In Court, They Lost More Than the Case

When my new neighbors heard that Bruce Graham and Sean Graham were going to take me to court, all of them volunteered to testify against me.As soon as I stepped into the courtroom, they hurled anything in their hands at me alongside vicious curses."You cruel bitch!" someone shrieked. "It was over 104°F that day. Sean could've died of heatstroke! I can't believe you're his mother. You're absolutely heartless!""Exactly! How could she pour boiling water on the boy? Doesn't she know how delicate a child's skin is? She should've been burned alive!""You guys have no idea," another neighbor said. "Back when Wanda almost died in a car accident, I saw Ms. Sullivan drag her out of the wrecked car. She literally saved her life!""Not only did she refuse to thank Ms. Sullivan, but she even forbade her own husband and son from thanking her. She broke their legs and locked them up at home like they were criminals!"Despite their sharp criticism, I felt no guilt whatsoever. I wiped the liqu

Bruce and Sean exchanged a glance. Defiance instantly filled their eyes. It was as if they were trying to pierce a hole through me with their glares alone. But I held their gazes, unfazed. My stance made it clear that I wouldn't agree to their suggestion unless they licked my feet. Eventually, they had no choice but to lean toward my feet. Just as they were a few inches away from my toes, I suddenly kicked them to the ground. Sean's palm scraped against the floor and split open. I looked at them condescendingly, pretending to be unaware of their apparent misery. "You think filthy mouths like yours are worthy of touching my feet? Just drink the water I washed my feet with instead."With that, I stood up and dumped the entire basin of water over their heads. The screen turned black. The audience in the courtroom was livid."Skin disease isn't the only issue. If anyone gets exposed to such contaminated water, they'll definitely get diarrhea!""How heartless can she possibly

The moment those words left my mouth, a high heel flew straight at me. I wasn't fast enough to dodge it. Blood gushed from my forehead, blurring my vision. The roar of insults from the audience, however, was crystal clear. "Rot in hell, you bitch! She saved your life, and this is how you act?""Exactly! You should've died in the crash. Just die, Wanda! A piece of trash like you is wasting oxygen by being alive."The crowd grew more and more enraged by the second. A few people even managed to scramble to the defendant's seat, grabbing my hair and smashing my head against the wall. I yanked the attacker's hand away and brushed the hair out of my face—only to see that the one grabbing my hair was Bruce, and the one kicking me in the stomach was Sean. Murderous intent burned in Bruce's eyes as he slapped me twice across the face. "I was carsick and disoriented when the crash happened. I didn't actually see what happened. But now I finally see how evil you really are, Wanda," he

Outside the study, I felt utterly cold. Bruce and Sean had chosen Sally over me many times before. I'd always been loud and upfront, so I'd exposed them on the spot every time—only to swallow my pride later for the sake of my son. Perhaps that was why they clung to that pretentious bitch even more. They didn't know how to see through her facade, so I tried to make them face reality. Yet, what I got in return was their accusations, saying that I was dramatic and always putting on a show for sympathy. I had been hurt a long time ago. If not for my son, I would've left Bruce years earlier. But now, even the last sliver of hope I had for Sean completely shattered. If they wanted to put on a performance, I'd play along. Masking my disappointment with the bright smile I plastered on my face, I opened the door. "Sean, love, come have some tea to warm yourselves up."As soon as they saw me, they avoided me like the plague. "Just set it down and go," Bruce said curtly, his back

The screen went dark again before switching to another memory.Now, my memory of the Grahams trying to wash my feet appeared on screen.From the crack of the bedroom door, I saw them slipping something into the boiling water as they prepared the foot bath. "I collected a whole month's worth of my classmates' dead skin. If Mom soaks her feet in this, she won't be able to go out tomorrow. Then, Sally can go to the amusement park with us!"Bruce flicked his son's forehead. "No doubt, you're Wanda's son—sneaky as hell. But what if she doesn't soak her feet?"Sean contemplated this for a while. "Then, I'll pretend to spill it over her head. If she accidentally drinks it, she'll definitely have diarrhea. No matter what, we cannot miss Sally's birthday tomorrow."I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. Then, I went back to bed and gulped down more fever medicine. Moments later, Bruce and Sean entered with the basin of water.Since the impression of me pouring the water on them was stil