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"Who was in this room?"
I hit the call button.
A nurse hurried in.
She checked the log.
"Ms. Walker, your mother visited around four this afternoon."
I fought to keep my voice level.
"When I moved to a private room, I was very clear. Only my husband, Zachary Miller, and my private nurse are allowed. No one else gets my room number. Are you trying to get me killed?"
The nurse's face shifted to a look of contempt.
"What 'people trying to hurt you'? Your mother told us the truth. You were some homewrecker who got beat up by the wife."
"That man isn't your husband. He's your sugar daddy."
"Disgusting. And your poor mother had to beg on her knees just to see if you were okay!"
She believed whatever she was told. No thought of her own.
My stare made her squirm.
"What's that look for? I did nothing wrong. You're the shameful one, taking it out on your own mother."
I picked up my phone and called the county holding facility directly.
"I was coerced into signing a waiver. Has Leo Lee been released?"
"...I see. Thanks."
The nurse beside me panicked. "What are you doing?"
I gave her a scornful smile. Idiot.
Minutes later, the head nurse made her apologize to me. She got a formal reprimand.
It meant nothing. Leo was already out.
Leo hadn't directly participated in the torture. The wall idea was Naomi's. She did the work.
All he did was kick me once, lie to Naomi, and facilitate a murder.
My mother claimed she'd just "loaned" Leo the condo for his marriage.
With the signed waiver, it became a "family dispute." Leo walked.
A bitter cocktail of emotions churned inside me. My mother truly lived and breathed for her "family."
Maybe she shouldn't have gotten married. Shouldn't have had me. Then she could have devoted herself completely.
When Zachary rushed back, my phone rang.
"Okay. I understand."
I finally broke down, sobbing into his shoulder.
"Why is she like this? Why?I'm the weed. Leo is her precious flower."
Zachary held me.
"It's not all bad. Leo is now a fugitive. He might have gotten a light sentence. The longer he runs, the worse it gets."
When I'd calmed down, my mother called. After I refused to forgive Leo again, she just… hung up.
It was weird. No yelling. No threats.
The next day, my nurse looked uncomfortable.
After I pushed, she silently handed me her phone. A video was playing.
[Heartless Daughter Kicks Mother to the Curb, Sues Caring Cousin!]
My mother wept pitifully on screen.
I was the ungrateful daughter who abandoned her. She was the tragic mother living on the streets.
Leo was the kind cousin who tried to reason with his vicious cousin, only to be falsely accused after a minor scuffle.
They'd even doxxed mine and Zachary's company name and address.
They were trying to use our life's work to force me to drop the charges.
But people online weren't buying it so easily.
"'Minor scuffle'? How minor? What were the injuries?"
"If it's bad enough for court, it ain't minor."
"Living on the streets but her hair and makeup are perfect? I'm skeptical."
...
