When Fate Rewinds

No one answered me. If anything, they all edged a little farther away.

I kept shouting, "Kahlan's parents! Where are you? She's been taken away by a man! What are we going to do? Please, come out!"

I had to admit that the microphones the elderly used for dancing in the plaza were powerful.

When I shouted into it, it felt like the entire residential complex could hear me.

From a distance, I saw Kahlan's mother rushing toward me in her pajamas.

I collapsed under the harsh white lights, exposing the bruises on my face and the footprints on my body.

Through tears, I cried out toward her, "Mrs. Ellis! Kahlan insisted on going with a stranger to explore an abandoned school. I thought it was dangerous and tried to stop her, and this is what I got for it!

"I really tried my best, but couldn't stop them. They've already left for a while now. What are we going to do?"

Mrs. Ellis snatched the microphone from me and raised her hand as if to slap me.

"How dare you spout such nonsense!"

The elderly women around us, seeing that I wasn't some lunatic, quickly stepped in to stop her.

Mrs. Ellis began shouting that I was deliberately trying to ruin her daughter's reputation.

The elderly ladies fired back immediately, "You call yourself a mother? Instead of worrying about your daughter's safety, you come here accusing this girl? Sounds like you've got a guilty conscience!"

Overwhelmed by their barrage, Mrs. Ellis couldn't get a word in.

Someone shouted anxiously, "Forget arguing! A life might be at stake! Call the police first!"

Mrs. Ellis spat angrily, "Fine, call the police! Let them arrest this little bitch for slander!"

The group of elderly women turned to look at me. They hesitated and started doubting me.

I quickly pulled out my phone, but the battery was dead.

"No, it's not like that. My phone ran out of battery, and I used up all the cash I had on the taxi. I don't even know how to get to the police station."

A few kind young people who were livestreaming nearby immediately offered to take me there.

After we filed the report, the police checked the parking garage's surveillance footage.

Unfortunately, the system was old and poorly maintained. The video worked, but there was no audio.

Still, everyone could clearly see Charles grabbing me forcefully and the group of them hitting me together.

One empathetic girl burst into tears on the spot, saying I was such a good person, that after all that I'd been through, I was still trying to save Kahlan.

Mrs. Ellis' expression darkened, but she still insisted her daughter was simply dating normally.

I grabbed her hand, choking back tears. "Mrs. Ellis, I know you're worried about Kahlan's reputation, but her life is more important!

"Even if they're dating, that's just a guy she met online for the first time! And they're going to an abandoned school that's been deserted for over ten years in the middle of the night. That's just too dangerous!"

After that, I turned to the police again, begging them to act. What if killers or vagrants were hiding in the school?

The officers looked at me helplessly and said it was all speculation. They couldn't dispatch a team based on that alone.

After hearing me out, Mrs. Ellis seemed to finally grow uneasy about the possible danger and decided to go look for her daughter herself.

The kind young people offered to drive us there as well.

When we arrived at the entrance of the school, the seven burly men I called, each wielding a bat, were already waiting.

With the "bodyguards" in place, the livestreamers became even bolder.

We went in together. As soon as we reached the school building, we heard several bloodcurdling screams.

They were so horrifying that people instinctively huddled closer together.

Suddenly, one of the girls pointed toward a window and shouted, "Mrs. Ellis, is that your daughter?"