CHAPTER 26
Author: Aiko
last update2025-11-20 00:57:01

RACHEL

I sat at the corner table, my hand trembling as I reached for the headache pills.

My eye throbbed, swollen from his fist, and every breath reminded me of the blows I’d tried to ignore.

Two weeks had passed since the custody hearing.

The small TV above the counter hummed in the background—until I heard one word that stopped me cold.

Jasmine

They showed the story of the woman who had been absent, neglecting her own child while others suffered.

Tears welled up uncontrollably. My hand shook, and I muttered to no one in particular, “How… how could I let this happen?”

A voice nearby broke through my panic. “Ma… are you okay?”

I screamed, startling the person, and my glasses fell onto the floor.

My face burned, and I scrambled to put them back on, whispering, “I’m fine… I’m fine,” even as the tears streaked my cheeks.

I ran out, my shoes clacking against the pavement.

Regret was a weight pressing on my chest.

I cursed myself. Staying with Marco—what had I been thinking? I never reali
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