Echoes of Honor Chapter 1

To go undercover in the largest crime syndicate in the Southern state, I turned to the streets the very next day after being expelled from the police academy.

My boyfriend broke up with me, saying I was an embarrassment.

My best friend cut ties with me, scolding me for my self-destruction.

Even my father, who used to dote on me the most, disowned me.

I remained unmoved, continuing to sink into the darkness.

In my third year on the streets, I finally infiltrated the syndicate.

That day, my father wept bitterly as he severed our relationship, declaring he no longer had a daughter and wishing I were dead.

For seven years, I never had a good night's sleep, tormented by my conscience almost daily.

Finally, three days ago, another failed mission by the syndicate led them to discover my true identity.

After transmitting the core evidence, I was tortured to death for ten grueling hours.

My soul wandered, eventually returning to my father's side.

* * *

I hadn't seen my father in years, and his hair was completely white.

His once upright posture was gone.

From a distance, he looked as if he were carrying a mountain on his back, aged and hunched.

A neighbor, Mr. Miller, saw my father and initiated a conversation with a smile.

"Hey, Arthur, hasn't your daughter come back this year?"

"The streets are dangerous. Hope nothing happened to her."

My father's calm face immediately darkened upon hearing this.

He gave a cold snort and cursed loudly.

"I haven't had a daughter for ten years."

"Even if I did, she wouldn't have survived until today. She should've been dead long ago."

As if still unsatisfied, he stomped his foot and yelled.

"I, Arthur Sterling, served in the military when I was young, and worked hard at the factory after my honorable discharge. I've lived a clean life. How could I raise such an animal?"

"Her death would be her greatest contribution to the Sterling family."

Hearing this, a sharp pain shot through my heart.

It hurt more than the thousand cuts the crime syndicate inflicted on me.

I could count the times I'd been home these past years on one hand.

But every time I saw my father, the words I heard were exactly the same.

"You scumbag, society's reject, what are you doing back here?"

"You're not welcome here. Get the hell out."

"Dad, it wasn't easy for me to come back. Just let me have a meal with you."

"I promise I'll leave right after I eat. I won't bother you."

I would hug my father's arm and act spoiled, not expecting him to dote on me like when I was a kid.

I only hoped for a little more time with him.

But his face would remain grim, and he would throw the garbage from the doorway right at my face.

Old wrappers and leftover food would cover my entire body.

Seeing this, the neighbors would point and whisper.

"Arthur is too ruthless. He won't even have a meal with his daughter."

"What do you know? This girl looks docile, but she's no good. She leads gangs to cause trouble outside, doing all sorts of bad things."

My face burned with shame.

Looking at my furious father, I stayed silent for a moment before turning to leave.

Covered in sour stench and garbage, I sat on the steps outside all night.

Although I felt wronged, I didn't blame him.

My father served in the military when he was young, but was forced to medically discharge due to an injury, becoming a factory worker.

When I was little, he often said that if he hadn't been injured and discharged early, he would have become a glorious police officer.

Other kids listened to fairy tales before bed, while I listened to my father's military stories.

To make up for my father's regrets, I studied hard and, living up to expectations, got into the police academy.

The sound of sneers interrupted my thoughts.

Looking at their mocking faces, I knew these neighbors were doing it on purpose.

Everyone in the neighborhood knew that Arthur's daughter was expelled from the police academy for insubordination, throwing her bright future down the drain.

And Arthur, who used to be so proud of me getting into the academy, became everyone's laughingstock.

When he was younger, Mr. Miller was often caught by my father for petty theft, becoming a regular at the police station.

Their relationship had never been good, so his words were extremely targeted.

Hearing my father's words, he laughed heartily, his eyes full of mockery.

"Arthur, what kind of talk is that?"

"No matter how much of a scumbag she is, she's still your seed, your own daughter. You can't hide from that."

My father's face turned ashen, his chest heaving continuously.

He gritted his teeth, seemingly using all his strength.

"I don't have a daughter like that. What she has done is unforgivable."

"God will take care of that evil creature sooner or later."

After speaking, my father hurried away, his steps slightly staggering.

The neighbors laughed loudly.

Floating beside my father, my eyes were red.

When he was young, he was respected wherever he went. Now, in his old age, he was being humiliated because of me.

I watched helplessly as the downward curve of my father's mouth trembled slightly, and his eye rims slowly turned red.

It felt like ten thousand blades piercing my heart.

I knew he couldn't hear me, but I still stood by his side and tremblingly said the words I had held in my heart for a long time.

"Dad, I'm sorry."