Chapter 48: No Sympathy Left

Sierra stared at Yulia expressionlessly and asked, “How do you want me to save you?”

Yulia’s gaze flickered, unable to meet Sierra’s eyes. She just kept mumbling over and over again that she was going to be beaten to death.

Sierra felt her body heating up, her headache worsening. She didn’t have the time or patience to deal with Yulia’s nonsense. Irritated, she said, “If you’re not going to say anything, I’m leaving.”

She had only come to confirm that Yulia was still alive. Hearing that, Yulia quickly blurted out, “Sierra, give me some money. As long as I have money, he’ll stop.”

Sierra wasn’t surprised. This was how Yulia had survived all these years—constantly trying to smooth things over. Even if it meant getting beaten to death, she would never fight back.

Sierra pulled out her phone and dialed a number. “Hello, I’d like to report domestic violence.”

Yulia, who had been desperately pleading, froze. The moment she heard Sierra’s words, she lunged for the phone. “No! You can’t call the police! He’ll kill me—he will kill me!”

“Then go ahead and die.” Sierra’s voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.

Yulia stared at her in shock, unable to believe that these words had come from her once soft-hearted daughter.

“If calling the police will get you killed, and not giving him money will also get you killed, then pick one.”

A flash of resentment crossed Yulia’s eyes. “There’s a third option—if you just gave me some money, he wouldn’t hit me. He—”

Sierra cut her off. “And why should I?”

Meeting Yulia’s stunned gaze, she repeated, “Why should I give you money!”

Yulia opened her mouth as if to say something, but Sierra continued before she could. “I’m not your biological daughter. I don’t owe you anything. If you want to talk about repaying you for raising me, the five million should have covered it.”

Yulia was speechless. She couldn’t believe Sierra was really going to abandon her. She wanted to say, “You weren’t like this before.” But looking into Sierra’s icy eyes, she couldn’t get the words out.

Sierra didn’t waste any more time. She spoke into the phone again. “Yes, it’s a domestic violence case. The address is…”

After hanging up, she turned to Yulia. “Like I said, you have two choices. One, report him for domestic abuse and file for divorce. Two, keep living like this until he eventually kills you?”

Yulia hesitated for a long time before finally whispering, “Can I really get divorced? What if he refuses?”

Sierra’s headache was getting worse. She didn’t answer and simply closed her eyes, trying to ease the pain.

But Yulia clung to her, refusing to let go. “Sierra, you have to help me. I don’t know what to do. If he doesn’t agree, I’m done for. And even if I leave him, what then? Where will I live? What will I eat? Sierra, Sierra…”

Her endless pleading wrapped around Sierra’s throat like a curse, making it hard to breathe.

“Enough!” Her voice sounded hoarse as she said, “Figure it out yourself. Or go ask your precious daughter for help.”

She was done. If she hadn’t been the one who made the call, she would have left already. Now, she regretted even dialing the number. People like Yulia would never be worth saving.

Fortunately, the police arrived quickly, sparing Sierra from enduring Yulia any longer. She briefly explained the situation. One of the officers, a female cop, looked at her and said, “We understand. We’ll take her to medical assessment. You don’t look too well yourself. You should see a doctor.”

“…Thanks.” Sierra let out a small, tired smile. A stranger could tell she was sick. Yet Yulia, the woman who claimed to love her, hadn’t asked once. And still, she clung to her, refusing to let go. It was laughable.

With everything settled, Sierra checked the time and took a cab to school. On the way, she bought some medicine, chewed a couple of tablets, and swallowed them dry. She knew this problem had started in prison. Every time she was overwhelmed by fear, her body would react like this. It had been a long time since she’d had an episode, but the video from yesterday must have shaken her more than she realized.

When she arrived at school, she quickly noticed that people were looking at her differently. Especially in her classroom. Their stares were downright strange.