The day I got accepted into that prestigious high school, the guy who owned the fish stall next to ours brought a group of people to wreck our stall.

My mom rushed out to confront them, but as soon as she left the house, they ambushed her. They slammed a hammer into her hands and feet and didn’t stop until her sternum was crushed, blood everywhere.

I grabbed the high-definition security footage and took it to the police, but they wouldn’t even open a case—said there wasn’t enough evidence.

So, I went to see the judge, but he didn’t want to take it on either. When I was basically out of options, the fish stall guy, Tyler Graham, got even more cocky.

He told me his son had connections in the city and warned me not to waste my time. Everyone told me to let it go and blamed the fact that we didn’t have a man in the family.

With my mom barely hanging on in the ICU, I wasn’t about to give up. I took my father’s Meritorious Service Medal and, after a full day and night on the train, I ended up kneeling outside the gate of the Central Military Region.

I was crying, begging, “Sir, I don’t want the merit, I just want my dad back.”

——

When I was five, my dad passed away, and my mom raised me by selling fish. Her fish was always fresh, her prices were good, and she treated her customers like family. The people in our neighborhood loved her.

But apparently, that was too much for the competition. Not only did they destroy our stall, but they also came after my mom. They pressed her hands and feet with a hammer until her sternum caved in, and she was bleeding everywhere. I was locked inside, screaming and crying, but I couldn’t do anything.

The whole thing was caught on our hallway’s security camera. I took the footage to the police station, but instead of getting help, I ran into Tyler Graham, the guy who led the attack.

He slapped me across the face right when I walked in. “You really think you can come to the police over something this small? You’ve got my son all stirred up now. You think I’m gonna let you ruin my business?”

His son, Kingston, was just standing there with this bored look on his face, already asking, “How much do you want? I’ve got a meeting to get to, so let’s wrap this up.”

I gritted my teeth, my fists clenched tight. "I don’t want your money! I want the person who did this to my mom to pay!"

Through the door, I could hear the sickening sound of bones breaking, my mom’s cries muffled by the pounding. The hammers, sticks, slaps, and kicks didn’t stop for nearly half an hour.

I watched it all, helpless, my heart breaking with every second. And to make it worse, my mom was the one suffering, while I just stood there, unable to do anything.

The doctor said she had fractures everywhere and her skull was crushed. Her life was hanging by a thread, and even if she made it through, she’d never be able to take care of herself again. I knew for sure there was no way I could ever forgive the person who did this.

Kingston just laughed, like it was all a joke. "You are so naive. Heck, even if she died from this, my dad wouldn’t see a day in jail."

He casually handed me a card and a pre-signed apology letter. "Just sign it, and I’ll give you the code to get the money. You’re basically getting paid to get hit by my dad, best deal ever."

They were turning my mom’s suffering into some kind of business deal. I couldn’t take it anymore. I rushed at them, but before I knew it, they shoved me to the ground.

Kingston looked down at me, smirking. He gave my face a mock pat, like I was some kid. "Little girl, don’t push it. If you keep this up, you won’t even get this small amount of money. If you wanna sue, go ahead. City, state, it doesn’t matter. I have enough people to shut it down."

He checked his expensive watch, turned to his lawyer, and signaled it was time to leave.

I wasn’t backing down. I ran after them, grabbing Tyler’s shirt and holding on tight. "You’re not leaving! You have to pay for what you did to my mom!"

Tyler kicked me hard in the chest. "Dammit! If I knew this would be such a pain, I would've dragged you into the mess too! If you ended up in the ICU with your mom, no one would be bothering you."

I pressed my hand to my chest, the pain still throbbing, watching the car disappear down the street.

The lawyer helped me up, his voice soft but stern. "The Graham Family’s got serious power in Javelin. They can make it look like they’re untouchable. You, with no one left, won’t win against them.

"Why not just take the money and sign the letter of apology? It’ll all be over then. I heard you got into a good school. If you keep pushing this, you could ruin your future. Don’t make a mistake you’ll regret."

I couldn’t stop myself. In one swift motion, I tore up the letter, my anger pouring out. My mom was still in the ICU, fighting for her life, and they were offering me money like it could fix anything. What future did I even have left?

I ended up kneeling outside the police station, but they wouldn’t do anything. Kingston’s family had too much power, too many connections.

The cop gave me a sympathetic look. "Without evidence, there’s not much we can do. You can’t fight someone like that. The smartest move is to take the money and move on. Life goes on, you know?"

I couldn’t help the bitter laugh that escaped me. I had heard these kinds of words too many times over the years.

My father died when I was young, and my mom raised me by herself. We were always seen as the outsiders, the people no one cared about.

The kids at school made fun of me for the smell of fish that came home with me every day, excluding me, bullying me. My mom took it all, never complaining, and I just stayed quiet, never fighting back.

