Chapter 56

"Don't you think it's a waste of police resources? What they really need is a psychologist, not us." Zoey looked at Emma's surprised expression and continued, "Isn't our time valuable too? I'd rather spend a few hours watching a feel-good TV show than waste it on such foolish people."

"I especially hate it when stupid people say, 'When he hits me, it means he doesn't love me; when he doesn't hit me, it means he loves me.' They just can't break out of that vicious cycle."

"Men and women are fundamentally different creatures. Women will never be as strong as men. Once he starts hitting you, where's the love in that? But they just don't get this simple truth."

Emma seemed to understand a bit more after Zoey's explanation and sighed.

It seemed to be a sigh of pity and regret for such women.

Zoey added, "Of course, there's another situation where the woman really wants a divorce, but every time she calls the cop, they just mediate and send them back home. In such cases, you must tell her not to report domestic violence but to report being assaulted!"

Emma asked, "What's the difference?"

"Domestic violence is considered a family dispute, and the man might not even be detained. By the time he gets out of the police station, the woman might be severely beaten. Reporting an assault gets the man detained, giving the woman time to prepare for a safe divorce."

"Well..." Emma, who went to the same university as Zoey, suddenly felt like Zoey was more like her mentor.

She suddenly felt that the hundred dollars she spent was worth it!

"And one more thing," Zoey reminded, "If she's seriously injured, make sure she goes to the hospital to get a medical examination and keep the records. These are essential, and the most important thing, don't forget!"

"What's it?"

"Some people don't want to report their husbands because of their children. If the parents have a criminal record, it could affect the children. Most men who commit domestic violence don't get punished because of this."

"Really? What a strange rule," Emma found it absurd. "If the mother reports the father for hitting her and he gets sentenced, it affects the children. The kids are really unlucky."

"Unlucky?" Zoey couldn't believe Emma had been in police school for three years.

She asked, "Why would you think the kids are unlucky? Don't you remember the cases our teachers showed us in school? Many criminals commit crimes because of a bad family environment, which twists their minds. The family environment indeed has a significant impact on a child's growth, and no one can deny that."

"When children are still young and in a state of ignorance, they are indeed pitiable. However, as time goes by, they may be influenced by unhealthy family relationships and learn their father's violent behavior, which could lead to them having violent tendencies towards their wives or even strangers in the future."

Emma seemed to have an epiphany and thought for a moment. Zoey's analysis of domestic violence cases was thorough, and she couldn't deny it.

But in some ways, Zoey seemed a bit too cold. She commented others' fates after doing what she could and helped the victims make up their minds to escape their suffering, regardless of the children's fate.

A strange feeling lingered in Emma's heart.

She couldn't fully agree with Zoey, nor could she completely disagree with her.

Zoey, acting as if nothing had happened, took a bag of milk from the drawer and started drinking it.

Emma just watched her, and the two fell into a dead silence.

Zoey wanted to write more of her novel while she wasn't busy. Just as she opened the webpage, she suddenly thought of something and turned to ask, "How did you handle Ms. Moore's case in the end?"

"What else could we do? We mediated a bit, the man insincerely apologized, promised not to hit her in front of the kids, and they left." Thinking back to the incident, Emma's face was filled with frustration.

Even after hearing so much from Zoey, she still couldn't understand.

"What about the warning notice?" Zoey asked.

"Mr. Williams told them to wait for it, but they said they had to pick up their kids from school and left."

Zoey wasn't surprised at all; it was exactly as she expected. "Next time they come, don't do anything. Don't even talk to Ms. Moore. Domestic violence cases are common, and Mr. Williams is more experienced than both of us."

Emma's feedback was enough to show that John indeed had more experience.

Emma tried to mediate, but John told her not to bother.

It showed that John had tried to mediate before, but after doing it so many times without success, he became numb to it.

So he simply stopped trying and told them to live their lives.

"Oh," Emma responded, thinking about Ruby being beaten, and sighed again. "I hope Ms. Moore doesn't get beaten again. Do you think if she had discovered her husband's violence before having kids, the outcome would be different?"

Zoey was about to put on her headphones, already having one earbud in.

Suddenly, Emma's question made her laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" Emma was puzzled.

"Many families with domestic violence have a second child," Zoey said.

"Really? Fuck, they get beaten and still keep having kids?" Emma was shocked; it was beyond her imagination.

"What do you think?" Zoey gave her a meaningful look that said, "Haven't I told you many times? They're stupid. They go from being conflicted to getting used to it, and eventually, they start wondering if it's their fault. They deeply believe that maybe if they had children, things would be different. They voluntarily have a second child with their abusive husbands, hoping that having more children will make their lives better."

Emma was silent, thinking it was truly absurd.

She was speechless. "According to you, they kind of 'deserve' it!"

That was exactly what Zoey thought, but she didn't say it.

John walked in at that moment, seeing Emma and Zoey chatting so closely, and gave them a surprised look. "Chatting? Since when did you two get so close?"

Emma felt a bit awkward at John's comment.

She instinctively wanted to move away from Zoey.

But Zoey calmly replied, "Mr. Williams, your judgment is wrong. We just have a financial relationship, nothing more."