That Rainy Night's Shadow
It's been ten years, and I thought those dark days had long since been buried by time.
But when dust kicked up at the village entrance and that black luxury car rolled to a stop, I knew there was no escaping what was coming.
The car door opened, and Jessica Watson stepped out.
She had changed—dressed in a sharp, tailored suit, her makeup flawless, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay. She was no longer the carefree girl who used to trail behind me and Daisy, laughing without a care.
Now, she was the nation's richest woman—an untouchable, exalted presence.
And I? Just a sickly village woman barely clinging to life.
She didn't give me a second to react; two towering bodyguards behind her came straight at me.
My already frail body had no strength to fight back as they dragged me along.
"Jessica, what are you trying to do?" I croaked out the words, my voice trembling with fear.
She didn't look at me. Instead, she coldly ordered the bodyguard, "Take her to the square. Let everyone see the true face of the woman protecting the killer."
The square quickly filled with a crowd.
There were villagers, along with reporters carrying cameras and microphones.
The villagers' eyes stabbed into me like knives, their mouths spewing harsh curses I could hardly bear.
"It's her—the one who covered for the killer after Daisy, such a good girl, was bullied into taking her own life!"
"She really has no heart. Daisy treated her like a sister, and yet she treats Daisy like this!"
I don't know who threw the first stone, but it hit my arm, burning with pain.
Then more stones and rotten vegetable leaves came flying at me.
I curled up, letting those things rain down on me as despair crept over me.
Jessica Watson stepped forward, towering over me, hatred blazing in her eyes. "Mia, ten years have passed. It's time you told the truth."
I lifted my head, staring into her cold eyes. My lips moved, but no words came out.
"What? Still trying to cover for that killer?" She sneered coldly, pulling a palm-sized silver device from her pocket.
"This is a Memory Extractor. Just press it against your temple, and every single memory you have will be pulled out and made public."
The crowd around us erupted instantly.
"Go on! Make her spill everything!"
"We can't let Daisy's death be for nothing!"
Jessica Watson gripped the instrument and closed in on me step by step. "Tell me—who was the killer who raped Daisy back then?"
"If you don't, I'll use this right now and force you to relive that filthy memory in front of everyone."
I looked at her, pain and helplessness twisting in my heart.
There are some truths I don't want to say—not because I won't, but because I can't.
Jessica Watson didn't give me a moment to hesitate.
She stepped forward herself and pressed the Memory Extractor to my temple.
A wave of icy cold spread through me, then my mind felt invaded by something, and countless fragments of memory began to flood in.
The first thing everyone saw was all the torment I endured after Daisy's death.
In the scene, a group of villagers stormed into my house, smashing everything inside to pieces.
They grabbed my hair and dragged me out into the yard to beat me.
"You accomplice! Tell me who the killer is!" a man yelled, slamming his fist into my face. The world spun, and my mouth filled with the sharp taste of blood.
Once, they even set my house on fire.
I sat on the ground, helpless, as the roaring flames devoured the only home I had, tears streaming down my face.
What broke my heart the most was that my pet dog White was beaten to death by them and left lying right in front of me.
White was a gift from Daisy before she died. He had always been by my side, but because I was accused of protecting the killer, even he wasn't spared.
The people in the Square watched the scenes unfold; some eyes flickered with a hint of pity, but most were still filled with anger.
"You got what you deserved! Who told you not to cooperate!" someone shouted.
Jessica's gaze didn't waver at all. She said coldly, "This is only the beginning, Mia. I'm going to make everyone see how you covered for the killer step by step, and how you betrayed Daisy."
Soon, the memory shifted, showing the happy times when Daisy, Jessica, and I were kids.
We ran along the field ridge, caught fish in the little river, and shared snacks under the big tree.
Daisy smiled so brightly; she always shared the best things with Jessica and me.
Jessica was very timid as a child. Whenever other kids bullied her, Daisy was always the first to step in and protect her.
I still remember one time when Jessica accidentally fell into the river. Daisy dove in without a second thought, saved her, and ended up with a high fever for days.
But as I watched these tender moments, Jessica suddenly laughed, her smile full of scorn: "Mia, you're really something at pretending."
"Now that you're showing this, you want everyone to think you and Daisy were close. Aren't you just covering for the killer? How hypocritical!"
I was on the verge of tears. "Jessica, it's not like that. Those times were real, and my feelings for Daisy were real too!"
"Real?" She raised an eyebrow. "Then why won't you name the killer?"
I opened my mouth but still couldn't say it.
Right then, the memory footage shifted again.
This time, it showed Daisy's body being pulled from the river.
In the footage, Daisy's body was cold, her face pale. She lay there silently, never to smile or speak again.
Jessica and I collapsed over Daisy's body, crying uncontrollably.
Jessica sobbed, "Mia, we have to find the killer and get justice for Daisy!"
But now, she's pointing every finger at me.
The atmosphere in the square grew heavier; Daisy's parents gazed at the footage, already broken down in tears.
Jessica, seeing the pain in Daisy's parents, her eyes burning with hatred, said, "Mia, did you see that?"
"Daisy's parents are suffering so much, and yet you're still hiding the truth. How can you face Daisy? How can you face her parents?"
