Chapter 4

The arguments in the courtroom grew louder and more intense.

Lucy stared blankly, lost in thought as she listened to the sound of Lance slamming the door in the video.

Without thinking, she stepped back, dodging Lance's attempt to hug her.

The screen slowly started to show images again.

But everything looked blurry, as if there was a thick layer of frosted glass in the way.

That was because I was already blind. Everything I saw was just what I pictured in my mind.

Then my memory wandered to a street I'd never seen before.

Lucy, who was just a little kid, was clutching my hand as we walked down the scorching hot pavement.

Her cheeks were burning red from the sun, her lips cracked and dry. She was stumbling with every step.

With tears welling up in her eyes, she looked at me, her voice trembling with frustration. "Mommy, it's too hot. I can't walk anymore. Can we go home?"

But I didn't even glance at her. My expression didn't change at all as I pushed her, "Hurry up! Walk faster."

Everyone watching couldn't help but feel a pang in their hearts seeing Lucy in such a miserable state.

"Look, she's still forcing the kid. Being blind doesn't mean you get to treat your child like that!" someone shouted.

"Her heart's made of stone. The kid's already suffering, and she still wants her to walk faster!" another person yelled.

"She has no conscience at all. She's lost all sense of decency. She's not fit to be a mom!" someone else chimed in.

"But it doesn't look like she's actually mad at the kid. Isn't she searching for something?" someone muttered from the corner.

But that question was instantly drowned out by even louder curses and shouts.

"What could possibly matter more than her kid's life? She's totally twisted. She's blind, so she can't stand her kid having it any better!" someone yelled.

Suddenly, Lucy's body lurched and she collapsed onto the scorching pavement.

I was blindly reaching out for her while saying, "Lucy, what's wrong? Talk to me, please!"

People watching were just confused.

"Wait, wasn't she the one who brought her daughter out in this crazy heat?" someone blurted out.

"Man, I remember seeing this clip online and getting so mad!" another person chimed in.

"But look at her. She looks genuinely panicked. She doesn't seem to be faking it," someone else argued.

"So why was she rushing the kid earlier? Doesn't that make zero sense?" another voice questioned.

The confusion in the crowd just kept growing.

On the screen, I was freaking out, totally at a loss.

After hesitating for a moment, I fumbled my phone out of my pocket, my hands shaking as I dialed Lance's number.

When he finally picked up, his voice was full of irritation.

"What do you want? It's only been half an hour. Keep going!" he snapped.

My voice was trembling as I blurted out, "Lucy fainted. You need to..."

But before I could finish, he hung up on me.

Hearing that cold, mechanical tone, I felt like my whole world had just frozen over.

"He actually hung up on her!" someone shouted.

"His daughter just collapsed, her life hanging in the balance, and he doesn't even answer the call. What kind of father does that?" another person yelled.

"Where was he? What could possibly be more important than his daughter's life?" someone else demanded.

"Didn't Mr. Morrison just say he loved his daughter? This is seriously messed up!" someone else blurted out.

For the first time, everyone's suspicion turned directly toward Lance.

Lance forced himself to sound calm, but his voice was clearly flustered as he stammered, "I was in a really important meeting. I didn't hang up on purpose. My finger slipped. Seriously, it was an accident!"

Lucy's face drained of color, and the look in her eyes was no longer filled with the trust she once had for Lance.

On the screen, I flung my phone away in anguish and turned desperately to the crowd for help.

I dropped to my knees, my voice breaking with anguish as I begged, "Help. Please, save my daughter. She's passed out. I'm begging you. Somebody, help us!"

Finally, some people began to gather around.

Amidst all the chaos, someone scooped Lucy into their arms.

The memory started to shake and jolt, just like I was being carried along.

The doctor's voice kept cutting in and out, barely audible through the chaos. "The child is suffering from heatstroke and dehydration. We need to start an IV immediately.

"Ma'am, your knees and arms are all scraped and bruised. We need to treat those wounds right away!"

But I just clung to Lucy's hand, refusing to let go for even a second.

I had no idea how much time had passed when the hospital room door was suddenly flung open.

Lance stormed in, rage written all over his face.

He didn't even look at Lucy lying in the hospital bed. He just marched straight up to me.

He kicked me hard, knocking me to the ground, his voice full of irritation and loathing.

"You are so useless that you can't even take care of a kid. All you ever do is cause me trouble!" he shouted.

Everyone in the courtroom lost it.

Like my mind was trying to make sense of everything, my memory jerked me into another scene, jumping to a different point in time.

I sat off to the side, feeling completely lost, while Lance's eyes sparkled with excitement and anticipation.