The Truth After My Injection
At the end of the segment, the reporter asked him if there was ever a prisoner he couldnt reach.
Ive met many who hold onto hope for an appeal, or who deeply regret their choices and wish for a different next life, he said, his voice measured. But there was only one inmate who chose immediate execution without hesitation.
She was an eighteen-year-old girl, and she was once my student. She only said one thing to me.
I never knew that turning love into hate could be so terrifying.
He showed the reporter the girls belongings.
Every inmate leaves a video message for their family, but hers has remained with me. If her family sees this program, I urge them to contact me immediately.
The episode aired, and the online buzz immediately skyrocketed.
Some questioned how an eighteen-year-old could so readily embrace death; others condemned the sympathy for a criminal, calling it a secondary injury to the victims families.
My three older brothers, however, only offered a look of cold disdain before one of them casually muted the television.
Sienna Westlake. Couldnt even learn to behave in prison. Now shes colluding with a teacher to put on a show.
Shes the reason Phoebe is in a wheelchair. I personally handled the defense to secure the death penalty. But I have the plea for leniency drafted. All she has to do is admit her mistake, and shell be fine.
Since she still hasnt learned her lesson, this months visitation is, as usual, denied.
1
My eldest brother, Carter, was peeling grapes for Phoebe when the interview came on.
A man like the CEO of the Westlake Group, who practically operates on a different plane of existence, was meticulously preparing a special, custom-made dish for her.
I used to have one, too.
Now, its sitting on the floor, serving as a dog bowl for Phoebes lapdog.
My second brother, Rhys, and my third brother, Dean, walked in carrying a selection of gourmet pastries just as the teacher, Dr. Elias Stern, looked into the camera with profound regret.
Perhaps she truly lost the will to live. By the last time I saw her, she was skeletal.
She was only eighteen, but every time I visited, her eyes were more hollow than the last.
Initially, she was desperate, constantly applying for family visits. After the seventeenth denial, she simply went silent.
I only found out later that she had always denied harming anyone since her incarceration. I dont know why she suddenly chose immediate execution.
I want to help her. I want to clear her name.
Since the interview was streamed live online, that last statement caused an instant uproar among viewers.
Some argued that a death row inmate was just afraid of dying, and that this was more manipulation.
The negative comments piled up.
The counselor ignored the comments and instead showed the girls meager possessions.
A solitary butterfly hair clip rested on top of a bloodstained prison uniform.
His voice caught slightly. She was placed in the cell at the end of the corridor, filled with the most hardened criminals.
Every time I passed by, I heard them holding her head in the toilet, or breaking her shin.
Her food was routinely laced with scraps of metal; her bedding was thrown into a bucket of slop. She was left to kneel on the floor, night after night.
I tried to intervene through the glass, but the inmates just said she was being specially taken care of and that I should mind my own business.
I know I have little authority, even though she wasnt my formal student.
But I cant let her last wish go unanswered. I need her family to contact me as soon as possible.
Hearing the details from the hospice worker, the tide of comments began to shift.
Some still saw it as a criminals just desserts.
But others began to dig into the case details: the eighteen-year-old adopted daughter of the Westlake family, in a fit of jealousy, pushed the recently-found true daughter down a flight of stairs, resulting in permanent disability.
Then came the questions. Many found the death penalty for intentional injury to be excessively harsh.
The amateur investigators dug deeper.
They quickly uncovered that the defense attorney who had handled the case was the citys top, undefeated lawyerRhys Westlake, the Westlake familys second son.
Rhys stared at the butterfly hair clip on the screen, his eyebrow twitching.
He had bought that for me when he won his very first case.
Carter, what if Sienna really is in trouble?
Dean abruptly shut off the live stream.
His voice was dismissive. Have you forgotten about that whole situation between Sienna and that counselor? She really hasnt learned her lesson. Maybe I should tell those inmates to be even stricter.
The mention of that incident darkened all three of their faces.
Rhyss brief surge of worry vanished.
Youre right. If she hadnt been so jealous, I wouldnt have stepped in to defend the case myself just to punish her. That death sentence is a lesson. I have the plea ready. The second she admits she was wrong, Ill file it.
Carter wiped his hands and told his assistant to calm the public outrage.
We spoiled her too much over the years. If she wants to put on a show, let her. This months visit remains denied.
She wont set foot back in the Westlake house until she owns up to what she did.
I knew they believed I was deliberately colluding with Dr. Stern, hoping to gain sympathy and be brought home.
But what they didnt know was that I couldn't go back.
And I never wanted to again.
2
Phoebe heard the voices in the living room and wheeled herself out of the bedroom.
I saw the interview. Why is Sienna still involving herself with that teacher? She must think you all want to kill her, not understanding your good intentions.
