Chapter 11
663words
"Of course, I knew you had nothing to do with this," I said.
He perked up, as if a spark of hope in him had been reignited.
But I didn't give him a chance.
"Yet you agreed to help her ruin me, didn't you?" I continued, shattering his hope. "You're just as shameless as she is!"
Ignoring his pale expression, I added, "Cora's right. I just wanted to get back at her. Why should the victim have to live with their trauma for the rest of their lives while the bully thrives?
"I want to take away everything that means something to her—her grades, her boyfriend, and her future.
"Has it ever crossed her mind that every single injury she left on my body will serve as evidence for me to throw her in jail?"
I sighed. "Raymond, I pity you. You're nothing but a tool I've used to get back at her."
He'd been so protected that he couldn't even imagine the kind of abuse I'd been enduring.
"Adeline, did you never have feelings for me?"
"That's not quite true," I replied after a brief moment of thought. "After all, I still loved your face and your body. I just never liked you as a person."
With that, I turned to leave.
Inside, Raymond was pounding the door with his fists, but I couldn't care less. Before meeting with him at the hotel, I'd already called the police.
At this time, Cora was probably already taken away by the police.
I submitted the video as evidence. Aside from the time I'd suffered the worst injuries, I'd also recorded every single time she physically abused me.
Only when I was popular enough would the police take me seriously.
Overwhelmed with anticipation, I gripped the memory card, its edges digging into my palm. As I stared at it, my mind drifted back to that night.
Cora had left after beating me senseless. On all fours, I'd struggled to crawl to the roadside, finally meeting the owner of the dashcam after expecting her for the whole night.
Seeing me covered in injuries, Zoe Clarkson wept, swearing that she'd help me.
"How could someone be this cruel? My daughter is around your age… No mother can stand a scene like this. I'll definitely help you, my dear."
But once she learned Cora was the one bullying me, she hesitated.
"The Knightleys are extremely powerful in the pack," she said. "I'm worried they might go after me if I help you. I'm sorry… I can't do this."
Hopelessness almost swallowed me whole back then.
Before Zoe left, she gave me a long look and warned, "My car will still be parked here tonight. You'd better not try to pry open my car door and steal my memory card."
I immediately sensed her implication. The following night, I successfully pried open her car door and obtained the memory card.
Actually, I knew she was always going to give me the memory card, one way or another.
I'd been watching Zoe's car for a long time, knowing that she liked parking her car by the roadside. She'd also installed a dashcam and kept it recording 24/7 to prevent any accidents. I also knew she had a daughter.
After Cora burned me with the curling iron, I crawled forward with all my might, making sure I was within the dashcam's frame.
I was no saint… Using Zoe's kindness to my advantage had always been part of my plan.
But I had no choice.
Having been plunged into such a tough life, I had to fight for a chance to survive.
By the time I walked out of the hotel, the days of rain had quietly given way to sunny skies. The sun was shining on me for the first time in a long while.
"Adeline, your fate is now in your hands," I told myself. "You've finally won for once."
