Chapter 2

A person asked, "Hey, where's Professor Morrison? He didn't even show up when his wife was having the baby?"

Another said, "So the Morrison family really values sons over daughters?"

"Gillian risked her life just to give birth to her daughter. I can't believe she'd ever hurt her kid," a woman in the audience whispered, her voice a little shaky.

Lance stood up right away, his voice gentle and steady. "Lucy, that day I was working on a really important project.

"As soon as I got the call, I rushed back, but I was still too late. Not being there when you were born is something I've always regretted."

Then he turned to the crowd, his expression earnest. "My mother might hold some old-fashioned beliefs, but I swear, I've never cared about having a son over a daughter. Lucy has always been the apple of my eye!"

Lucy's confusion faded, replaced by a wave of emotion. She choked up and rushed into his arms.

Seeing Lance and Lucy so close really touched everyone, and soon the whole room was filled with nonstop praise.

A person said, "Professor Morrison is such a great dad!"

Another said, "Seriously, we all know what kind of guy Professor Morrison is. Who would ever question him?"

My soul floated above the courtroom, watching the scene below. It felt like a thousand needles were stabbing at my heart.

My memories played out like a movie.

Lucy grew up little by little, from a babbling baby to a wobbly toddler taking her first steps.

Looking back, I was always handling everything on my own.

I fed her, dressed her, played blocks with her, told her stories, and comforted her softly whenever she stumbled.

Meanwhile, Misty, who was living with us, always gave me the cold shoulder and grumbled, "You can't even handle a worthless girl. You are so useless."

Whenever Lucy cried at night, Misty would storm over and bang on the door furiously. "She never stops crying. What a jinx. Can't you shut her up already? How's anyone supposed to sleep around here?"

I could only cover Lucy's ears and keep apologizing, my voice trembling. "Please, Mom, I'm sorry. She'll quiet down soon..."

I could only bottle the endless exhaustion and hurt up and keep going.

Lance was almost never home.

Even when he was around, if Lucy's toys happened to roll near his feet, he'd just kick them aside impatiently.

Back then, Lucy was like my little shadow, always clinging to me and depending on me for everything.

Every day, she'd call me in her sweet, babyish voice and reach out her tiny arms, asking for a cuddle.

Lucy in real life stared at the screen, watching that gentle, patient version of me. Her eyes clouded with confusion again.

"Is that really my mom?" Lucy murmured under her breath.

The audience started whispering among themselves.

A person said, "She really seems to love her kid!"

Another said, "She was raising the child all on her own. Her mother-in-law not only refused to help, but kept putting her down, and her husband never bothered to help."

Someone else said, "Yeah, so how did things end up like this?"

Someone immediately shouted, "A few tender moments here and there don't erase years of abuse!"

Another person said, "Yeah! Who knows if she didn't just fake these memories before she died? Even these memory trials can be messed with. Don't forget that she wouldn't even pay for her kid's life-saving surgery!"

The staff hurried over to reassure everyone, promising that all the memories shown during the trial were officially verified and couldn't be tampered with.

The scene suddenly shifted, and the atmosphere grew heavy.

In the hospital exam room, Lucy was diagnosed with congenital heart disease.

The doctor's face was grim. "Lucy needs surgery before she turns ten if you want to fix it for good. It'll cost at least 300 thousand dollars."

His words felt like a punch to the gut, leaving us reeling.

There was no way an ordinary family like ours could ever afford that kind of money.

Lance was always sighing and furrowing his brow, looking worried all the time.

Meanwhile, I started working myself to the bone, taking on extra shifts and side gigs.

I was just trying to earn a bit more.

A few days later, we took Lucy back to the hospital for another check-up.

Suddenly, the doctor said, "There's a special medicine from overseas. I can get it through some connections. It'll only cost 150 thousand dollars, and it can cure Lucy's condition."

Lance's eyes lit up, and he promised the doctor, "I'll do whatever it takes, even if I have to sell everything we own. I'll get the money for Lucy."

After sitting in silence the whole time, I suddenly stood up and said coldly, "I'm not paying for it. You can give up on that idea for good."