The small, cold house was crowded with more than twenty people, but not one of them spoke up for me.
I bit down hard on my lip, refusing to make a sound as the whip lashed across my back.
One strike, two. fifteen.
Finally, I couldn’t hold back any longer and coughed up blood.
“Please, stop!” My mother couldn’t take it anymore. She fell to her knees, weeping as she held me.
Lying in her arms, all I could do was silently curse the injustice of it all.
“Emily, just admit you were wrong. At least you’ll die quickly.” My mother’s voice trembled as she spoke.
Tears of disbelief filled my eyes. “Mom, do you really think I’m wrong?”
My mother had always loved me more than anyone. How could she ask me to admit to something I didn’t do?
Doesn’t she know that even if I confess, I’m still going to die?
My mother’s sobs echoed through the room. “I don’t want to watch you die! You’re a part of me. but there’s nothing I can do. This world is so cruel! Emily, don’t worry. If you die, I won’t go on living. I’ll follow you. I’ll be with you, okay?”
I forced a weak smile and struggled to speak. “Mom, I won’t admit to something I didn’t do! If the world is wrong, why should I apologize?”