Carter stood up and placed the peeled grapes in her palm.
If she hadnt been targeting you all this time, we wouldnt have sent her to prison.
Dont worry, shell learn her lesson in there soon enough. She wont bother you again.
Rhys knelt down, gently wiping her fingers.
This time, shell get the message. Shell know who the real Westlake daughter is.
Phoebe maintained her innocent, ethereal demeanor. What if she still refuses to admit she was wrong when the execution date comes?
Dean, whose million-dollar hands usually held a scalpel, stroked Phoebes hair.
Sienna is terrified of pain. She won't last through this punishment without admitting it.
His tone was absolute, but he had forgotten the severe kidney disease he developed the year he was accepted into medical school.
I donated one of my kidneys to him.
Back then, they clustered around me, just as they do Phoebe now, lavishing me with care.
Sienna, we will spend our whole lives making you happy.
I, too, thought my happiness would last forever.
Until the day they brought Phoebe home.
The Westlake parents had died in a car accident, and their only younger sister had been lost years earlier due to their negligence.
That same year, they found me, begging on the street, and adopted me.
I was grateful that the three Westlake brothers had given me a home, and I knew their affection was just a way to channel their guilt over losing their sister.
So, the day Phoebe was returned, I gave up my bedroom and moved into the storage room.
My brothers were consumed by the joy of finding their lost sister.
At the dinner table, I sat quietly in the corner, eating the food in my bowl.
I understood: all that love was stolen.
Now, it was time to give it back.
Carter, always the most reserved, looked over at me in the corner. Phoebe has been gone for many years; we owe her a great deal. You are still our sister, but you must remember that she is the true Westlake daughter.
I nodded.
Phoebe had been raised by a family in a rural area and suffered many hardships.
I showed her around the house and filled her closet with my brand-new dresses.
But the next afternoon, Phoebe burst into tears and threw my clothes out of her wardrobe.
She put a pin in the dress! I was bleeding!
Rhys heard the commotion and rushed in. Seeing the faint scratch on Phoebes neck, he immediately spun to face me.
What happened?
Phoebes tears fell harder. She threw herself into Rhyss arms, sobbing. I shouldnt have come back. Im just ruining your lives.
I didnt put one there. Maybe it was mixed in by accident
Rhys cut me off sharply.
Is it just because Carter said Phoebe is the true daughter that you would do something like this?
Dean entered the room and immediately started disinfecting Phoebes scratch.
Sienna, dont let jealousy take hold. Our love was always meant to be hers.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
The truth felt irrelevant. What mattered was that they were all vying to prove Phoebes importance.
That night, I was locked out on the balcony for the entire night.
Phoebe seemed to sense her power and became more brazen with me.
Her backpack was ripped? I did it.
Her finger was cut? I caused it.
My brothers gazes became increasingly colder.
The same hands that had lifted me from the gutter were now pushing me into the abyss.
My mental state deteriorated. I was often dazed, even in class. I started to notice cuts appearing on my own wrists.
After school one day, I didnt leave. I walked toward the school pond.
Just as I hesitated at the edge, Dr. Stern pulled me back from behind.
He saw right through me, but he simply handed me a cup of hot cocoa.
We talked about many things that daydreams, interests.
The only thing we didn't touch on was my pain.
I confessed that I also loved psychology.
He smiled, said I had a gift for it, and suggested that if I wanted, I could apply to his university and become his actual student.
Before we parted, I couldnt stop a single tear from falling.
Dr. Stern didnt ask anything. He just slipped a business card into my pocket.
If you have things you need to talk about, call me. I want to help.
The next day, I found a note on my desk.
It was a message from him asking me to come to the counseling office after class.
But as soon as I stepped inside the room, a sharp pain in my neck made me lose consciousness.
3
When I woke up, the room was a mess.
I looked up and met Carters eyes, filled with disgust.
I looked down at myself, barely clothed, lying on the couch in Dr. Sterns lounge.
Students swarmed the doorway, immediately pulling out their phones to film me.
How trashy is she? So many girls like Dr. Stern, but no one has ever stooped this low.
This is disgusting! I heard she chased him yesterday and tried to give him a love letter!
Right? He rejected her, so she stripped in his office! Is she trying to ruin his career?
They used their half-truths and manufactured lies as weapons, determined to tear me to shreds.
Carter took off his expensive suit jacket and draped it over me.
Get out, all of you!
I was utterly distraught, my lips trembling. Its not what you think, Carter
Then what is it? Are you going to say you were framed? Your clothes are folded neatly on the chair! What possible excuse could you have?
Tears streamed down my face, and I could only shake my head.
I was knocked out right after I walked in! I dont know what happened!
