As Kelvin spoke, he slapped himself hard across the face, his expression filled with deep regret and pain.
The onlookers around us could not help but sigh and whisper among themselves.
"Everyone in the neighborhood knows what a well-behaved and sensible little girl she was. Clara was always so polite and sweet. Everyone liked her."
"Yes, the whole family adored her. Now that she’s gone… how are they supposed to go on?"
"What a tragedy. How could such a healthy child suddenly drown like that?"
While the crowd murmured, a police officer approached me, holding a surveillance tablet in his hands.
"We reviewed the footage from nearby cameras. It shows you bringing the deceased child to this pond, pushing her in and holding her underwater until she drowned."
"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
As he spoke, he tapped the screen and began to play the footage for everyone to see.
The video clearly showed me leading my daughter to the pond, dragging her into the water and forcing her down until she stopped moving.
Gasps instantly rose from the crowd.
All eyes turned to me.
Shocked. Furious. Disgusted.
I stood frozen, staring at the footage of a version of myself doing something I had never done.
Everyone stared at me as if they wished to cut me apart right there.
This was exactly like the previous life.
That same crushing despair returned, wrapping itself around my chest like chains.
Before I could speak a word in my own defense, Kelvin stormed forward.
He slapped me across the face hard, his voice trembling with rage.
"Laura Kyle, are you even human?!"
"Clara was your daughter, your own flesh and blood! She was only five years old! How could you bring yourself to hurt her like that?!"
He was trembling with fury.
That slap stung more than just my skin.
His eyes, red and filled with pain, looked at me as if he could tear me apart on the spot.
Staring at this painfully familiar scene, I felt my heart shatter all over again.
The agony was unbearable.
Just like in my previous life, Kelvin did not give me a chance to explain. One slap without a single question was enough for him to sentence me. That one strike crushed any hope I had left.
My mother-in-law, cradling Clara’s lifeless body, turned to glare at me with a look of bitter hatred.
"What did Clara ever do to deserve this? What made you so unhappy that you had to kill her? Are you even human?"
She grew more emotional as she spoke, clutching her chest like she could not breathe.
Around us, the crowd boiled with righteous fury. People pointed fingers at me and cursed loudly.
"This woman is worse than an animal. She murdered her own child!"
"I almost believed she was heartbroken earlier… crying like a devoted mother. Who would’ve thought she was the one who killed the child all along!"
"She’s disgusting. A woman like this doesn’t deserve to be a mother. She doesn’t even deserve to live in this world at all!"
As they said that, their anger quickly turned physical. Garbage was thrown at me and spit landed on my clothes.
Some took out their phones, recording videos and live-streaming the scene, publicly condemning me.
The live stream’s viewership exploded.
Comments flooded in, mourning my daughter, cursing me, calling me evil and praying for me to die a painful death.
As the chaos escalated, the police finally stepped in to restore order.
One of the officers gave me a hard look, his voice sharp and serious. "This case has stirred serious public outrage. The nature of this incident is extremely severe."
"We have clear, undeniable evidence. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
I did not even hesitate to reply, "I didn’t kill her. I would never hurt my own daughter. Officer, I beg you, please investigate this thoroughly. If you don’t, the real murderer will never be brought to justice!"
"I’m not afraid to die, but I can’t let my daughter’s death go unanswered."
Hearing this, the officer’s brows furrowed. His gaze turned colder, sharper like he was looking at a hopeless criminal clinging to lies.
