Chapter 3
Wayne's retrial was causing a huge stir online.
The new lawyer dug up some procedural loopholes and evidence pointing to homicide, and the tide of public opinion was starting to turn.
More and more people were starting to wonder if the case from three years ago was actually a wrongful conviction.
As the lead prosecutor back then, Zack was suddenly under fire.
The atmosphere at home was getting more and more oppressive.
Zack's temper was getting worse every day, and he'd blow up at my mom over the tiniest things.
He'd shout, "You can't even boil soup right. Why did I even marry you?
"Shut up! Women with long hair are short on brains. What do you know?"
My mom would just cry quietly, then take it all out on me.
She'd yell, "It's all your fault. You're such a jinx! Ever since you came back, nothing good has happened in this house.
"Why don't you just die?"
She'd suddenly rush at me, pinching my arms and hitting my back.
I never fought back, never cried out.
I just stared at her with a blank look, like I was looking at someone I didn't even know.
My reaction only made her even more frantic and ashamed.
Once she finished hitting me, she'd pull me into a hug and start crying.
She'd cry out, "Sunny, I didn't mean to. It's just... everything's too much for me right now.
"Will you forgive me?"
I would nod and say, "It's okay, Mom."
The more "mature" I acted, the more guilty she felt, and the more she depended on me as her emotional dumping ground.
Zack basically saw me as his only safe harbor, the one person he could really trust and rely on.
He'd collapse on the couch, looking totally wiped out, and ask me to rub his shoulders.
"Daughters are the best. Only you really get me, Sunny," he'd say.
He'd tell me about some of his work problems. Though, of course, it was always the filtered and polished version.
He said Wayne brought it on himself and never learned his lesson.
He said that Wayne's lawyer would stop at nothing for a bit of fame.
He said everyone out there was just a bunch of idiots, getting played like puppets.
And him? He was the embodiment of justice, being set up by jealous lowlifes.
I'd just sit there quietly, shooting him the occasional worshipful look.
I'd say, "Dad, I believe in you.
"You're the coolest hero ever in my eyes."
Those words always boosted his pride and made him feel totally in control.
He started to rely on me even more.
Sometimes, he'd even let me hang around in the study while he was on the phone with Emily.
Of course, I'd always have my headphones on, pretending to watch "study videos."
He thought I couldn't hear a thing.
What he didn't know was that the recorder under the desk was faithfully capturing every single one of his dirty little schemes.
Emily said, "Zack, I'm scared. I heard they found a new witness."
She sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
Zack replied, "Scared of what? What can a new witness even prove? Does he have an alibi?" He kept his voice low, but I could still hear the annoyance.
"B-But Wayne was actually with me that night," Emily stammered, her voice trembling.
"Shut up!" Zack snapped.
He said, "How many times have I told you to forget about it? Wayne's the murderer. You saw him fighting with the victim, then getting in his car and leaving.
"That's what you said in your testimony. Are you trying to take it all back now?"
"I... I don't dare," Emily stammered.
Zack hissed, "Then shut your mouth. I've already set it up. Someone's gonna 'drop by' that lawyer in a few days. He'll know when to quit.
"Remember, we're in this together. If I go down, you're going down with me."
After he hung up, the study was dead silent.
Zack sat down in his chair, lit up a cigarette, and took a long, hard drag.
Smoke curled around him, making it impossible to read his face.
I took off my headphones and picked up the cup of coffee that had gone cold on the table.
"Dad, your coffee's cold. Let me get you a fresh cup," I said softly.
He snapped out of it and looked at me, his eyes full of complicated emotions.
"Sunny, what would you do if one day I wasn't your hero anymore?" he asked, his voice low and uncertain.
He was trying to sound me out.
I froze for a moment, then my eyes reddened.
I said, "You'll always be my hero, Dad.
"No matter what anyone says, no matter what goes down, I'm always with you!"
I sounded so urgent, like someone had just accused me of something unforgivable.
Zack looked at me, and his nerves finally eased up.
He gave me a tired smile.
He said, "That's my girl.
"With you saying that, I can finally relax."
I walked out of the study carrying the cup of coffee, my steps calm and steady.
I knew he'd taken the bait.
He'd worn down every last feeling I had, turning me into a machine that just ran on whatever programming he gave me.
Now, that machine's revenge protocol was already quietly running in the background.
The line was slowly tightening around him, bit by bit.