Howl of Regrets

Hillary's POV“That's the girl I was talking about.”A female student frantically taps on her friend’s shoulder and whispers as I step out of the elevator. She points at me, causing others in the dormitory lobby to stare.Terrified by the alarming gazes, my steps slow, almost coming to a halt. The doubt and shock etched on their faces is evident they are talking about me. But about what?Some eye between their phone screens and me, mouths agape, as though confirming a rumor, or fact. Whatever it is, it tears at my sanity.Their breath-stealing gazes and hushed whispers spark a wild curiosity, and I hurriedly dip into my hand bag, fishing out my phone.My breath hitches at the sight of the heart wrenching headline. My vision clouds with burning tears. My hands beneath my phone suddenly start to tremble. I lift my head, swinging at every perimeter, looking at their knowing gazes.I look back at the screen, tears spattering against the glass.My innocent father, Judge Gate was arrested f

Hillary's POVThunder rumbles furiously, and the light flickers repeatedly before plunging the house into darkness.None of us gasp. None of us grumble. Not even Hailey, my sister, who's alone in the room.Aunt Sonya and I keep washing the dishes as if nothing happened. After countless times of power outages and zero attempt to fix it, we've learned to live with it.When Mom told me my aunt would come for Hailey and me, I realized for the first time I had one. Arriving at her home in the village and seeing the modest life she lived, brought another painful realization. The lightning flashes again, followed by a howling wind.I drop the rag. “I’ll get the basins.”The roof leaks when it rains. The basins are our only defense against flooding. Again, Hailey and I are used to it.She grabs my wrist before I can leave, switches on a flashlight, and presses it into my hand. “Watch your steps.”I take only a few steps to the doorway when a sharp pain slices through my lower abdomen. I groa

My tireless effort to stay away from Lester goes down the drain as I stare at him. His hands are still on my waist, his red gaze searches for explanations beyond my knowledge.“Counsel.”The bailiff’s call ignites my sanity, and I quickly flinch from his grip, gathering the disseminated documents on the marble floor.He's still standing, lost in his thoughts, when I hurry back to the courthouse. There's no point in hiding after colliding with Lester.I settle down on my bench while the judge explains his findings with the jury. I try to pay attention, but the embarrassment and shocking moment in the hallway keeps replaying in my mind.Lester walks in, disorganizing my thoughts all over. He's sitting across from me, next to Becky, his lawyer. His stares straight ahead, his gaze rivets on me.My client hurries out of the court room immediately the judge’s final verdict favors the defendant, Lester.Maybe Felicia was right. Maybe he was scared of Lester. Maybe Lester threatened him to hi