She reached out to feel my forehead. Only after confirming I had no fever did she exhale and continue: "Don't worry, we've been on top of the police. Grandfather made the calls himself. Everyone at that school—the administrators, the staff who laid hands on them—they're all in custody now. We won't show any mercy this time. We'll make sure they face the consequences. We'll get justice for Louise and Zelda!"
I turned my head slowly, my hollow gaze drifting to the ceiling. Empty. As if my soul had been ripped out, leaving only a broken shell behind.
Justice? What was justice? My children were dead. Their bodies covered in bruises. I never even got to say goodbye. Even if every last one of those people rotted in prison, my babies weren't coming back. Justice was just a lie we told ourselves.
"Please..." My voice floated out thin and numb, like something drifting up from the depths of hell. "Let me go, Ramona. I have nothing left. My children are gone. What's the point of being alive? I don't want anything—not compensation from the Simmons family, not your so-called justice. I just want to leave. I want to get away from here. Away from everything connected to Max..."