Chapter 4

When the reform school van stopped under the academic building, the air on the entire floor of offices seemed to freeze.

Two men in uniforms pushed through the door, their faces showing the indifference that came from years of dealing with problem teenagers.

Patterson immediately went up to them, his tone familiar.

"John, sorry to trouble you to make the trip. This girl is malicious. Keeping her around would only bring disaster. I'm leaving her to you for proper discipline."

The man called John glanced at me, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold, hard smile.

"Mr. Patterson, rest assured. No matter how bad a kid is, once they get to our place, they'll learn to behave."

Barbara leaned in Lucy's arms, the smugness in her eyes almost overflowing.

She gently tugged at Lucy's sleeve, her voice as soft as cotton, yet every word stabbed into my heart:

"Dad, Mom, don't be too harsh. Alice just had a momentary lapse. Maybe once she gets to the reform school, she'll realize her mistake."

Patterson laughed coldly.

"This is her true nature! People like her need to be taught a lesson!"

John walked up to me, looking down from above:

"Is it you? Pretending to be mute and bullying people?"

I didn't speak, just clutched at my clothes, my fingertips ice cold.

John's eyes showed clear impatience.

"Why aren't you talking? Still pretending?"

He suddenly lifted his foot and kicked hard at the back of my knee.

Caught off guard, I fell to my knees with a thud, my kneecaps hitting the cold tile floor. The pain made my vision go black.

"Still being stubborn?"

John grabbed a handful of my hair and forced my head up.

"I'll teach you to pretend!"

His palm slapped hard across my face, the force so great that my head whipped to the side, my ears ringing, blood seeping from the corner of my mouth.

I was trembling all over from the pain, but could only bite my lip hard to keep from making a sound.

But the intense pain still made me unable to suppress some fragmented breath sounds—a few unclear syllables leaked from my throat.

"She spoke! She's definitely faking it!"

Barbara's voice suddenly rang out shrilly, filled with undisguised delight.

"I knew she was pretending to be mute to deceive us! She's a liar!"

My parents' expressions instantly grew even uglier. Patterson pointed at me, so angry his whole body was shaking:

"You liar! How could our family produce a daughter like you! You've completely disgraced us!"

The teacher also shook his head, his tone full of disappointment:

"Alice, I really misjudged you. I never thought you'd resort to such methods to avoid punishment."

The classmates around also joined in, their whispered conversations like invisible slaps striking my face painfully.

"So she really was faking it!"

"She seems so quiet, never thought she'd be so calculating."

"People like this should be locked up!"

John slapped me again and grabbed my arm to drag me away.

"Come on! Come back with me and see how I'll deal with you!"

I closed my eyes in despair, tears finally spilling over.

Just then, the office door was kicked open violently. Everyone froze.

A man in a black suit stood in the doorway, tall and upright, his bearing cold and severe, his whole presence radiating a suffocating sense of oppression.

His gaze swept over everyone in the office, finally landing on me, the heartache in his eyes almost overflowing.

His voice was low and icy, his eyes filled with killing intent.

"My daughter simply can't speak, and you humiliate her like this?"