They Accused Me of Spreading Rumors But I'm Mute

I was born mute. My birth family accused me of spreading rumors about my sister at school. When I tried to sign that I couldn't speak, they called me a liar and an attention seeker. My father tore up my disability papers without reading them and had officers beat me. The pain made me gasp—they said that proved I was faking. Then a man walked in. My father went pale. "M-Mr. Vance..." The man looked at me with heartbreak. "My daughter can't speak. How dare you."