As soon as Brian left, my parents arrived. Their faces were full of disappointment as they looked at me. Their voices cold and sharp, without a trace of sympathy as they said, "Lilian, admit your mistakes. Only then Brian will let you go."
I couldn’t help but give them a bitter smile.
Since the day they brought me home, I had been forced to admit fault for everything. If I scored higher than Adeline on a test, that was my fault. If I won a prize in a competition, that was my fault. If I didn’t act like Adeline and play the spoiled child, that was my fault too.
But now, I no longer wanted to bow my head or admit to anything.
Swallowing the bitterness in my heart, I asked them calmly, "What’s the point of admitting anything? Should I admit that I didn’t push Adeline hard enough?"
The words had barely left my mouth when my father’s hand struck my face with a loud smack. Pain stung my cheek, but I held back my tears. I lifted my chin stubbornly and let out a cold snort.
"I was kidnapped, but you only worried about Adeline. Now, she stages a fake fall. But you force me to confess again. Am I just some piece of trash you picked up off the street?"
My parents didn’t even flinch. They just stared at me as if I were a vicious enemy threatening their beloved daughter.
"Lilian, you’re being ungrateful. Just stay here then!" they shouted at me.
Without another glance after they said, they turned and left. Meanwhile, the guards ignored my protests and shoved me into a small cell. The room was pitch black with only a thin beam of light slipping through a narrow window.
My body trembled uncontrollably as my breathing turned shallow and ragged. My claustrophobia surged, choking me with terror. Instinctively, I called Brian name. Yet, there was no answer. Only endless darkness pressed down on me.
I had no idea how much time passed before the cell door swung open. A group of tall, rough-looking women stepped inside with their eyes gleaming with malice.
"Is that her? Miss Wyatt said to teach her a lesson."
As one of them spoke, a short-haired woman cracked her knuckles and stepped toward me. My heart dropped. I backed away, but another grabbed my hair and slammed me to the ground before I could escape. Fists and kicks rained down on me. Each blow sent sharp waves of pain through my body.
I tried to fight back, but my old injuries hadn’t healed yet. I was too weak to defend myself. All I could do was curl up and endure it silently as they vented their anger on me.
They didn’t stop until a guard’s voice shouted from outside the bars, "Enough! Stop right now!"
Finally, the women backed away.
I was lying motionless on the cold floor. My body was covered in blood and bruises. Slowly, I lost my consciousness. My back was torn open again, old wounds mingling with fresh ones. Every move felt like my bones were shattering from the inside.
After a long while, the cell door creaked open. After that, I was dragged out. Their laughter echoed in my ears as they mocked me openly. But I didn’t even have the strength to respond.
A full day and night passed before they finally threw me out of the police station. Sunlight hit my face, blinding me. I raised a trembling hand to shield my eyes, then staggered to my feet and limped toward the hospital.
After my wounds were bandaged, I turned to leave only to see Brian and Adeline walking toward me. He froze when he saw me. His eyes widened in shock. For a while, he stuck on his place.
"How … how did you end up like this?" he asked, frowning deeply as he looked at me with a flicker of heartache.
Brian tried to reach out almost as if to help me. However, I stepped back to avoid his touch. Before I could speak, Adeline hurried to his side, clutching his arm like a devoted lover. She looked at me with fake worry in her eyes.
"Lilian, Brian released you yesterday. Why didn’t you come home last night? And how did you get yourself into such a state?"
Then she turned to Brian and added, "Don’t blame her, Brian. Lilian probably just wants attention. Look at how badly she’s hurt. Let’s get her treated first, okay?"
Her gentle words worked like poison. The pain in Brian’s eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by cold fury. He glared at me coldly as he angrily accused me, "You’re doing this again! Lilian, your lies are so obvious now. No one believes you anymore!"
This time, I didn’t answer. Instead, I just stared at him as I silently memorized the face I had once loved so deeply. His eyes were still beautiful, but now, they no longer held even a trace of love for me.
Brian the turned to Adeline, gently holding her hand as he spoke while he was looking at me, "If you have the strength to hurt yourself, then you have the strength to walk home."
"Watch her closely. Don’t let her take a single shortcut."
After that, both Brian and Adeline walked away. Step by step, I forced myself to walk home. Every painful step burned the same words into my mind.
‘I would make them pay for this. All of them.’
