I froze in the doorway of that third bedroom, my heart hammering against my ribs as Mary Lou walked up the stairs, her steps heavy and hesitant.
When she rounded the corner and saw me standing in front of the open door, surrounded by stacks of boxed cash, her face went completely pale. She dropped her handbag onto the hallway floor.
“Mom…” she whispered, her voice trembling. “You shouldn’t have come here.”
“Mary Lou, what is this?!” I gasped, pointing a shaking finger toward the stacks of hundred-dollar bills. “Where did $80,000 a year come from? Where is Kang Jun?”
She looked down at the floor, tears instantly brimming in her exhausted eyes, before taking a deep, shuddering breath.
“Kang Jun isn’t a businessman, Mom,” she said quietly. “He never was.”
What did Mary Lou reveal about Kang Jun? Continue reading Part 3 below to unearth the truth.
PART 3: The Secret Contract
Mary Lou closed the bedroom door behind her, pulling me down to sit on one of the sealed wooden crates.
“When I arrived in Seoul twelve years ago,” Mary Lou explained, her tears finally spilling over, “I discovered Kang Jun was deeply tied to an illegal overseas gambling syndicate. He didn’t marry me because he loved me—he used my American citizenship to open foreign holding accounts and clean his money.”
My blood ran cold as I remembered how fiercely I had warned her against marrying him twelve years ago.
“When I tried to leave him six months into the marriage,” she continued, “his associates threatened you. They showed me photos of your house, your daily routine, your bank account numbers. They told me that as long as I stayed in Korea, managed their cross-border cash transfers, and kept my mouth shut, you would stay safe and well-provided for.”
“So every dollar you sent me…” I stammered, horror washing over me.
“Was the price of keeping you alive,” Mary Lou whispered. “I let you believe I was living a comfortable life so you would never worry or look into his business.”
How did Theresa react? Continue reading Part 4 below for the showdown.
