I didn't even need to think about it. That comment had Maureen written all over it.

No one else hated me that much.

I'd never come back with any intention of returning to that so-called family. I'd never once thought about taking anything from her.

So why? Why couldn't she just leave me alone?

Tears fell onto the screen before I could stop them, blurring those disgusting photos into smears of color.

The comments kept piling up. Some called me shameless. Others said I was doing it for attention. A few even tagged the university administration, demanding I be expelled.

My heart grew colder with every word.

I didn't want to run. I couldn't afford to.

I got up, changed my clothes, and headed for the door, determined to explain everything to the dean.

The moment I opened it, I found Amos and Savannah standing in the hallway.

Disappointment was etched deep into both their faces. Amos looked especially furious, the kind of anger that came from believing someone had failed you beyond repair.

Before I could say a word, he started in on me.

"Explain. Those photos online. What the hell is going on?"

"What's it to you?" I shot back.

That set him off. He planted himself in the corridor and raised his voice so the entire floor could hear.

"You are our daughter!"

"Everything you do reflects on us. Do you understand that?"

I stared at him, unblinking.

Savannah tugged at her husband's arm. "That's enough. Don't yell. I'm sure she didn't want this to happen either."

She pulled me back inside the apartment as she spoke, her tone shifting between tenderness and suspicion like a needle on a broken compass.

"Sweetheart, nobody wants something like this to happen. Don't be too hard on yourself."

"You're an adult now. Having a boyfriend is perfectly normal. We can't control your personal life."

"But... but you have to respect yourself!"

"Just because your adoptive parents aren't around to guide you anymore doesn't mean you can let yourself go and do something this humiliating..."

I cut her off, each word deliberate and sharp.

"You don't get to mention my adoptive parents. And you sure as hell don't get to lecture me."

Savannah froze. She clearly hadn't expected that.

Amos jabbed a finger at me and erupted.

"We don't get to? Look at yourself! You've thrown away every shred of dignity you had, and you still care about that?"

My gaze was steady when I answered.

"What makes you so sure those photos were taken with my consent?"

"And what makes you so sure I don't respect myself?"

Amos let out a laugh that held no humor at all. "Weren't you the one who transferred back here on your own?"

"Why else would you suddenly show up the moment our family has money?"

"Something like this happening to you? You brought it on yourself!"

Brought it on myself.

Those words drove into my chest like a blade.

Twelve years of buried grief, twelve years of swallowed resentment, detonated all at once.

I shot to my feet and screamed at them.

"Twelve years!"

"You could've just lived your lives and left me out of it. Why did you have to come find me?"

"Just pretend I don't exist. Is that so hard?"

"Your family? I never wanted to go back. Not once. I don't want any part of it!"

The color drained from Amos's face, then flooded back an ugly, mottled red.

"You... what did you just say?"

I looked at them both, my expression cold as stone.

"Stop coming to see me. Please."

"If you're here because you feel some flicker of guilt about the past, let me save you the trouble. Don't bother."

"The moment you gave me away all those years ago..."

"My parents died."

The slap came before the last syllable left my mouth.

The side of my face burned white-hot. My ears rang, a high-pitched whine drowning out everything else.

Amos stood over me, finger trembling with rage.

"How did I ever bring something like you into this world? An ungrateful little wretch!"

"If you had even half your sister's sense, our ancestors would be rolling in their graves with pride!"

I looked at the disgust on his face, and something inside me went still.

There was no point in arguing. There really wasn't.

Fighting with them would only mean putting myself through more pain.

"As it happens, I'm leaving the country in a few days. After that, you won't have to see me again."

At the mention of going abroad, Amos froze.

The anger on his face stiffened, then twisted into a sneer.

"So that's what this is about?"

"Go on, name your price. Five million dollars enough?"

"That should be plenty to set yourself up overseas, shouldn't it?"

Savannah looked equally stunned. "Regina, why would you suddenly want to go abroad?"

"You know, if you're willing, you could always come back."

I looked at the reluctance written all over both their faces and answered in a flat, even tone.

"Relax. I don't want a single cent of your money."

Amos clearly didn't believe me. He pressed on.

"You don't want to come back, and there's no place for you in this family anyway."

"Just name your number. We'll settle it once and for all. After that, we owe each other nothing."

I let out a quiet, bitter laugh. My eyes stung with something cold and hollow.

Whatever bond we'd once shared had been severed long ago.

There was no need for the word settle.

"I think you've misunderstood."

