Chapter 1

In the courtroom, Hannah Wright stared at me stubbornly, as if she were delicate yet resilient.

She said with extreme anguish and pain, "When I was a child, my mother bought Rodney a big bag of mangoes. I was eyeing them greedily and took one, but before I could even take a bite out of it, she slapped me across the face.

"Later, she made me kneel at the doorway for two hours until my legs were black and blue, yet she still wasn't satisfied. She even stripped my clothes off in front of everyone and whipped me, forcing me to admit that I was wrong.

"All I wanted was to eat one of Rodney's mangoes. Was that really such an unforgivable crime?"

Hannah's tears kept falling continuously, and it was heartbreaking to watch.

In the courtroom, her litany of accusations against me stirred the citizens in the gallery to righteous indignation.

"I've seen plenty of cases like this. This old hag definitely favors sons over daughters. She treats her daughter like a maid but dotes on her son. Who doesn't know how this goes by now?"

"Exactly. This young lady is clearly very hardworking and driven. It's just so pitiful that her own family pushed her to this point."

"Her mother doesn't look like a good person at all. She probably drinks and gambles behind closed doors, too."

I couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

Nearly everyone believed that Hannah was a wonderful daughter. She spoiled me with gifts, even bought me a car, and never missed a day asking how I was.

I was the most envied mother for miles around.

They said that with a daughter like Hannah, I was destined for endless wealth and honor. From then on, all I'd have to do was sit back and enjoy the good life.

Having such a devoted daughter was truly my good fortune.

Yet, Hannah felt that I didn't care about her enough, and she actually dragged me to court, demanding that citizens from all over the world judge me. She believed I favored my son, Rodney Wright, over her and never really loved her at all.

Normally, no one would be so heartless as to take their own parents to court. After all, once a case was filed, one of the two parties would inevitably face punishment.

The prison that awaited from this court was an abyss of endless suffering.

Not only would one be imprisoned for life, but one would also be flogged every day until one's body was covered in wounds.

I pulled Rodney, who had just started sixth grade, close to me. A deep, unbearable pain settled in my heart.

If Hannah won the case, I feared Rodney and I would be locked away forever in endless torment.

My throat felt dry, and I asked hoarsely, "Hannah, why did you take me to court?"

Hannah's eyes brimmed with tears, as if I were utterly evil beyond redemption.

"You favor Rodney over me. You don't care about me at all."

At that moment, the judge, Jimmy Steward, said slowly, "There's no use arguing over who's right or wrong. We'll pull five memories from each of you and see where the truth really lies.

"But once we do, there's no going back. Hannah, are you sure you want to sue your mother, Sandra Cowen?"

Hannah nodded firmly. "Your Honor, I have to do this. I can't let all these years of suffering mean nothing."