The day I got accepted into that prestigious high school, the guy who owned the fish stall next to ours brought a group of people to wreck our stall.
My mom rushed out to confront them, but as soon as she left the house, they ambushed her. They slammed a hammer into her hands and feet and didn’t stop until her sternum was crushed, blood everywhere.
I grabbed the high-definition security footage and took it to the police, but they wouldn’t even open a case—said there wasn’t enough evidence.
So, I went to see the judge, but he didn’t want to take it on either. When I was basically out of options, the fish stall guy, Tyler Graham, got even more cocky.
He told me his son had connections in the city and warned me not to waste my time. Everyone told me to let it go and blamed the fact that we didn’t have a man in the family.
With my mom barely hanging on in the ICU, I wasn’t about to give up. I took my father’s Meritorious Service Medal and, after a full day and night on the train, I ended up kneeling outside the gate of the Central Military Region.
I was crying, begging, “Sir, I don’t want the merit, I just want my dad back.”
——
When I was five, my dad passed away, and my mom raised me by selling fish. Her fish was always fresh, her prices were good, and she treated her customers like family. The people in our neighborhood loved her.
But apparently, that was too much for the competition. Not only did they destroy our stall, but they also came after my mom. They pressed her hands and feet with a hammer until her sternum caved in, and she was bleeding everywhere. I was locked inside, screaming and crying, but I couldn’t do anything.
The whole thing was caught on our hallway’s security camera. I took the footage to the police station, but instead of getting help, I ran into Tyler Graham, the guy who led the attack.
He slapped me across the face right when I walked in. “You really think you can come to the police over something this small? You’ve got my son all stirred up now. You think I’m gonna let you ruin my business?”
His son, Kingston, was just standing there with this bored look on his face, already asking, “How much do you want? I’ve got a meeting to get to, so let’s wrap this up.”
I gritted my teeth, my fists clenched tight. "I don’t want your money! I want the person who did this to my mom to pay!"
Through the door, I could hear the sickening sound of bones breaking, my mom’s cries muffled by the pounding. The hammers, sticks, slaps, and kicks didn’t stop for nearly half an hour.
I watched it all, helpless, my heart breaking with every second. And to make it worse, my mom was the one suffering, while I just stood there, unable to do anything.
The doctor said she had fractures everywhere and her skull was crushed. Her life was hanging by a thread, and even if she made it through, she’d never be able to take care of herself again. I knew for sure there was no way I could ever forgive the person who did this.
Kingston just laughed, like it was all a joke. "You are so naive. Heck, even if she died from this, my dad wouldn’t see a day in jail."
He casually handed me a card and a pre-signed apology letter. "Just sign it, and I’ll give you the code to get the money. You’re basically getting paid to get hit by my dad, best deal ever."
They were turning my mom’s suffering into some kind of business deal. I couldn’t take it anymore. I rushed at them, but before I knew it, they shoved me to the ground.
Kingston looked down at me, smirking. He gave my face a mock pat, like I was some kid. "Little girl, don’t push it. If you keep this up, you won’t even get this small amount of money. If you wanna sue, go ahead. City, state, it doesn’t matter. I have enough people to shut it down."
He checked his expensive watch, turned to his lawyer, and signaled it was time to leave.
I wasn’t backing down. I ran after them, grabbing Tyler’s shirt and holding on tight. "You’re not leaving! You have to pay for what you did to my mom!"
Tyler kicked me hard in the chest. "Dammit! If I knew this would be such a pain, I would've dragged you into the mess too! If you ended up in the ICU with your mom, no one would be bothering you."
