I got the pen on my hand. However, I ripped the paper to pieces instead of signing. Looking up, I met his gaze and let out a low, mocking laugh.
"Brian, why should I sign something when I’ve done nothing wrong? If you really want to put me in jail, don’t hide behind excuses. I want to see just how far you’ll go for Adeline."
Brian looked as if he was choked. His expression shifted several times before he turned away sharply.
"Lock her up for now. Release her tonight. Let her reflect on herself," he coldly ordered the police.
Without looking back at me, he walked out. I watched his retreating figure while my eyes were swollen with unshed tears. My heart felt like it was being stabbed over and over again.
Between Adeline and me, he had never once hesitated. Even when I was innocent, he would always choose her. He kept pushing me deeper and deeper into the abyss.
As soon as Brian left, my parents arrived. Their faces were full of disappointment as they looked at me. Their voices cold and sharp, without a trace of sympathy as they said, "Lilian, admit your mistakes. Only then Brian will let you go."
I couldn’t help but give them a bitter smile.
Since the day they brought me home, I had been forced to admit fault for everything. If I scored higher than Adeline on a test, that was my fault. If I won a prize in a competition, that was my fault. If I didn’t act like Adeline and play the spoiled child, that was my fault too.
But now, I no longer wanted to bow my head or admit to anything.
Swallowing the bitterness in my heart, I asked them calmly, "What’s the point of admitting anything? Should I admit that I didn’t push Adeline hard enough?"
The words had barely left my mouth when my father’s hand struck my face with a loud smack. Pain stung my cheek, but I held back my tears. I lifted my chin stubbornly and let out a cold snort.
"I was kidnapped, but you only worried about Adeline. Now, she stages a fake fall. But you force me to confess again. Am I just some piece of trash you picked up off the street?"
My parents didn’t even flinch. They just stared at me as if I were a vicious enemy threatening their beloved daughter.
"Lilian, you’re being ungrateful. Just stay here then!" they shouted at me.