Chapter 4

Helen's voice trembled with sheer disgust.

"No wonder the judge threw your petition out the window the second he saw your evidence!"

"You are a suffocating, abusive control freak! You don't deserve to be a mother!"

Sweat broke out across my forehead, and I scrambled to explain into the phone.

"You don't understand! Riley was just being picky, she was never allergic! Don't fall for her act!"

"And making her wear the jacket had a reason! Her teachers complained to me multiple times about her indecent behavior at school! I had no choice!"

"Please, you have to believe me!"

Helen went quiet on the other end, sounding slightly hesitant, as if processing my words.

After a long pause, she spoke softly. "I'll give you one last chance. I'm going to dig deeper into this."

"I hope I actually find what I'm looking for."

She hung up without another word.

Trapped inside my bedroom, all I could do was wait for her to uncover the full story and clear my name.

Looking out the window at the reporters and protestors whipped into a frenzy by the media, the resentment in my heart grew heavier.

When the truth finally saw the light of day, I would make Riley pay for every ounce of misery she'd inflicted on me over the years.

The next morning, my phone rang again.

It wasn't Helen. It was the courthouse.

"Ms. Jiang, regarding the case between you and your daughter, the court has agreed to hold an emergency rehearing tomorrow afternoon."

"Your presence is mandatory."

After hanging up, I nearly jumped for joy.

It worked! The court must have discovered Riley's true colors and decided to reconsider the petition!

A second later, a push notification shattered my fleeting happiness.

Lorraine Jiang, just wait until tomorrow! I can't wait to watch an abusive bitch like you get locked away in prison!

Before I could process it, another message popped up.

Hell is empty and all the devils are here. Monsters like you should just die!

Then a third. A fourth...

I realized something had gone horribly wrong. Opening Twitter, I found that Helen had published our entire private conversation online.

Underneath, she had attached two damning pieces of evidence.

First was a certified allergy test from the hospital: a severe soy allergy, clearly documented in black and white.

Second was an on-camera interview with Riley's teachers at school, every single one praising her as an exceptionally polite, bright, and modest student.

At the end of the broadcast, Helen looked straight into the lens.

"Lorraine Jiang, why do you keep lying?"

"The public needs to see your true face!"

"Right now, I am launching a public petition demanding that the court reopen this case—so Riley can be freed from this monster's grip and start a brand-new life!"

I tapped the petition link. Nearly a million people had already signed their real names, demanding an immediate rehearing.

So that was why the court had called me.

Once again, Riley had brilliantly manipulated the court of public opinion to cast me straight into the abyss.

The next afternoon, police escorted me through the courthouse entrance.

A sea of people hurled insults at me along the barricades, and some even pelted our vehicle with rotten eggs.

Without a police escort, I wouldn't have made it through the front doors alive.

The gallery inside was packed to the brim. Every pair of eyes bored into me, burning with hatred, as if they wanted to tear me apart with their bare hands.

Helen stood before the bench, holding up a thick binder of documents.

"Your Honor, I have conclusive evidence proving that Lorraine Jiang has subjected Riley Jiang to prolonged emotional and physical abuse!"

"I request that the court review this file!"

Staring at the thick stack of papers in her hands, I knew the reality.

Once that binder was accepted into the record, I would be branded a monster forever.

The judge gestured for the bailiff to retrieve the documents.

Right before handing them over, Helen paused, staring down at the papers as if struck by a realization.

She suddenly blurted out to the judge, "Wait. Something isn't right here!"