I didn’t realize I was clenching my fists until I felt the sting. My nails had dug into my palms, deep enough to draw blood.
They got into their car, the three of them. The picture-perfect family.
And I just stood there, watching the taillights disappear, feeling like someone had buried me alive all over again.
My hands were shaking when I pulled out my phone. I pressed Lila’s name. It took me a few tries before the call went through.
When she answered, my voice came out barely a whisper.
“Lila… I need your help.”
“What is it?” Lila’s voice snapped through the line.
For ten years, she was the only one who ever came to see me. The only one who still looked at me without disgust. The only person I could trust.
I took a deep breath. “I want to overturn the verdict. I want to clear my name.”
Silence. I thought she’d hang up. I thought maybe she'd given up on me.
“Emily, I’ve been looking for evidence all this time. I just need seven more days. Seven days, and I’ll get you justice.”
Something in me cracked. My chest hurt, but it wasn’t pain, it was relief. “Thank you.”
When the call ended, I looked around. The streets were empty. The sky was dark. I had nowhere to go. No home. No family. No one was waiting.
Except him.
And the house we once shared still had pieces of my daughter in it. Amy’s shoes. Her drawings. Her laughter buried in the walls.
So I walked. For hours. Until my feet went numb and bleeding.
When I reached the house, I stood at the gate for a long time.
Justine hadn’t even changed the lock.
My hands were trembling when I press the code. The door opened easily.
Inside, everything looked the same. The furniture. The curtains. Even the smell.
The only thing missing was the family photo that used to hang in the living room.
For a second, I almost believed I’d just stepped out yesterday and come back today.
Then I heard a sound behind me.
My heart froze. When I turned around, he was standing there.
Justine.
He was holding an umbrella, rain dripping from his coat. His dark eyes locked on me, unreadable.
We didn’t speak. We just stared.
I was expecting Cerise to appear behind him, but she didn’t. He was alone.
After a moment, he set the umbrella aside and said quietly,
“When did you get back? You should’ve called me. I would’ve picked you up.”
I didn’t answer. I just watched him walk into the bathroom, moving like nothing was wrong, like none of it had ever happened. He came back with a new towel, holding it out to me.
I didn’t take it.
“I know the way... So I came back myself.”
He didn’t even flinch. He just turned and poured tea, the way he used to after long days at the firm.
“Drink some hot water. Don’t catch a cold.”
Steam rose from the cup, fogging the space between us. I took it, holding it tight in both hands,
“Justine, don’t you think it’s time we talked about what happened ten years ago?”
“What happened back then is already settled. You’ve been released. Isn’t that enough? Why keep digging into it?”
I stared at him.
Why bother pursuing it?
My daughter died. I was locked up for ten years for something I didn’t do. And now I wasn’t even allowed to ask why?
The room tilted. My vision blurred. I felt myself losing balance when I heard his voice.
“Emily!”
He rushed toward me.
For a second, I thought he might actually care. But then his phone rang.
“Hello?” His voice changed immediately. “Sofie’s crying? I’ll be right there.”
That sound pulled me back years ago to when Amy was still alive. Justine used to be strict with her. Too strict.
He loved her, but he never showed it the way a father should. He always said, “Girls should be strong. Don’t cry.”
So even when Amy fell and scraped her knees or hit her head, she’d bite back the tears, trying to earn her father’s praise.
And now, Cerise’s daughter only had to cry once, and Justine came running?
I gripped the armrest just to stay standing, refusing to fall in front of him.
“I have to go,” he said softly. “Something urgent came up. You should rest here. Don’t think too much. Call me if you need anything.”
When the door closed, the house fell silent. Too silent.
I sat there for a while before finally standing up. My body still felt heavy, but I wanted to see Amy’s room. Maybe I could find her photo album. Something. Anything.
When I opened the door, my breath caught.
The room was empty. Completely stripped. Even the little drawings she used to make on the wall were painted over.
There was nothing left. Not a single trace of her.
He erased our child.
I slid down the wall, shaking. My scream came out broken, raw, echoing through the hollow room until my voice gave out.
When I could finally move again, I went to the master bedroom. My head was spinning, but a small part of me still hoped Justine had kept something—maybe a ballet shoes, or a photo, hidden somewhere.
But when I walked in, I froze.
Everything here looked exactly the same. My clothes were still in the closet. My perfume was still on the dresser. The sheets were neatly folded, like I’d never left.
Why erase our daughter’s memory but keep mine?
I started opening drawers one by one, not even sure what I was looking for. Then I saw it: a box of condoms, freshly opened, tucked inside the bedside table.
My stomach twisted.
