to me, his tone was full of warnings. "They'll be here any minute." He added.

"I hate you! You're a liar and a cheat!"
I said.

"Don't waste your words. I don't give a damn regarding what you think about me." He replied and started texting someone on his phone.

It was true. He didn't care.

"Why did you do that? What was her fault?" I asked him, tears falling from my eyes.

"She checked up on me and then she insulted me in front of all those girls in the club. She fucking slapped me on my face!" He said angrily.

"You are not insulted when you don't own any respect at all. She did what you deserved. How many times have you slapped her and me? You never really thought about it and that one slap just got into your nerves and you decided to kill her? You're such a___" before I could complete, his hand hit my face hard.

I understood what it meant. It meant, 'shut up'. He turned towards the door when we heard police and ambulance sirens. Before opening the door he looked at me and said, " Don't mess up Lily. Or Nora is dead."

I hated being his daughter. Sometimes, I felt really sorry about my mom. She could have got a divorce from him if I weren't in between. She had a heart filled with love and she could not see me living with a person who was breathing but wasn't really alive. Maybe that was the reason she stood like a rock between me and my dad's negativity until, she died.

I returned back from the sad thoughts when I heard a thick male voice.

" Hello, miss Lily. I'm detective John." He said, " I'm really sorry about your loss." He added and I couldn't do anything but stare at his dark face. My dad approached on his other side while few men took my mom in the ambulance.

"We need to ask you and Mr. Weed a few questions if you don't mind." Detective John said and I nodded. My dad sat next to me on the couch and John sat on the chair.

"So according to you, Mr. Jack, your wife attempted suicide by threwing herself from the balcony. Right?"he asked my dad.

"Yes." The liar replied.

"Is it what you saw too, miss Weed?" His eyes were now on me. From the corner of my eye, I could see my dad looking at me with his face full of warnings. Suddenly, Nora came in my mind..

"Yes." I replied slowly.

"Do you guys have any suspicions about what could be the reason?" John asked.

"We really don't know." Said my dad, "Jenna was acting strange since two months. She didn't talk much, she didn't eat with us,  she didn't even like to sleep with me in bed. She spent almost every night out in clubs and came back home wasted." He added and my eyes grew wide. How could someone lie with so much confidence? John would not even think for a second that he was speaking to the actual killer of my innocent mom.

"I tried to explain her many times that it wasn't just about her, it was about our daughter too. But she ignored everything with simple 'I don't care' ".
My dad added with sadness in his expression.

"I see." Detective John replied and wrote something on his notepad.

"Do you have any suspicions,  Miss lily?" He asked me.

Yes! My dad killed my mom!

"No." Was all I could say.

"Alright." He said and stood up from the chair. "I guess we're done here. I'm really sorry once again Mr. Weed. Take care." He added and left the house.

"Good job." My dad said to me when John closed the door behind.

Without saying a word to him, I just went into my room and closed the door behind. I sat on the floor and cried.

I had always been broken but the crack my mom's death left on my heart was more painful than any other heartache. The one who died tragically was the one who was innocent in all of it. The one who was being innocent in all of it was actually a criminal, A killer. And I? I fitted no where. Part of me was disappointed by myself because I lied to John.

" If I won't, then Lily will." My mom's words echoed in my head, making me cry more louder.

I didn't do what my mom thought I was capable of. But did I have another choice? I couldn't risk Nora with all that. She didn't even know half of my family nonsense.

Still, I was confused about what I did downstairs was right or wrong? With tears falling down from my eyes like a river stream, I laid on the floor. The visions  of what happened earlier came across my eyes.

"Mom...." Was the only word I heard myself say before I fell asleep and after I woke up.

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Song of the chapter, Holding On and Letting Go by Ross Copperman

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The Killer's Drama updated. I hope the chapter explained it's characters well enough. Still, I'd be happy to know what you think about it..

I will be very grateful if you guys read, vote and comment on the chapter and help me improve.

Love,
Aisha Waqar.