Chapter 6 — Diary of Someone Who Shouldn't Exist

Her hand was warm, but her eyes were empty, like her soul had been sucked out, leaving only a shell mechanically searching for the silhouette of someone dead. The smell of antiseptic mixed with her faint perfume made my breath choke. Cold sweat poured down my spine. I tensed up, stiffened every muscle, not daring to move even a single drop. At that moment, I even expected her to get angry, scold me, beat me, even strangle me... But she didn't do anything. Just gently loving a shadow... And that itself... is ten thousand times scarier. I swallowed hard, trying to keep my voice from shaking, each word coming out like a knife tearing at my throat: "I... am not her." I mustered all my strength, gritted my teeth, and spit out each word, as if it were tearing my throat: "I'm not Mo Tu!" That sentence was like a key, opening the gates of hell that had been sealed for so long. My mother's face, which was surprisingly gentle, suddenly crumbled. The soft shell of love cracked little by little, revealing a dark abyss, swirling with madness. In her empty eyes, a crazy fire burned fiercely, red as if it was about to burn me.

“What… did you say?” Her voice was hoarse, trembling, out of tune. The hand that was "combing my hair" suddenly grasped it tightly, like a claw digging deep into my scalp, pulling hard, causing so much pain that my scalp felt like it was being torn apart. “I am it!” “I am Tu Tu!”

