Chapter 1

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 liquid off my face and flung a bottle thrown at me straight at Sally Sullivan, sitting on the plaintiff's side. I then scooped up other things from the ground and hurled them at her next.

"I never asked her to save me. She asked for it, sucking up to me like we were friends. How is any of this my fault?" I spat. "Look at her. I literally threw that in her face, and she's not even reacting. Isn't she just begging for it?"

"She's just that much of a bitch, so she should act like one," I continued. "Sally, come lick the filth off my face and eat those dirty food!"

My relentless jabs sent the crowd into a frenzy. Some of them, who were more agitated, even tried to lunge at me.

The judge had no choice but to slam the gavel, restoring order in the court.

"This trial will proceed under the principle of 'he who makes the claim bears the burden of proof.' The plaintiffs, the Grahams, are suing the defendant, Wanda Collins, on the grounds of malice. In accordance with the trial protocol, the plaintiffs' relevant memories will be extracted as evidence for prosecution.

"If the plaintiffs win this case, the defendant will be sentenced to death. The court will officially dissolve her familial ties with the Graham family. All of her assets will be inherited by the plaintiffs, and the court will approve Ms. Sally Sullivan's marriage into the family.

"If the defendant wins, the court will dissolve her familial ties with the plaintiffs. In addition, all the Graham family assets currently held by the plaintiffs will be transferred to the defendant.

"Plaintiffs, do you wish to proceed with this trial?"