"Yes, those two years after you gave me away were miserable. But the parents who adopted me treated me well."

"My life isn't as wretched as you imagine, and I couldn't care less about your family fortune."

"But there are things I intend to sort out before I leave. Every last one of them."

The two of them exchanged a bewildered glance, clearly not understanding what I meant.

Just then, my phone rang.

A calm, professional voice came through the other end.

"Is this Ms. Regina Fox? This is the police department. We're currently downstairs at your building. Are you home?"

"I am. Give me a moment, I'll come let you in."

I hung up and headed straight for the door.

Amos frowned, his voice sharp with displeasure. "Who's coming?"

I ignored his question entirely.

When I opened the door, a male and a female officer stood in the hallway.

The moment Amos spotted the uniforms, he lowered his voice to a harsh whisper.

"After a scandal like this, you actually had the nerve to call the police?"

I turned to the officers instead.

"How is the case progressing?"

"Try not to worry. We've apprehended one of the suspects and he's currently being interrogated."

"However, we'll need you to come back to the station with us for an identification."

Savannah's face crumpled in confusion.

"Crime... what crime? Who committed a crime?"

"Those photos of hers—weren't they taken willingly? For money?"

Officer Dawson's expression shifted instantly, something strange and hard settling over her features.

She looked at Amos and Savannah. "And you two are?"

Savannah rushed to explain. "I'm her mother. This is her father."

Officer Dawson's demeanor turned grave. Her voice dropped several degrees.

"Those photos were not taken willingly. This is an aggravated attempted sexual assault case."

She paused, studying them both. "You're the victim's parents. How could you think that about your own daughter?"

Officer Dawson couldn't comprehend the couple's mindset.

The two of them stood rooted to the spot.

They were frozen there, disbelief etched across every line of their faces.

I knew them too well.

From the moment they walked through my door, they had already decided I'd brought this on myself. That I'd found some lowlife to take those photos with for cash. They'd even cursed my adoptive parents for failing to raise me right.

They'd heaped every ounce of blame onto me, onto the people who actually loved me, while washing their own hands completely clean.

It never once crossed their minds that I was the victim.

I didn't expect them to recognize what they'd done wrong. I certainly didn't expect any genuine remorse.

I simply nodded at Officer Dawson. "Fine. I'll go to the station with you now."

I grabbed my jacket from the table and headed straight for the door.

Savannah rushed over, her voice urgent. "Sweetheart, why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"What did those people do to you? Did they hurt you? Are you injured?"

I looked up at that hollow mask of concern and couldn't bring myself to waste a single word on her.

I wrenched my arm free of her grip.

"My business is none of your concern. Stay out of it."

Savannah's hand hung frozen in midair.

Amos finally found his voice, stammering as he spoke. "We... we didn't mean anything by it. Something like this happens to you, you should've told us right away."

"We would've protected you. We wouldn't have let anyone hurt you."

Protected me?

A laugh tore out of me before I could stop it, so sharp it nearly brought tears to my eyes.

That was the most insane joke I'd ever heard.

I stopped walking and turned to face them. "From the second you walked through that door, you questioned me. You hurled insults at me."

"You dumped every ounce of blame on my shoulders. Did either of you give me a single chance to explain?"

My words landed like a slap across both their faces.

Not that it mattered much to them, probably.

Amos had nothing to say. Savannah scrambled to smooth things over.

"Sweetheart, you're right. We were wrong. We were too impulsive."

"We'll go to the station too. Those criminals need to be brought to justice!"

I regarded them with flat indifference. Not a ripple of emotion.

I just wanted to see the looks on their faces when they found out the real mastermind was their precious baby girl.

What expression would that be, I wondered.

At the station, an officer told me to observe from outside the room.

Inside sat a man in handcuffs.

I recognized him instantly. It was him.

Those eyes, full of malice and sick amusement. I'd remember them until the day I died.

"Yes. He's one of the three."

Officer Dawson nodded and spoke quietly. "Good. We've got that on record."

"The interrogation is still ongoing. We're doing everything we can to track down the other two."

"As soon as we have new leads, you'll be the first to know."

I looked at her, then spoke up before she could walk away.

"One more thing. Those three were acting on someone else's orders."

"I have some idea who's behind it."

Savannah seized on this immediately. "Who? Don't be afraid, just say the name. Your father and I will make sure they pay!"

A cold laugh echoed inside my chest. The concern shining in her eyes was nothing but a cruel joke.

I turned back to the officer.

"Her name is Maureen Simmons. She's a classmate of mine at college."