Chapter 4

I caught Mom by the arm and pulled her back. "Mom, run…"

However, Keith and Bradley rushed at us. Keith grabbed Mom by the wrist and wrapped an arm around her waist, dragging her toward the gray van waiting at the mouth of the alley.

I lunged at him and bit his arm. "Let go of my mom!"

But it didn't do much. I was only seven.

Bradley grabbed me from behind and lifted me off the ground. He shoved me into the back seat, and Keith pushed Mom in from the other side. Then Bradley snatched Mom's phone and locked the doors before the van pulled away, heading for City Hall.

"Are you crazy?" Mom's voice trembled. "You're kidnapping us!"

"Kidnapping?" Keith sneered. "You're my fiancee. I'm taking you to City Hall so we can get married. If you call the cops, they'll say it's just a fight between a couple."

"Let us go!" Mom reached over and grabbed a fistful of Keith's hair, who was in the seat in front of her.

Bradley pulled a knife from under the seat. He held it with the tip pointing down and pressed it against my knee.

"Move again, and I'll stab her."

Mom froze.

Keith watched us through the rearview mirror, the corners of his mouth slowly curling upward.

Meanwhile, I sat trembling in my seat. The pain and terror from my last life came rushing back to me.

Was it really impossible to save Mom, even after getting a second chance?

Soon, we arrived at City Hall. Keith parked right outside the main entrance and got out of the van.

Mom glanced at me, the knife still pressed against my knee, then went out, and I followed her.

Bradley slipped the knife into his sleeve. He walked beside me with one hand resting on my shoulder, the tip of the blade pressed tightly against me through the fabric.

There were only a few people in the lobby.

Keith put his polite face back on, checked us in, and we were called to the counter a few minutes later.

"I'll need your government-issued photo IDs and the required marriage-license documents."

Keith handed over the documents and nudged Mom with his elbow. Mom reached into the inside pocket of her coat and pulled out her documents, her hands shaking.

The clerk took them and glanced at Mom. "Do you confirm that you're here voluntarily?"

"Y-Yes…" Mom replied.

The clerk started entering the required information into the marriage-license application. A smug smile spread across Keith's face, while I felt all the blood rush to my head.

I couldn't let this go on!

"Miss, I need to use the restroom!"

The clerk stopped typing.

Bradley's fingers tightened around my shoulder, digging into the bone. "Hold it in."

"I can't! If you don't take me to the restroom right now, I'll pee right here!" I reached down and started to pull down my pants.

Everyone waiting nearby turned to look at me.

"Hey, hey, kid. Wait a second!" The clerk stood up and came around the counter. She took my hand and led me toward the restroom.

Bradley tried to follow us, but the clerk turned around and said, "You have to wait outside. Men aren't allowed in the women's restroom."

Bradley stopped and glared at me.

The clerk stopped in front of the toilet. "Go on in. Your dad is waiting outside."

As soon as I entered the restroom, I went straight to a stall that showed it was occupied and knocked on the door.

"Miss, can I borrow your phone? I can't find my mom. Please. I need your help." I started to sniffle.

A hand holding a phone reached out.

My fingers were shaking so badly that I could barely hit the right numbers.

"Grandma, come to City Hall right now! Someone has a knife on Mom and is forcing her to get married. Call the police, quick!"

Bradley shouted from outside. "Are you done yet?"

I quickly hung up and handed the phone back to the lady in the stall. When I returned to the lobby, the clerk was confirming the information with Keith.

He had an arm around Mom's shoulders, and to anyone looking on, they could have passed for a couple deeply in love. He glanced at me, a grin spreading on his face.

I'd seen that look before. In my last life, he'd look at me like that every time he finished beating Mom.

Keith nodded. "Everything's correct."

The clerk was about to click the button when the glass doors of the lobby were pushed open from outside. Two uniformed police officers walked in, with a woman following behind them.

"Wait! They can't get married!"