Carter pulled out a photoa shot of me and Dr. Stern sitting by the pond last nightand threw it in my face.
Phoebe said you had a crush yesterday, and I thought, at least youre sensible. I never imagined youd do something so shameful! Youve embarrassed the entire Westlake name!
It had to be Phoebe.
She must have seen us after school and orchestrated this entire scene.
I was about to speak when Dr. Stern, who had just returned from giving a campus lecture, walked in.
The shock on his face made me want to vanish.
Carter bundled me in his jacket and lifted me to carry me out.
There must be a misunderstanding! Sienna is not like that. Ill check the hallway cameras.
Dr. Sterns interjection turned Carters face several shades darker.
Check the cameras? So everyone can see exactly how my sister was taking off her clothes in your office? I already had someone delete the footage, Doctor. Mind your own business.
I was expelled.
And I was once again locked out on the balcony.
Dean, who had always been the kindest to me, looked at me with open revulsion.
They wouldnt even touch me, as if I were the most morally bankrupt woman on earth.
4
Phoebe stood by the balcony door, holding a bowl of food, and sneered at me.
Do you really think someone like Dr. Stern would talk to you? You go against me, and this is the only outcome youll get.
I truly couldnt understand why she targeted me so relentlessly.
Their love was only supposed to be mine! You, a beggar from the streets, stole my love!
Phoebe suddenly lunged, grabbing my head and slamming it down into the food tray on the floor.
Theyre still worried you havent eaten enough. Go on, eat your fill!
The broth choked me.
I struggled violently and managed to push Phoebe away, sending her tumbling to the ground.
The brothers, hearing her cry out in pain, rushed in instantly.
Sienna is still mad at me because I told Carter about her photos. I only wanted to help.
Tears streamed down her face like rain. The three brothers didnt spare me a glance, shouting at me harshly.
Sienna Westlake, apologize.
We gave you a good life only for you to abuse Phoebe like this?
Have you forgotten who you were before us?
Water dripped from my face. The long accumulation of emotional abuse became unbearable.
The cameras are right there! Why wont you check them? You gave me a good life, but did I not give back?
Carter, the workaholic, ate irregularly, so I cooked him fresh meals daily.
Rhys, the top lawyer, was attacked by a vengeful client, and I took the knife wound for him.
Dean was desperately ill before college, and I volunteered my kidney.
I considered myself a part of this family.
Yet, in the end, my decade of sacrifice was worth less than a single word from their real sister.
Carter slapped me hard across the face. Were family! Are you going to tally up every single thing now? How could we have raised such a wretched ingrate?
I stared at each of their faces.
I felt ridiculous.
This kind of home I was better off without it.
From this day forward, I want nothing to do with any of you.
I shoved past them and ran upstairs to pack my things.
They looked at each other. Dean hesitated. Maybe I should just check the cameras. Sienna has never been this upset before.
Phoebe picked at her fingernails, speaking up first. Its my fault. Let me try to talk to her.
She hurried up the stairs, just as I was about to leave.
Trying the old reverse psychology trick, are we? Hoping theyll feel bad for you?
Sienna Westlake, I underestimated you. I will make sure you vanish from the Westlake family for good.
Phoebe suddenly leaned backward and tumbled down the stairs.
A scream interrupted Dean, who had been heading out to check the surveillance footage.
Phoebe was paralyzed.
When she fell, she shattered a large decorative vase, and a shard severed the tendons in her ankle.
Carter stood outside the hospital room and kicked me down the steps.
Since youre not a Westlake anymore, you can pay for her legs with your life.
I was in agony, the world a haze of crimson.
Phoebe, seated in her wheelchair, looked down at me on the ground like a victor.
She wiggled her foot slightly.
Phoebe! Youre faking it!
But they had long since stopped believing me. They had me locked away in a high-security facility.
I applied for family visits repeatedly, only to be met with constant denials.
Not only was there no way to appeal, but I was also routinely beaten and abused by several of the other inmates.
Lying on the floor, coughing up blood again, I knew I was beyond saving.
I didnt want to hate them. I just wanted to completely forget everything.
The Westlake Group managed to get the trending topics removed, but the discussion around the interview only intensified.
The three brothers were preparing to wheel Phoebe back to her room when the house phone rang.
Sienna Westlake has been executed. Family members should claim the body as soon as possible.
Carter shot to his feet. What did you say?
Before he could ask for details, all their cell phones buzzed simultaneously.
A new trending topic immediately topped the charts.
#SiennaWestlakeFinalVideoExposed
First, search for and download the MotoNovel app from Google. Then, open the app and use the code "334478" to read the entire book.
MotoNovel
Novellia
Bookworm« Previous Post
I Forgot The Billionaire Who Came For Revenge