I tried to be gentle, but Lily didn’t meet my
eyes and looked away.
My heart dropped.
I didn’t ask anything because I was grabbed
by the shoulder.
“Ma’am, please come with us. You’re
く
suspected of distributing inappropriate
pictures online, we need to get your
statement.”
My brain exploded.
“Lily, why…”
I was stunned, confused, speechless.
We had been so close this morning, but here
we are.
Lily looked at me, innocent.
“Mommy, you told me to tell the truth. I did what you said, but you’re still not happy.”
“Please don’t hit me. I can tell the police how
you want me to.”
<
Lily grabbed Mark’s leg.
“Daddy, I’m scared of Mommy. I didn’t use the
watch, I didn’t talk to anyone. I didn’t know
what Mommy was talking about. But the
police will protect me, right?”
Mark had been confused the whole time.
“If you have nothing to hide, let them question you. Lily is innocent!”
The two cops grabbed me, telling me to
cooperate.
I didn’t move.
“Mark, I know who is making Lily lie.”
I said, calm for the first time.
く
I wanted to believe that everything would be
fine.
I was a good mother, so I kept telling myself
there was no way she would want to hurt me.
I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.
“Sarah, please just cooperate with the police.
We won’t judge you. We’ll be here for you.”
I laughed.
“Carol, how long are you going to pretend?
You are the one manipulating Lily.”
“You started the rumors about me hurting
Lily, you told the neighbors about our
problems, and you were the one who hurt
Lily.”
く
Carol was turning red.
“What are you talking about? I would never
harm her. She is my granddaughter and I care
about her too much to ever harm her, I always
gave her what she wanted.”
Mark started to defend his mom.
“My mother wouldn’t do that. I am going to
hurt you if you continue to speak about my
mother in this way!”
The police put their hands on my shoulders.
“Please come with us, don’t waste our time.”
I pulled out my phone and looked at Carol.
く
“The evidence is on my phone, Carol. Are you
going to admit it now?”
I pulled out a recording.
The recording started with the little girl
apologizing, her voice was shaking.
“Grandma, I did what you said, please don’t
hit me.”
“You are useless. If you can’t do this right,
what good are you? Like your mother, you’re
worthless. Like your mother, you can’t do
anything right.”
“If it wasn’t for your mom making money, I
would have told my son to drop her a long
time ago, Sarah needs to go to jail, and your
father needs to find a new woman so I can
<
have more grandchildren, we will be out of
the family line if we wait a few more years.”
“I’ll cut you off if you do that to my daughter!
Let Lily be!”
“Just do what I told you to, put everything on
your mom, or else…”
The recording was silent for a moment and
returned to screaming.
But no matter what she did, Carol was going
to hurt Lily.
“Don’t cry, you said that I will not stop at
anything. You are still young and can take
some pictures to sell, take off your clothes, I
will give you the new style. You will take that
as evidence, heard?”
く
Lily was quiet and silent by Carol.
The recording stopped.
Mark looked at his mother.
“Mom… What did you do to my daughter?
You… You just wanted a son, so you hurt Lily
like this?”
I clenched my fists until my nails pierced my
skin, just so I could be calm.
I realized things were not right, so I took the
recording device that Ms. Johnson carries
and put them on Lily’s clothes.
