Chapter 3

While I was unconscious, I kept having nightmares. They were all memories I had deliberately avoided in the past.

I dreamed of Mom and Charlene bonding like a real mother and daughter, praised for their closeness, while I hid in the shadows, watching.

I dreamed of how I had given Charlene everything she wanted that was mine since I was young. Yet, I never earned so much as a glance from Mom.

I dreamed of the time when I was choosing my major, and there was only one spot left for the one I wanted. But Charlene, who scored one point lower than me, also coveted it. I didn''t want to give up my spot to her, so Mom angrily scolded me for being heartless.

I even dreamed that while the abductors were prying off my nails, Mom was across the city. She stayed by Charlene, crying tears of joy for the second chance with her and vowing to protect her at all costs.

I used to lie to myself that Mom would eventually find time to love me. But in the painfully clear dreams, I came to realize one truth.

Even though Charlene lost her parents, she had more love than someone with parents, as Mom gave her all her love. Meanwhile, I had a mother, but it felt no different than having none at all.

I yearned for Mom''s love. Yet through the experiences of two lifetimes, I came to realize that she had never loved me.

As the dream faded, a voice reached me from the outside world.

"Don''t worry, Judith. As long as we can prove that Matilda acted in self-defense during the kidnapping—"

The voice cut off abruptly because I was yanked upright from the hospital bed and slapped hard across the face. The blow was vicious. My ears started to ring while blood trickled from my split lip.

She roared, "Matilda, you''ve gone insane! I thought you were just mean-spirited, but I never imagined that you''d actually kill someone. You''re morally corrupt and a scourge to society! How could I have given birth to such trash?"

She must have been so enraged that she screamed several times.

I struggled to open my eyes. Someone rushed over and hugged Mom. It was Charlene.

"Mom, please don''t be angry. I''m sure Matilda didn''t mean to kill them. It''s all my fault. She must have done it hoping you''d notice her more."

Mom stood protectively in front of Charlene, her breaths heavy. She told the latter to leave and not come near a piece of trash like me.

"Charlene, don''t waste your breath defending scum like her. She deserves to die! I should''ve smothered her at birth."

The police officer in uniform quickly snapped out of her shock and grabbed Mom, who was about to slap me again.

"Judith, calm down! Are you sure you''ve got all the facts? Matilda was forcibly taken. Even if she killed the abductors, it was in self-defense. As long as evidence proves she was genuinely in danger at the time and acted in self-defense, her actions are justified."

Mom suddenly let out a laugh. "Peggy, you''re too naïve. You always assume the best in people. My daughter is wicked. She''s not as good as you think she is. What abduction? It was all just an act she staged to trick me into coming here because she couldn''t stand how well I treated Charlene.

"And when she realized that the act wasn''t working on me, she resorted to this vile scheme. Matilda, are you satisfied now? You took the lives of four living, breathing human beings!"

She didn''t know that I''d shot them, but the policewoman, Ms. Madden, did. If this were a staged abduction, I would have never gotten access to a gun.

Ms. Madden still wanted to defend me, but Mom refused to listen.

"You don''t know her like I do. Take her phone and check it now. I guarantee you''ll find something." Then, she turned to me. Her gaze was filled with disdain, disappointment, and disgust.

"You sure know how to put on an act. Do you really think that a few scratches will make you look like you''re acting in self-defense? Even if you''re my daughter, I won''t let scum like you walk free. What, do you want to stay free so you can keep hurting Charlene?

"Get up right now and come with me to turn yourself in. Police resources shouldn''t be wasted on someone like you."

She impatiently reached out to drag me when she saw my hollow stare and lack of movement. Too weak to resist, I was yanked from the bed again.

After pulling up my hand, she suddenly noticed the bandages wrapped around it.

"How did you trick the doctors into playing along with this charade? What a waste of medical resources!" She tore off the gauze—only to find my bare, mangled fingers underneath.

The abductors had ripped my nails out so violently that some of the flesh was turned inside out. I couldn''t bear to look at them.

Mom froze for a second.

Suddenly, the white bandages became stained with blood. It was my blood. A mouthful of it had spurted out as I laughed. My stomach churned violently.

I''d heard before that when grief became unbearable, the brain''s defense mechanism would make the stomach bleed. As a result, the person would cough up blood.

But why wouldn''t it stop? I kept choking up more blood, laughing between each heave. Some of it had even splattered across Mom''s face. However, her first instinct was to check if the blood was fake.

She was clearly caught off guard by my condition, but her skepticism still remained.

The doctor rushed in and pulled her away from me, shouting furiously, "Are you out of your mind? The patient has a ruptured spleen and is under close observation! She can''t undergo immediate surgery because of three broken ribs and a fractured leg.

"She''s lost enough blood from her fingernails being torn out to go into shock. We had barely managed to stabilize her. The fact that she''s even awake now is a miracle! Are you sure you''re her mother? Because from the way you''re trying to kill her, you seem more like her enemy!

"Please, leave this room right now!"