Selling My Mom Made Me Public Enemy No. 1

On the livestream, my mom looked like a ghost of her former self. Her skin was scarred from burns and whips that she had suffered for more than 20 years. The marks of torment were etched all over her body.Grace Perkins, my sister, held her hands tightly. Her shoulders trembled, and her fingers shook."Welcome home, Mrs. Perkins! Those traffickers deserve death!""How could you hand your own mom over to traffickers? Are you even human? I demand the court reopen this case and sentence you to death!""Grace, you've been through hell these years. Finally, you're reunited with your mom. Don't worry, we've got your back."Seeing the outpouring of support, Grace finally unleashed all the pain and suffering she had carried for years. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed. "I'm not asking for much… I just want her to get what she deserves."Viewers showered her with virtual gifts, and some even called the cops on her behalf.By the time the police knocked on my door, I wasn't even

The reporters all drew in sharp breaths.Camera flashes burst in front of me, relentless and blinding, making it almost impossible to keep my eyes open.Within moments, my words were plastered across newspaper headlines and trending online.The comments were filled with pure hate."Where's the justice? She killed her own dad, drove her mom insane, and now she has the nerve to say it's their own fault!""Everyone, go to the court website and file a joint appeal. That criminal cannot be let off this time!"My home address and contact info were posted online for everyone to see.On the way back, people immediately recognized me. Suddenly, trash and soda bottles came flying at me. I was pelted from all sides, and soon I was drenched in filth.When I finally reached home, Eve Duncan, my landlady, was pacing by the door anxiously. She looked at the wall streaked with red paint and said helplessly, "Hope, I know you're not the monster everyone online says you are. But if you keep li

Seeing Grace completely stunned, I reached out and helped her to her feet.Then I explained, carefully and patiently."Hunter and Gunnar were our original, masculine names because our parents badly wanted a son instead of daughters. After Mom and Dad were gone, I changed your name to Grace, so you never knew."I dug into my backpack and pulled out several old birth certificates."Do you know why there's a nine-year gap between us?" I asked."Between you and me, there were five more girls that Mom had given birth to. All of them were murdered and thrown by her into the abandoned well."Grace looked shocked as she took the documents from me. She instantly recognized Dad's signatures on them. Those birth certificates were dated between the years we were born.Seeing her stunned expression, I continued, "You survived because I got down on my knees, begged them to spare your life, and promised I'd raise you myself. Only then did they let you go. They never gave us any money. All they

Grace immediately stopped crying, her voice trembling as she said, "I-I was the one who did that, but I didn't know the truth back then. Hope, if you had told me sooner, I never would've done that to you. I'll apologize to your company. I'll post an apology online. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it!"I looked at her coldly as she apologized, then slowly rolled up my sleeves and the hem of my pants.I pointed to the fresh scars that hadn't healed yet, teasing, "See these burns? They're exactly the same as Mom's. But what did I do wrong? I saved you."Feeling sorry for me, Grace bit her lip so hard it bled, but she didn't seem to notice. Her fingers trembled as they hovered over my scars, then she jerked back in fear.Finally, she asked in a broken voice, "Why didn't you just tell me? I would've been on your side. I really didn't know those people would hurt you like that… If I knew, I wouldn't have done it that way."By now, reporters were flooding the hospital hallway, and th