“Shameless! People who sell their daughters should die!”
“They deserved it! Why not marry him yourself if he’s such a good match?”
The commentators erupted with anger, directing their fury toward my parents.
My father tried to defend himself. “Marriage is a major life event. It’s traditionally decided by the parents…”
“Bullshit! You did it for the money!”
Someone in the jury shouted angrily, “You don’t deserve to call yourself a father!”
My father did not dare to speak again. He rubbed his hands together uneasily as he cast a glance at my mother.
“We will vote for the second charge,” the judge spoke up.
I got 78 votes for my innocence this time.
However, it wasn’t enough for me to win the trial. I needed more than 95 votes of
confidence.
My father was getting anxious now. He whispered to my mother. Suzy pushed her sunglasses further up her nose and said something softly to them. My father’s brows relaxed, and my mother smiled. They looked at ine with newfound confidence.
“The third charge. The defendant, Wendy Boyle, is charged with intentional assault on the daughter of the one who saved her life, causing her to become disfigured and blind and suffering immense physical and emotional trana.”
The comment section was silent for a moment.
“Even though she’s pitiful, she shouldn’t have hurt someone who saved her.”
“Surely there can’t be another twist in this.”
A few uncertain comments appeared.
Once again, electricity buzzed in my mind, bringing with it a sharp, stabbing pain.
This time, the memories the device retrieved were from a distant past.
The first time I met Suzy, she was four years old, and I was three.
She wore dirty, unwashed clothes, and her hair looked like it hadn’t been washed for a week. Her gaze was cautious and wary.
I, on the other hand, wore a pretty pink dress, spotless and tidy, and my hair was in neat little braids adorned with a red flower.
At that time, I was still the apple of my parents‘ eyes.
Suzy’s parents were fighting loudly.
I went up to her and took her hand, comforting her, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll…”
Before I could finish, Suzy suddenly shoved me away.
She scratched my face with her fingers and quickly ran off to the side.
Stunned, it took me a while to regain my wits. I burst into tears and ran to my parents.
Suzy looked up at the adults innocently. “I didn’t do anything.”
Given the relationship between our families, my parents had no choice but to let it slide.
The scratch Suzy left on my forehead left a permanent scar. My mother trimmed my bands to cover the mark. She held me and told me, “You’re still the prettiest little girl in the world.
2/3
C
These fragments of memories now feel like they belonged to another lifetime.
