Chapter 161: Shadows of Obsession

Linda’s Perspective The relentless wind and snow outside had finally ceased, leaving behind a silent white expanse. The stillness was almost unnatural, as if the world itself held its breath. As I trudged through the vast snowfield with the rest of the team, a fleeting memory gripped me, transporting me to a simpler time. For a brief moment, I imagined myself as a child again, holding a steaming bowl of potato soup in my mittened hands, following my mother as we made our way to visit my father. The warmth of that memory, however, was swiftly eclipsed by reality. The vivid yellow uniforms of my fellow team members and the frigid air pulled me back to the present. My hometown was long gone, destroyed not long after my mother and I left. I often wondered if my mother ever regretted leaving. She had sought peace and seclusion with my father, and though their life together had seemed serene, it had been isolating for me. My father had loved my mother deeply, but his affection f