She was close to my face, breathing heavily, her face twisted and deformed by crazy obsession: "You want to trick me again, right?" “You want to abandon me again, right?!” Her eyes were bloodshot, clear tears mixed with blood, her look was both crazy and desperate: "I won't let you go anymore!" “In this life… absolutely not!” She reached out her other hand, hard as steel, and squeezed my neck. The finger dug deep into the skin, pain and suffocation rushed straight to the brain. "I once promised mom... I said I would never leave her again..." The feeling of suffocation came like a rolling wave. The air was sucked out of my lungs, my heart was pounding, each weak, flickering beat in my chest. I looked at the face twisted in madness right before my eyes... Cold blood poured down every inch of my skin, my whole body felt as cold as falling into an ice cellar. Just when I thought I was going to die here, — “BAM!” An earth-shattering noise rang out. The hospital room door was kicked open from the outside. The sound of the hinges breaking echoed loudly, the door slammed against the wall, vibrating violently. A group of uniformed police rushed in, guns and batons in hand. Leading the way was Mo Than, his eyes were red, blue veins were visible on his neck, his breathing was chaotic like a cornered animal. With just one look, he almost went crazy. “Mo Uyen!” “Let go of her!” My mother paused for a moment. But in just one breath, she laughed again — a light, hoarse laugh, each sound deep into her skin. She turned her head, her eyes were dark and deep, looking straight at her younger brother: "Mo Than, my good brother..." Her gaze was sharp as a knife, her voice was harsh and cold: "Because of an outsider... Did you call the police to arrest me?" She slowly let go, stood up, her figure was thin but straight, noble like a betrayed queen. She straightened the messy hem of her shirt and smoothed her tangled hair, each movement so calm that it was chilling. Her face returned to normal cold, arrogant attitude, as if there had never been a moment of loss of control. She turned around, facing the police, her eyes dark and unwavering: "Comrades of the police..." "There must be a bit of a misunderstanding here." The corners of his lips curled slightly, his voice was as soft as velvet, but contained a cold venom: "My daughter and I... were just playing a little game." “The game… connects the emotional connection between mother and child.” Mo Than rushed forward, standing in front of me, his eyes glowing red, like a wolf preparing to pounce and tear apart anyone who dared to take a step further. He leaned over to cover my entire body, his voice hoarse, filled with anger: "You still dare... call this a game?!" My uncle pointed straight at his mother's face, his voice shaking with indignation: "Emotional bonding game?" “Is there any game… where you strangle your own daughter?!” "Mo Uyen! In your eyes... What is Niem Niem?!" My mother's face suddenly changed color. But very quickly, she regained her fake calm, her voice was as light as a breeze but each word was cold: "I... don't understand what you are saying." “Nim Niem's spirit is unstable.” “You can't listen to every single word she says.” She turned to look at the police, her eyes calm, her voice even: "I am his mother." “I do everything… for her.” As soon as her words ended, "bang" —— the hospital room door was pushed open, and a group of people noisily rushed in. Leading the way is Lam Kien Quoc! He dragged a few reporters along, holding a microphone, his roaring voice echoed throughout the room: "Police! Look quickly!" “This evil woman wants to kill my daughter!” “She wants to kill everyone!” He rushed to the hospital bed, knelt down, hugged my legs, crying like a desperate person: "Nim Niem! Don't be afraid! Dad's here! Dad will protect you!" "Split! Split! Split!"{Read full on page Van Ha Tuong} The flashes from the cameras exploded continuously like fireworks, causing extreme chaos in the space. My mother stood there, looking at the ridiculous scene before her eyes —— Watching Lam Kien Quoc perform a cheap tragedy. Looking at Mo Than full of anger but helpless. Looking at the reporters' lenses panning wildly, the bright lights shining on the faces distorted by ambition. And then… she looked at me. That look... From surprise, to anger, from anger, to coldness, and finally... died completely into a void of despair. She understands. This battle —— she lost. The police stepped forward and pressed the cold handcuffs tightly on her wrists. The sound of "click" rang out, crisply, like the end of a chess game that had lasted for many years. Before being taken away, she suddenly turned her head —— Her eyes were deep, swirling with thousands of complex emotions: hatred, pain, love, despair... But I couldn't read them all. Before the trial day. He looked for me, his face was pale, tired as if he hadn't slept for many nights. His voice was hoarse, suppressing his insecurity: "Nien Niem... the situation is not good." I sat up, my face dark. “What happened?” He took a deep breath and said slowly: "My mother hired the best lawyer in the country." “They intend to attack from a psychological direction.” I frowned, feeling uneasy: "Psychology?" He nodded, his eyes heavy: "They will collect all my previous stories..." "The story of me jumping out of the car." “The story about you hurting yourself.” “The story about you threatening to jump off the building.” “They will gather it all up… and claim it is all due to mental problems.” A cold flash ran along my spine. My fingers unconsciously tightened the blanket, my voice hoarse: "They... want to help her escape?" He shook his head, his eyes darkened, and replied in a low voice: "No. But they want to muddy the waters." “Turning a felony into a misdemeanor.” “They want everyone to believe that —— this is just some kind of “sick motherly love”.” “A mother loves her child too much, but uses it in the wrong way.” My chest felt like someone was squeezing it tightly, making it hard to breathe. My fingers clenched into fists, the tips of my nails digging deep into my skin: "She... can't win." My uncle looked at me, his eyes were cloudy, with a bottomless worry hidden in them. He spoke in a low voice, saying each word: "Niem Niem... the court does not judge "the truth"." “They only consider “evidence”.” He paused, his voice lowered: "But now... We are missing the most important link." I raised my head and looked straight into his eyes. My voice was choked and hoarse: "What link?" My uncle paused for a moment, his eyes as deep as the abyss: "Something... that can prove the true motive behind all her actions." I kept quiet. Breathing slows down, each beat is heavy. In my chest, my heart was pounding, as if there was a truth lurking behind the curtain — that I wasn't brave enough to reach yet. The memories of my previous life —— are the strongest weapon in my hand. But it... cannot become evidence in court. Because, who would believe a girl who said she was... reincarnated?

“Let me... think of another way.” I spoke softly, my voice choked in my throat. Mo Than looked at me, his eyes heavy: "Nien Niem... Tomorrow... the trial will open." There was a deep helplessness in his voice, as if all roads were blocked.

I sat on the bed, eyes facing the window. Outside, the night was thick as ink, suffocatingly quiet. In the darkness, a memory flashed in my mind, like the last ray of light in the abyss.

“You.” “I want… to go back to the Mo family's old villa.”

He froze, frowning: "Now...?" “Yes. Right now.” He looked at me for a long time, his eyes mixed with surprise and worry. “It's very dangerous, Niem Niem.” “If my sister has left a trap, or someone is following…” I grabbed his arm tightly, my nails digging deep into the skin, my voice trembling slightly but firmly: “You… This is our last chance!”