I looked at Daisy's parents' aged faces, and my heart felt like it was being torn apart.
I'm sorry, truly sorry, but I just can't say.
Jessica Watson didn't stop the memory extraction.
What she wanted to uncover was the secret buried deepest in my heart.
The memories kept flashing by, mostly showing me struggling to survive in the village after Daisy died.
Shunned, spat on, beaten — that's how I've lived all these years.
But Jessica Watson didn't seem satisfied. She frowned and said to the technician operating the instrument, "Why isn't there any memory from the night Daisy was raped?"
"Keep extracting. I need to see what happened that night!"
The technician nodded and turned up the power on the instrument.
Suddenly, I felt like my brain was being ripped apart—pain so sharp it was unbearable.
I knew they were after the memory I had been hiding on purpose all along.
I struggled fiercely inside my mind—I couldn't let that memory come out, no way!
Before long, Jessica Watson sensed something was wrong.
"What's going on? Why is the image so blurry?" She demanded of the technician.
The technician stared at the screen, brow furrowed. "Ms. Watson, it looks like Ms. Larsen is resisting. Her mind is battling the system, blocking us from accessing that particular memory."
Jessica Watson shot me a fierce glare, eyes blazing with anger. "Mia! You're still resisting! Who exactly are you protecting?"
"Is that killer really so important to you? Important enough to betray Daisy, and to bear all this suffering alone?"
Gritting my teeth through the sharp pain in my head, I shook my head. "I didn't betray Daisy, I just..."
"Just what?" She cut me off, stepped right in front of me, and suddenly slapped me hard across the face.
The slap landed so hard, I nearly blacked out.
"Tell me! Who's the killer?" she screamed, her emotions raging out of control.
Reporters around us raised their cameras, capturing every moment.
The villagers joined in the uproar, shouting, "Just say it! Stop pretending!"
Clutching my burning cheek, tears finally streamed down my face.
I stared at Jessica, my heart aching with helplessness and pain. "Jessica, please believe me—I have my reasons. I just can't say..."
"Reasons?" She sneered, "Your reasons? So you're fine with Daisy being wrongfully killed? Mia, I really misjudged you!"
The technician spoke up at this moment: "Ms. Watson, Ms. Larsen is resisting fiercely. Forcibly extracting could cause severe brain damage, even risk her life."
Jessica didn't hesitate: "No matter the cost, I must know the truth! Keep going!"
I know. I'm about to snap.
That buried memory could be ripped out of me at any moment.
What am I supposed to do?
The instrument's power is ramping up, and my mind is starting to fade.
It feels like a thousand needles are stabbing into my brain—every second is pure agony.
I can feel that memory I've fought to hide being torn away, piece by piece.
Jessica Watson stared intently at the screen, her eyes blazing with both hope and fury.
At last, a blurry image flickered on the screen.
It was a rainy night, the sky pitch black, with only occasional lightning casting light over the woods.
In the frame, I saw a blurry figure sprinting deep into the forest.
The figure was tall, wearing a dark coat.
I remember that night—I was supposed to meet Daisy under the big tree at the village entrance, but after waiting forever, she never showed up.
Worry gnawing at me, I took the path to find her, and at the edge of the woods, I spotted that running figure.
At the time, I had no idea what had happened, until the next day when news broke that Daisy had taken her own life.
It was only later that I realized the silhouette was probably the killer who hurt Daisy.
But because the rain was pouring so hard, and I could only see the person during lightning flashes, I couldn't make out their face at all—I could only remember the general shape and that dark coat.
Jessica Watson stared at the blurry figure on the screen, shouting anxiously, "Make it clearer! Sharpen the image!"
The technician hurriedly manipulated the controls, but no matter what he did, the figure stayed blurry—only a rough outline was visible.
"How is this possible?" Jessica's frustration deepened. "Mia, are you doing this on purpose?"
"Haven't you seen the truth all along and just refused to say it?"
I shook my head weakly, "I didn't... The rain was pouring so hard, I really couldn't see clearly..."
Then, the image on the screen abruptly switched.
This time, it was the funeral of Jessica Watson's father.
In the scene, Jessica Watson wore black mourning clothes, kneeling before the altar, tears streaming down her face.
Her mother, Jennifer Xavier, stood beside her, her face pale and worn.
The villagers watched the scene, whispering among themselves.
"How did the funeral of Ms. Watson's father suddenly appear?"
"Didn't Ms. Watson's father die a few years ago? I heard it was an accident."
Jessica's face turned pale the moment she saw the scene.
She snapped at the technician, "What is going on? Why am I seeing my father's funeral? I asked for the memory of the night Daisy was raped!"
The technician looked puzzled too. "Ms. Watson, it seems Ms. Larsen's memories got tangled. Under intense resistance, some unrelated fragments were extracted as well."
Jessica Watson took a deep breath, struggling to steady her emotions. "Keep extracting. No matter what irrelevant images appear, don't stop. I have to find the killer's clue!"
I lay on the ground, feeling my life slowly slipping away.
I know the truth is on the verge of being uncovered.
But I really don't want Jessica Watson to find out the truth. It would be too cruel for her.
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