Owen’s brows drew together, his bloodshot eyes full of hate as he glared at me. Facing his look of disgust, I forced a faint, bitter smile.
Back then, Owen and I truly loved each other, but my sister, who was battling depression, threatened to end her life. Helpless, I lied to him and said I loved someone else.
Later, when Zara Barnes went through that nightmare and jumped from the building in despair, I chose to protect the culprit, just to stay by Owen’s side.
When my mother saw my smile, she broke down again, rushing toward me and grabbing my throat. “You animal! You’re still smiling!”
“Zara died in pain!”
“What right do you have to keep living?”
Owen’s cold voice cut through the noise. “Mom, once the memory extraction succeeds and the truth is shown to everyone. If more than half vote for Juliette to die, she’ll go join Zara right away.”
My face turned pale, not from the fear of dying, but from the thought of my secrets being exposed.
“No! Owen, don’t do this! You can’t extract my memory! You’ll regret it!”
Owen let out a cold sneer, raising his hand as he pressed the Memory Extractor onto my head.
At once, it felt like someone was tearing my mind apart. The burning pain shot through my body, making me shake uncontrollably.
Below the gallows, the crowd watched with cruel satisfaction, enjoying every moment of my agony.
“The Memory Extractor had three levels of pain, the faster the process, the worse it felt. Seeing Juliette like this, Owen must have chosen the highest level!”
“Someone who protects a criminal deserves the harshest pain!”
“When the extraction ends, Juliette will be nothing but a fool!”
The mocking voices echoed endlessly in my ears, but scenes from thirty-eight years ago began to flood my mind.
A large, crystal-clear screen appeared before me. It showed the time eight years before the case, the day Zara confessed her feelings to Owen.
When her gentle face appeared, my mother clutched her chest and cried uncontrollably.
“My poor Zara! You had just found love and barely tasted happiness, and now you’re gone with regrets. How can I ever accept this?”
On the screen, Zara blushed as she handed Owen a love letter, her expression shy and warm.
But my eyes stayed fixed on Owen standing before her, my heart filled with longing and unwillingness.
The crowd burst into shouts and curses as the footage played. “I knew that woman Juliette had been after Owen all along!”