LOGINAfter Sally laughed, she started crying again. “Mom, I never had a home growing up—you were the only ones who took me in. I know that I’m wrong, please give me another chance…”Victor said coldly, “There’s no point saying these now.”He showed my phone to Sally. “I’ve already sent the video to the police.” Xander added firmly, “Intentionally causing harm and fabricating evidence. Because of you, Clara was locked up and suffered an irreversible procedure.“According to the law, this is assault!”Blood slowly drained out of Sally’s face. “No… This has nothing to do with me! I only slapped her!“You were the ones who sent her in! You were the ones who were unwilling to discharge her!“The hospital operated on her! What does it have to do with me?” Victor ignored her. “The night when Clara was admitted, you signed an application form for a psychiatric assessment. “You made the report, and you accused her of assaulting you. “Without your report, nothing would have happen
The video started playing and the sound echoed in the living room. “Victor, I know you love me the most. Don’t worry, this house will belong to me sooner or later.” Everyone stood still and stared at that small screen. The slap resounded as it played from the phone’s speakers. “You’re useless! Our parents will disown you sooner or later!” Then, it was her scream. “Help! Clara’s going to kill me!”Then, the video ended. The living room was extremely quiet. My mother stood still as her face was twisted in disbelief. She looked confused. Finally, her lips quivered in fear. She turned to look at Sally, who was standing in the corner. Sally’s face was pale. However, she almost immediately teared up and her lips quivered. “That video is fake! What application did Clara install on her phone to make such edits?”She grabbed my mother’s arm and cried, “Mom, believe me. Clara pushed me first. Why would I hit her…”Victor pressed the pause button and enlarged the sc
I stared at the ceiling with my eyes wide open. I heard every single word she said, yet I did not know what she meant. What did she mean by winning or losing?What did she mean by being useless?I did not know. The sky slowly turned bright. My mother walked in again with swollen eyes. She was holding a bowl of porridge. She sat on the edge of my bed as she fed me. I opened my mouth and ate it. “Clara, does it taste good?”I did not know if it tasted good. To me, everything was tasteless. She asked again, “Do you want to eat anything else? I’ll make it for you.” I did not speak. She put down the bowl and grabbed my hand. Her voice was shaking, “Clara, look at me. Do you really not remember me?”I stared at her and felt nothing. Victor stood at the door but he did not come in. He looked at me being fed, and he pursed his lips tightly. “Mom, Dr. Johnson said we should show her some photos. Let’s try that.” My mother immediately nodded. She took out her ph
My mother’s legs gave out. She stumbled backward and hit her back against the wall. “Permanent… What do you mean?” Victor grabbed Dr. Johnson’s collar. “Why did you carry out that surgery? Who agreed to that?“None of us signed any consent form for her surgery!”Dr. Johnson did not struggle free. Instead, he looked at Victor. “You signed it before.” He turned around and walked into his office. When he walked out, he was holding a document. He flipped to the very last page and showed the signature at the bottom of the page. It was my mother’s signature. “Clause 14 of the admission consent letter.”Dr. Johnson pointed at the bolded words. “Once the mandatory observation period is fulfilled and the guardian did not complete the discharge process before the deadline, the hospital reserves the right to administer necessary medical interventions, which include but is not limited to surgeries.“You’re the one who signed the agreement.”The document slipped from Victor’s
The three of them stood before me. The woman’s eyes were rimmed with tears as she extended her arms toward me. “Clara, quit playing games. We’re here to take you home.” I stared at her hands.“Who are you?”Her hands froze mid-air as she laughed. “Alright, I know you’re mad. You’re locked up for so long, it’s normal for you to act up a little.” She reached out again as she wanted to grab me. I took a step back. It was not out of fear. Instead, it was out of confusion. I really did not know who she was. Why was she trying to hold my hands? The young man squatted down and got closer to me. He pointed at his face. “Clara, it’s me, Victor!” I stared at his face intently for a while, then I shook my head. He stood up as his face fell. “Clara, how long are you going to keep up with this act?” I did not speak. What did he mean by the “act”?I was only telling the truth. At the same time, a young lady who was around my age showed up behind them. She held
I froze. I heard footsteps rushing in from the hallway. My mother was the first to arrive. “What’s wrong?”Sally’s forehead was covered in blood. The blood trickled down her eyebrows and dripped onto the floor. “Clara hit my head against the wall! Mom, I’m scared!” My mother hugged Sally and turned to glare at me. “Clara, I’m very disappointed in you!” Victor charged over and squatted down to inspect Sally’s wound. When he stood up, there were already tears in his eyes. “Clara, you would put on an act for 99 days just to lie your way through the check-up, so you can come out and harm others?”I teared up from anxiety. “I’m not pretending! She’s the one who…”“Enough!” My mother’s shrieks were piercing. “You’re crazy through and through! You would have episodes, and in those split moments, you’d lose control.“I’m the head of the psychiatry department. I’ve seen a lot more cases like this!”Sally leaned against my mother’s embrace and sobbed, “I just wanted to t







