Chapter 4
Mom kept sorting through her legal documents.
She said, her voice icy and distant, "Alison, haven't you understood yet?
"The law cares about evidence. The truth is, you gave Victor a concussion.
"To ruin a promising young man's future over a... misunderstanding? That is selfish.
"I told you before. I'm your mom, but before anything else, I'm a lawyer."
I couldn't take this.
My own mother. The one person I had always trusted.
All she cared about was her spotless reputation.
I started screaming in the courtroom, totally losing control—hysterical and desperate.
I was nearly losing my mind, hurling accusations at my own mother, the woman who'd raised me.
During the recess, I charged at her. "Why?" I shouted in her face.
When the verdict was announced, I lunged forward, desperate to rip the smirk right off Victor's face.
I rewrote my testimony countless times, hoping for a different outcome.
My tears flowed endlessly, line after line on the page.
But in the end, all I got was a single sheet of paper—a cold verdict, nothing more.
Mom was just too sharp—almost frighteningly so.
She used every legal trick. She turned rape into a drunken fight. She made self-defense look like a violent attack.
With her expertise, her reputation, and her command of the law, she could reshape the truth.
When it was all said and done, Victor walked out of that courtroom a free man. "Insufficient evidence," the judge said.
Me? I got slapped with an assault charge for hurting him.
And it was my own mom who made it happen, personally sending me to prison for five years.
I kept my voice calm, but Sandra's eyes were red with emotion.
She asked, her jaw tight, "What happened after?"
Later on, I met my cellmate. She became like an older sister to me, and she was dying of cancer.
She taught me that sometimes, choosing death took more guts than choosing to live.
We promised each other that once we finished our sentences, we'd make a fresh start together.
But life had other plans. Just a few days ago, she was diagnosed with late-stage cancer. The pain was unbearable. She begged me to end it for her. After a moment of hesitation, I helped her find peace.
*****
Those three days slipped away before I knew it.
On the morning I was to be executed, Riverside woke up to a gentle rain.
I changed into a clean prison uniform.
Sandra stood by the iron bars, a mess of tears.
I smiled at her, like we were just talking about the weather—easy and relaxed.
I said, "Go back. Don't think about me."
As I walked out of the prison gates, I saw a familiar black car parked at the entrance.
It was Mom's car.
She got out of the car, holding a vibrant bouquet of sunflowers in her arms.
Mom was dressed in a crisp business suit, her makeup perfectly done.
But as soon as she saw me being escorted out, her smile vanished.
She stood there, frozen, and the sunflowers dropped from her hands, landing in the muddy puddle.
"Alison?" Mom called out, her voice shaky and uncertain.
Then, as if something suddenly clicked, she lunged toward the police line.
She roared, "What is this? She's supposed to be released today! Who authorized those shackles?"
A couple of bailiffs held her back.
One held up a cold, official document before her eyes.
He said, "Ms. Shaw, the death warrant has been issued.
"Alison Shaw, we're here to confirm your identity and transport you to the execution chamber."
Mom's face drained of color in an instant.
She went pale, as if every drop of blood had drained away.
Her hands trembling, she scrambled for her phone, ready to dial up her powerful contacts.
She thought one call could fix it. Like it always had.
But her hands were shaking so much, she couldn't hold it. The phone slipped, hitting the ground.
The screen shattered, glass scattering everywhere.
Just like her whole world, falling apart right then and there.
"No... This can't be right..." Mom muttered, her voice shaking.
She shoved past the bailiffs, stumbling toward the prison van, gripping the window with all her strength.
Her cries were muffled by the wire mesh as she looked at me, tears streaming down her face.
"Alison, say something!" she called out, her voice cracking.
She went on, "Alison, please—just tell them you don't want to die!
"If you just speak up, I'll defend you right now. Even if it costs me everything, I swear I'll buy you more time.
"I have evidence, Alison. I know how to work the system. Please, just trust me this once!"
I stared out the window, totally unfazed, while she went hysterical on the other side.
She used to be just as relentless with her words in court.
Only back then, she was doing it to get Victor off the hook and make sure I took the fall.
But now, it was too late.
I shook my head slowly from behind the window bars.
I said, "Don't bother, Ms. Shaw.
"I'm tired. I just want to sleep."
Mom's eyes widened in horror.
She cried out, "Alison, what are you saying? This is death. Do you realize you'll really die?"
"I know," I said quietly, feeling strangely calm.
I rested my head against the cold steel wall of the van and closed my eyes.
A small, relieved smile played at the corner of my lips.
I said, "This is the ending I wanted.
"Life's just too heavy... especially when I have to be your daughter.
"Mom, if there's another next life... let's not meet again."
The prison van rolled forward, engines rumbling as it pulled away.
The force knocked Mom off her feet, sending her crashing to the ground.
She didn't care about the mud or the rain. Barefoot, she scrambled up and ran after the van, slipping and stumbling, chasing me with everything she had.
Her screams cut through the morning air, wild and gut-wrenching.
She cried, "Alison!
"Give her back to me. She's my daughter!"
Right then, I was hit with a memory from high school, when she was always traveling for work.
I used to chase after her, begging her to stay. Just stay home. Just this once.
But she never looked back.
And now, I didn't turn around either.
The warden's formal notice reached the outside world.
With that, it was over. A final silence filled the rainy morning.