Chapter 120

"I can't tell Rilla. I'm scared she'll hate me. I'm so sad. Ever since Hugh let his dad hurt me, they've been keeping a close eye on me, not letting me go anywhere. No matter where I go, Ava's always right behind me."

"The only thing that makes me happy is talking to Rilla, but even then, Ava's there. I don't get why they're following me. Are they scared I'll spill the beans about the awful stuff they've done to me? I will, I swear, if it comes to that. They don't need to do this. I have nowhere to go if I leave them. I have no money, nothing. Hugh's never given me anything."

"Ava even told me she's had a bunch of abortions and once abandoned a newborn girl. She said if I have a girl, I should abandon her too. When I heard that, I wondered if my parents ditched me because I was a girl. Is that why?"

"I always thought of myself as a happy, positive person. Being an orphan didn't matter, even if my parents didn't want me. At least they didn't abort me; they brought me into this world. But now, after everything I've been through, all I feel is hate. If they didn't love me, why didn't they just kill me sooner? Why make me go through all this? I'd rather be dead. Maybe they should have never let me live. I hate my parents now, I really do."

"I wonder if I did something terrible in a past life to deserve being born a woman in this one. Would things be different if I were a man?"

"The other night, Hugh forced me to sleep with his dad again. Just seeing his dad's face makes me sick. Before, he would just have sex with me, but now it's worse. He kisses me, touches me, even licks my pussy. He makes disgusting comments about my body. I can't take it anymore. I tried to fight back, but I was too weak. He licked me all over while raping me. I wanted to throw up."

"When I got back to my room after being with Hugh's dad, Hugh wasn't home yet. I lay down and threw up. I thought it was because I was so disgusted, but I was wrong. I've been throwing up a lot lately. I don't need a test to know I'm probably pregnant."

"I have a feeling it's a girl. Ava won't let her be born, and I won't either. I can't protect her; I can't even protect myself. Even if I did protect her, would she end up like me when she grows up? I don't want my daughter to suffer in this world. Death is the best choice for her while she can't feel pain or sadness."

"Rilla once told me that everyone's fate is different, but death is fair. Everyone dies, rich or poor, young or old. If I'm going to die eventually, why not now? Why suffer?"

"I want to die right now, but I can't bear to leave Rilla. She's my best friend. We promised to see the ocean together someday. We made so many beautiful plans, but will they ever happen to me? I don't believe they will. They never will."

"Rilla, I'm going ahead. I didn't want to record this video, but I realized if I just died, there would be no trace of me left in this world. I know you might never see this, and no one might ever find it. But Rilla, you're the best friend I've ever had. I can't hold on anymore. I hope you can forgive me."

"I've been having these dreams lately, and someone keeps telling me to go with them. I can't see their face, but I feel like it's a good place, better than where I am now. I've decided to go with them, to leave forever."

The video ended.

Haven's sobs faded, but everyone who watched the video fell into silence.

This 'suicide note' made everyone feel her pain firsthand.

Without this video, everyone might have thought Haven just left, not that she committed suicide.

Compared to the other women in Willowbrook Village, Zoey couldn't even judge Haven.

She seemed clear-headed, yet she did something so tragic.

At such a young age, she chose to end everything with suicide.

Zoey stared at the video, unable to snap out of it, thinking when the bias against women would end.

Although Haven committed suicide, the detectives wished, even for a moment, that Hugh and his family had been the ones to kill her.

The real culprits couldn't be brought to justice!

"So, this video is useless, right?" Zoey returned to the case, her cold voice contrasting sharply with the others' complex expressions.

It was as if she had just watched an ordinary video.

Jordan's heavy heart hadn't lightened. Seeing Zoey speak first, she sighed deeply, "At least we know what happened to Haven, even though..."

But at least they knew if she was alive or not.

Robert thought he'd seen enough to not get angry over these things, but he was wrong.

After hearing Haven's story, even as a cop, he wanted to kill everyone who had hurt Haven.

But he couldn't do that. He sighed heavily and looked at his team. "Alright, we don't know if the syringe will help, but we can start by taking Olivia's statement."

"I'll go!" Zoey volunteered immediately.

Robert didn't refuse. "Alright, let's go."

When they entered, Olivia was asleep at the table.

Robert cleared his throat, but Olivia didn't wake up.

Zoey had to nudge her awake. "Olivia? Wake up."

Olivia wasn't deeply asleep. She yawned and slowly lifted her head, looking at them with drooping eyes.

Robert looked at Olivia, thought for a moment, and decided to try a different approach. "Olivia, we know everything. We're willing to give you a chance to come clean. It's up to you if you want to take it. You can also choose to say nothing. It's your choice."