Chapter 9%
The officer stepped forward, his voice sharp. “Who hit her? Step up now!*%
The crowd shifted uneasily, but all eyes landed on Wilma. She didn’t flinch. Instead, she let out a low chuckle, folding her arms as if this was nothing more than a mild inconvenience.!
“Officer, don’t look at me like that,‘ she said smoothly. “I didn’t lay a finger on her. If you don’t believe me, ask them.“%
She turned slightly, her gaze sweeping over the crowd. It wasn’t a threat, not exactly, but there was something in the way she looked at them–something that made sure they all stayed in line.
And just like that, they did. “Yeah! She fell on her own!” someone called out.
“We didn’t touch her,” another voice added quickly.
A man in the front nodded eagerly. “Sir, I swear, she did this to herself! She felt guilty about what she did and started hitting herself. She wanted to pay for her sin and prove it to the fans.“%
Wilma let out a soft laugh, turning back to the officer with a knowing look.
“You must’ve heard about her,” she said. “She nearly destroyed Yulian’s reputation. And let’s not forget, she’s the reason her own daughter is dead.“%
She tilted her head slightly, her voice dripping with fake concern. “I’m sure you know better than me how someone like her should be handled.“%
Every word felt like poison. This wasn’t some random attack. This was planned.%
I pressed my hands against the cold ground and forced myself up, every movement sending sharp pain through my body. My head was spinning, but I didn’t care. I wiped the blood from my lips and turned my eyes to Harris.
“You really don’t feel anything?” My voice was raw. “No guilt over our daughter’s death?“/
For a second, his face twitched. His eyes darted away, like he couldn’t bring himself to look at me. Then, after a long pause, he finally spoke. Our daughter… you killed her.” His fists clenched. “You’re the one who should feel guilty. You’re the one who should be punished.”
Something inside me cracked. Not from pain. Not from fear. From pure, overwhelming regret. Tears burned in my eyes, slipping down my face, but I didn’t bother wiping them away.
“You’re right,” I whispered. “I do regret something.“%
Harris glanced at me, wary.%
“I regret letting Sophie have a father like you.” My voice was steady, but the words cut deeper than any wound. “Even in her grave, she must hate me for it.”
Wilma’s smirk grew. She thought this was it. That I had nothing left, but she had no idea. My fingers curled around the cracked edges of my phone, and with one click, I posted a video.2
Harris’s face went pale. He didn’t know that I had installed a hidden camera in the living room. It was supposed to catch proof of his cheating.%
But it caught something much worse. The video played. A living room filled with tension. A young girl standing alone.”
Wilma’s voice, sharp and hateful, filled the air. “You bastard!” she screamed at Sophie, her eyes burning with rage. “It’s all your fault! If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t be suffering like this! You never should have been born, you’re nothing but a curse!“}]
And then Harris, sitting there, arms crossed, watching. Not stopping it. Not saying a single word. Just letting it happen.
The video played on, exposing the horrifying truth in every frame.”
Wilma’s voice was sharp and cruel. “If you are smart, disappear from our sight and stop getting in the way. Your biggest mistake was trusting me. You should’ve followed that worthless mother of yours.“}
Then she hit Sophie. Not once, not twice, but over a dozen times, each slap landing with a sickening crack.
Sophie didn’t fight back or even try to protect herself, her tear–streaked face turning red from the assault. When she could barely stand, she turned to the only person she thought might save her.
“Dad…” Her voice trembled as she reached out to Harris, desperate for help.
But instead of pulling her into his arms, he kicked her hard, sending her stumbling backward toward the balcony.”
In the video, Wilma was still yelling, still blaming, still full of rage. Sophie kept retreating, her back nearly pressed against the railing, her body shaking as she looked between the two people who should have protected her.”
Behind her was nothing but open air, a drop so deep it swallowed the light, and in front of her were the two people who had already decided she wasn’t worth saving.
And then Wilma shoved her. No hesitation, no second thoughts, just a cold, deliberate push. Sophie didn’t jump. She didn’t choose to die. She was murdered.}}
The second the video ended, the room fell into a suffocating silence, but the stillness didn’t last long. Gasps and shouts filled the space like a flood breaking through a dam, the tension snapping as the truth finally settled in.
“Sophie didn’t kill herself! She was pushed by that woman!“}]
“And her father just stood there and let it happen!“?
“He covered for her! He lied to protect a killer!”
Anger spread through the crowd like wildfire. Eyes that had been filled with disgust toward me just moments ago now burned with
