Chapter 3
Mom went to several houses delivering gingerbread, but each visit ended badly.
But when Mom was about to return from another village, an accident happened.
I saw a woman with disheveled hair rush out and splash paint all over Mom.
She kept muttering:
"Bitch, give me back my son! Give me back my son!"
Seeing Mom in such a miserable state, I felt terrible.
I raised my hand to help wipe her off, but I was already dead.
I couldn't touch Mom.
Mom wiped her eyes and threw the undelivered gingerbread on the ground.
"You crazy woman, looking for your son and blaming me? What kind of tantrum are you throwing on Christmas!"
"It's you! It's your little slut who harmed my son!"
The woman collapsed on the ground crying:
"Your little slut seduced my son with her shameless behavior. He drank poison and died on Christmas."
"Hannah, it's you again! You slut!"
Mom was furious. I saw her eyes turn red, angry at me.
"Killing your brother wasn't enough? You had to harm someone else's family too! I might as well have raised a dog instead of you!"
People around started gossiping.
"Oh my, this Hannah got her brother killed three years ago, and now this year again..."
"You don't know, back then there wasn't even proof that the bachelor molested her. Maybe she just got horny and seduced him herself."
"Tsk tsk tsk, acting so slutty at such a young age. Her mother doesn't look like anything good either!"
"Exactly. Just get out of our village. Don't come ruin Christmas for us."
No, it wasn't like that.
I remembered who that little boy was.
I felt so wronged and ran to everyone trying desperately to explain.
"Mom, his dad beat him every day, that man..."
"That man would touch me inappropriately too. We were just comforting each other."
"Everyone, I didn't seduce that boy, I didn't..."
"Please believe me, don't curse Mom..."
No matter how I cried and explained, no one could hear me.
The Christmas night wind was so cold.
Even though I was dead, my heart and tears felt as cold as the ice cube meals Mom always made me eat.