Part 3The Ghost in the Jasmine Scent

After my sister left, life at home didn't improve with that hundred thousand dollars.

Dad gambled it all away. He said he could turn one hundred thousand into two hundred thousand and buy a bigger house.

But the gambling addiction grew stronger. Dad was possessed.

In the end, he lost every penny and owed money to loan sharks.

Debt collectors came to the door, threatening to break Dad's legs if he didn't pay.

Mom ran away that night without taking me.

The next day, Dad found Mom gone and flew into a rage.

Before I went to school, Dad said to me, "Come home early today."

The way he looked at me was strange. I shuddered, feeling terrified.

After school that day, I didn't listen to Dad. Instead, I hid in an internet cafe next to the school and stayed there all night.

I didn't know until the police called my teacher the next day that Dad was dead.

Debt collectors had attacked him. He collapsed at home and died from blood loss.

I didn't know why Dad insisted I come home that day, but thinking back, I still felt a lingering fear.

With no other relatives, I became an orphan overnight.

The school learned of my situation and contacted child services. I was placed in foster care, my expenses covered by the state.

That year, I was ten.