Chapter 3

I dropped to my knees while clutching my head. A sharp pain shot through my skull as a flood of images flashed past my eyes.

In the haze, a blurry face leaned close to my ear, spitting venom. "You deserve this! You killed someone, so you should die, too! You ruined my entire life; I'll ruin yours as well!"

I could sense that I was bound and helpless as electric shocks ripped through me again and again. My heart twisted with rage and resentment.

Why did I have to go through this? I hadn't done anything. I hadn't hurt anyone!

I curled up on the floor, shaking my head over and over, not even aware of what I was doing. "No… I don't know… I didn't kill anyone! I swear I didn't!"

The staff nearby jumped into a panic and rushed over to check on me. After scrambling around for a moment, she pulled me into her arms, pinching my philtrum as she called for the trail to be paused.

"The defendant is having a stress response. This shows she's suffered inhumane treatment in the past and has serious psychological trauma. If we push on with the hearing like this, it could affect the outcome. Plaintiffs, are you sure you want to continue? She… She's still your biological daughter, after all."

Those words cut through the fog in my mind, and I came back to myself a little. My body kept convulsing uncontrollably as I waited for my parents' answer, like it was my last hope.

But after a long, heavy silence, they said firmly, "She's faking it. She's just trying to get out of this. No matter what tricks she pulls, we're going to make her confess and pay today. Otherwise, when will we ever find Jean's body and put her to rest?"

My heart slowly sank into the abyss, and I silently laughed at myself. At this point, what was I still hoping for?

My body started jerking again, probably because the pain buried deep inside finally broke loose.

Sebastian's voice was strained, but he still said, "Please wake her up. It's precisely because we share the same blood that we can't accept what she's done. The Shore family will never acknowledge a murderer as one of our own."

But I didn't kill anyone, Sebastian. Why wouldn't any of them believe me? Why couldn't they see the injuries all over my body? Why did they trust the so-called suicide note Jean had left more than they trusted me? Why did they never once try to look into what had really happened?

Tears streamed from my eyes, and the wounds on my body started bleeding again.

Finally, someone in the courtroom couldn't take it anymore.

"How is this any different from forcing a confession out of her?"

"Setting aside that nothing's been proven yet, even if she really did kill someone, doesn't she at least have the right to receive medical treatment?"

"If this is your flesh and blood, how can you see her like this and feel nothing?"

Sebastian hunched his shoulders under the weight of those words. He was unable to lift his head and even more unable to look at me.

Mom, on the other hand, rounded on the crowd and screamed at them furiously. "Why should I feel sorry for her? Look at all the disasters that have hit this family one after another ever since we brought her home!

"She killed the daughter I raised from birth, and I can't even find the body. I don't know what she went through before she died. And now, you want me to waste my time treating this monster's injuries?

"I refuse to acknowledge this so-called 'real' daughter! Whatever pain Jean went through, I'll make this monster suffer ten times more!"

As she spoke, something in her snapped. She bolted out from the plaintiffs' bench, shoved aside the staff member who was holding me, and slapped me across the face, again and again.

"Wake up! Stop faking it! Where did you hide Jean's body? Answer me!" she screeched.

The courtroom dissolved into chaos. A few staff members rushed over, frowning as they tried to drag Mom away. However, she twisted and fought them, and in the tussle, she drove her kicks straight into my body.

"Why did you have to kill Jean, Sonia?" she shrieked.