Tommy was shaking all over in fear.

Meanwhile, the entire hall erupted in chaos. Accusations and curses instantly flooded toward my parents like a tidal wave.

Someone scolded, "Are they even human? Who teaches their kids like this?!"

"They made a child steal life-saving money just to scare their son?"

"That poor girl. She called the police! She was trying to get the money back safely!"

Mom's face turned deathly pale in the roar of voices. "So what?! She still conspired with traffickers, didn't she? Just that alone is enough to send her to the deepest pit of Hell!"

The trial for the third charge began.

The screen showed me standing deep in an alley with several unfamiliar adults, occasionally peeking around the corner.

Grace walked closer, holding Tommy's hand.

I turned back and exchanged a glance with the scarred man beside me, then nodded. Then, I rushed out, pretending to trip, and fell in front of Grace and Tommy.

"Grace! Tommy! Help me!" I reached out toward them.

The scarred man and another accomplice immediately lunged out, grabbing my arms and dragging me deeper into the alley.

"Joy!" Grace cried out, trying to rush forward.

Tommy was also frozen in fear, clutching Grace's hand tightly.

Just then, Dad and Mom came rushing out from somewhere and grabbed Grace and Tommy, holding them back.

"Don't go over there! It's dangerous!" Dad's voice was stern.

"Those are human traffickers! If you go, you're walking into a trap!" Mom pulled Grace and Tommy tightly into her arms.

The footage stopped abruptly.

"That's crazy! Was the kid really working with human traffickers?"

"How could it be fake? Look at that look in her eyes, that coordination! She's the one who lured them over!"

Another commented, "She's so young, yet so vicious! She'd even harm her own siblings!"

A moment later, the platform displayed the words again: [Accusation Failed.]

"Failed again?!"

"What kind of ridiculous judgment is this?!"

"She clearly coordinated with traffickers and acted it out. That doesn't count as a crime?!"

The crowd completely lost control, furious and shouting.

Mom raised her voice and accused, "Grim Reaper, you saw it yourself! She exchanged signals with them! That's a conspiracy! The evidence is solid! We refuse to accept this judgment!"

Dad also shouted, "Joy! Say it yourself! Were you trying to hurt Grace and Tommy? Did you want them to be taken away? You heartless monster! We never should have had you!"

"Silence!" the Grim Reaper said sternly.

His commanding gaze swept over my parents before finally settling on me. "The judgment continues."

The scene returned to our home from a few days ago. The TV was broadcasting news about missing children cases, and my parents watched with grave expressions.

That evening, Mom said to Dad, "Just talking about this stuff doesn't work. They need to see it with their own eyes so they'll be scared."

Dad pondered for a moment. "Who would we get to act it out? Find real criminals? No, that's too dangerous.

Mom replied, "We'll get those young punks who always hang around the corner, give them some cash, and have them act the part convincingly. We'll watch from nearby the whole time, so nothing can go wrong. We'll stage a scene where Joy gets grabbed by human traffickers. Let Grace and Tommy see what happens when you don't stick close to adults and wander off."

A few days later, Mom brought me to the street corner and handed me over to the scarred man and another accomplice.

Mom stuffed a roll of cash into their hands. "Just scare them a bit, don't actually hurt the kid. We'll be watching from the other end of the alley."

"Don't worry, we'll get the job done," the scar-faced man said with a grin, patting my head hard.

I shrank back slightly.

The plan began, and I did what they taught me: ran out, fell, cried out.

The scarred man and his partner rushed out and grabbed me.

Dad and Mom pulled back Grace and Tommy, who were trying to rush forward, as planned.

However, something went wrong.

What was supposed to be just a staged dragging turned into forceful gagging and restraining. My mouth and nose were covered tightly as I was dragged not toward the agreed-upon spot, but toward a beat-up van.

Mom and Dad froze, but they still said to Grace and Tommy, "See? She didn't listen, and now she's really getting kidnapped by traffickers!"

They just stood there and watched as I was shoved into the van.

The footage fast-forwarded.

I was taken to a filthy hideout where my hair was chopped into a mess, and I was changed into dirty, tattered clothes that were not mine, with grime smeared on my face. My hands and feet were tied, and I was crammed together with several other terrified children.

A few days later, at the train station. A woman was leading me by the hand, preparing to board a train heading deep into the mountains. When the woman was not paying attention, I suddenly headbutted her and broke free, rushing toward the nearby police station.

Using every ounce of strength I had, I knocked over a display stand, grabbed a fallen brick, and hurled it at the woman chasing after me.

There were screams, shouts from the police, and the sound of people running. In the chaos, a police officer shielded me behind him.

Before long, the traffickers were arrested.

At the hospital, the police contacted my parents.

...

I came home with my body covered in injuries. I stood in the doorway, looking at Mom and Dad inside, and at Grace and Tommy, hiding behind our parents with fearful eyes.

Mom was the first to rush over, but not to hug me.

She pointed at me and said to the still-shaken Grace and Tommy, "See that! That's what happens when you conspire with human traffickers! She deserved it!"

Dad added with a dark expression, "If we hadn't held you two back, you'd be the ones sold off into the mountains right now! Are you still going to wander off again?"

As the truth was fully revealed, dead silence fell over everything.

In the judgment hall, only heavy breathing and some people's stifled sobs remained. Every eye looking at my parents was filled with condemnation.

I still kept my head down, standing there.

The Grim Reaper's voice slowly rang out. "All three accusations are invalid! Joy was innocent in life and innocent in death. The guilty parties abused parental authority, inflicted cruelty upon a child, fabricated accusations, and acted with malicious intent. By law, they should be punished."

The demon guards turned toward my parents with heavy steps. "No! Don't!"

Dad finally panicked, trying to back away. However, he was blocked by the demons behind him.

Mom shrieked, "On what grounds?! We're her parents! What's wrong with disciplining our children?! Even if our methods weren't perfect, it was all for their own good! Grim Reaper, you can't."

Before she could finish, chains were already fastened around their necks. Then, they were dragged forward, toward a blazing abyss of fire.

My parents let out desperate screams, struggling with all their might.

Just one second before they were about to be thrown into the abyss, they jolted awake.

"It was just a dream. Just a nightmare. How could anything happen to Joy?" Mom clutched her frantically beating heart.

Dad wiped the sweat from his forehead, his voice hoarse. "It felt so real. Thank God it was just a dream."

Grace and Tommy were sleeping soundly in the next bed, as if nothing happened.

The two exchanged glances and let out long sighs of relief.

Just then, Dad's phone rang.

A serious voice came from the other end. "Is this Mr. David Lawson? This is the police department. Something's happened to your child."