We had learned to endure just to survive, but it still wasn’t enough. Now, my mom was lying in the ICU, and I wasn’t about to forgive them for what they’d done.

The lawyer handed me another letter, trying again. "This is the reality now. Do you really think Mr. Graham is going to pay for what happened to your mom? You want to keep fighting? We can at least give you 15 thousand dollars for the trouble."

I didn’t want their money. I just wanted the bastard who hurt my mom to pay.

The lawyer’s patience wore thin. “This is the best offer you’re gonna get. If you keep refusing, I can’t help you anymore. Seriously, girl, think about it. It’ll get worse for you if you keep pushing back.”

Right then, my phone buzzed. It was the admissions office. “Sorry, but we’ve canceled your admission. The school is full, and we’re returning your documents.”

I couldn’t believe it. Just last month, the admissions officer came to my house, practically begging me to choose their school. They even offered a tuition discount.

I looked at the lawyer, and suddenly I got it.

“I’m telling you this because you’re young,” he said. “The Graham Family’s got power, so stop thinking about appealing. Losing the spot at that school is just a warning. You’re on your own here.”

He shoved the apology letter in front of me, trying to put the pen in my hand.

I started to wonder—was it really true that they could get away with this? Was it my mom’s fault for selling fish next to Tyler’s stall?

We hadn’t done anything wrong.

I pulled my hand back and shoved him away. “I’m not signing it. The bastard who did this is going down.”

The cops wouldn’t help, so I went to the courthouse. But no lawyer wanted anything to do with my case, so I stayed up all night searching for a complaint template online.

When I finally made it to the court, they kicked me out for not following the right steps.

Then the doctor called, reminding me to pay the bills. My mom was still in the ICU, and the money was disappearing fast. All the savings I’d set aside for college were gone now.

I had to use my dad’s card. After paying, I leaned against the cold wall, drained and completely defeated.

A heavy weight of depression made it hard to breathe.

My dad died while on a mission at the border. My mom didn’t want me to know the truth, so she told me he was just working far away.

She put all the money he sent into a card, saying it was for when I grew up and got married. But our house was small, and I found his medals and certificates with hardly any effort.

The card was just his pension money. And once that was gone, there was one less thing left from him.

Tears kept streaming down my face, but when I looked through the glass at my mom, hooked up to machines in the ICU, it all felt worth it.

They had tried to cover their tracks, but I wasn’t letting them get away with it. I had to expose them. So, I went online.

I created an account and posted the video of them beating my mom.

[Reporting under my real name: Tyler Graham and his son, Kingston, from Javelin, destroyed my fish stall and beat my mom into the ICU!]

[The police won’t help, the court won’t listen, so I’m turning to the internet for justice.]

The video went viral, and the city started talking.

[This is inhumane! They’re out of control!]

[How is this still happening in Javelin after everything we’ve heard about fighting gangs? The authorities need to step up!]

[Don’t worry, little girl. The bad guys will pay.]

But, of course, they quickly suppressed the post. I didn’t back down though. I kept posting.

First, the principal called me. “Are you crazy? This is seriously damaging the school’s reputation! Delete the video or I’ll put a serious demerit on your record. You won’t get into high school or college!”

I wasn’t about to back off. If I couldn’t get justice for my mom, then what was the point of all those years in school?

Then the lawyer showed up. “What’s wrong with you? Are you out of your mind? You’re posting lies online! Delete everything, or I’ll sue you for defamation and ruining the Graham Family’s reputation!”

I shot him a cold stare and said, “Go ahead, sue me. I’ll take it all the way to court and expose everything live.”

He stopped, clearly taken aback, then shot back, “You’ll regret this.”

I didn’t stop. I kept posting. Sure, they tried to bury my videos, but people still started backing me up. Then, the next day, some account claiming to get the real truth out posted a video.

It showed my teachers, classmates, friends, even neighbors, all tearing me apart. “Samantha James is lying. Her mother didn’t pay her debts, so the people who came to collect destroyed her stall and hurt her. Now she’s trying to frame the Graham Family.”

“They’re one of the wealthiest and most generous families in Javelin. What’s she trying to pull?”

Soon, the paid accounts flooded in, spreading more lies.

[Seriously, how is an orphan and widow running a successful fish stall? There’s gotta be more to the story.]

[You can’t always blame others. Maybe the call is coming from inside the house.]

[Good thing people can see through her nonsense.]

The Graham Family had the money and connections to pay people to spread lies. Then my video got flagged as inappropriate, and a few days later, my account was shut down.

It felt like I was sinking into ice-cold water. Was this really happening? Was there really no way to fight back?

But then, the doctor called to tell me my mom was out of danger and had been moved to a regular room.

I held her weak, frail hand and cried, relieved. But when I looked at her, wrapped in bandages, all I could feel was rage toward Tyler and his son.