Your Accuse

Zoe's tears are the first that translate the sorrow.

"AAGHH!"

But she couldn't say anything. Crying in silence was suffocating. Zoe wanted to scream, to release the pain that weighed on her chest, but only gasps and moans escaped her lips.

Even swearing seemed beyond Zoe's ability. She wanted to be angry at Billy, she wanted to be angry at Max for not defending her, she wanted to be angry at Iris for starting all her misfortunes, but everything was held back in her throat.

"Please calm down for a moment. The explanation is quite long."

The doctor interrupted with a regretful expression. He didn't want to disturb Zoe's grief, but he had to explain.

With still-wet eyes, Zoe looked at him and blinked. She was urging him to continue. Her mind was still in turmoil, but Zoe wanted to hear it all.

"Your head was hit hard, and you underwent surgery to remove a blood clot. Now you're healthy, but your hair might be shorter because we had to shave it."

Reflexively, Zoe tried to raise her hand to touch her head, but besides her hand feeling heavy due to lack of movement, she felt something restraining her hand.

KLANG!

The sound of metal clashing was heard as Zoe shook her hand. She looked down and saw another horrifying reality. Her hands were shackled.

Zoe looked back at the doctor with horrific eyes: panic and the desire for another explanation.

"For the shackles, the police will explain that to you later. Please calm down, don't move too much. Your body isn't used to movement, especially after being in a coma for several months. Yes, you were in a coma for about seven months. Now is the seventh month since your fall."

The doctor said everything while holding Zoe's hand to prevent her from struggling against the shackles. He asked her to stay calm.

And the mention of seven months once again halted Zoe's movements. She had just heard about her deceased child, the police involvement, and now she was shackled and had been in a coma for seven months. She could deduce that the police would be involved due to Billy's actions causing her to fall and miscarry, but she didn't understand why her hands were shackled.

Her life sounded like a circus full of cruel jokes.

"We will further observe your condition, especially regarding the difficulty in regaining speech."

The doctor patted Zoe's hand, calming her again. He then spoke to a nurse. But Zoe couldn't listen anymore.

Tears were the only thing speaking for her now. Full of confusing restlessness and sadness. She gently caressed her flat stomach.

The baby that hadn't even appropriately formed was also gone. She was truly alone.

***

The police arrived less than half an hour later while Zoe was sipping water with the help of a nurse.

"Miss Zoe Anderson?" Two casually dressed police officers---detectives, asked in an official tone.

Zoe nodded and opened her mouth, but only the same incomprehensible sounds from before came out.

"I apologize, but perhaps some of her nerves haven't fully recovered. The patient is having difficulty speaking." The nurse explained as she walked out, not wanting to get involved with the police.

"Oh, we understand. In that case, you can listen."

The police officers took out documents and raised them before Zoe, indicating for her to read along.

"This is the verdict issued by the judge. You've been found guilty of stalking Maxwell Taylor. And..."

"HMMM!" Zoe protested with a shapeless loud sound. She had just heard the biggest nonsense she had ever heard. The accusation of stalking Max was absurd.

"I'm sorry. Could you please calm down for a moment?" The police officer remained courteous, holding Zoe's shackled hand to prevent her from hurting herself.

Zoe didn't want to be silent but knew she hadn't heard the worst part yet. She stopped struggling and took deep breaths to contain her anger.

"You don't need to be afraid. Your sentence is technically six months in jail, but the judge has shown leniency considering your severe injuries. He only requires you to comply with a restraining order to stay at least a hundred meters from Maxwell Taylor. If you violate this order, then the six-month sentence will be enforced. But if you comply and never approach Maxwell again, you'll be okay. You won't have to serve any sentence. Do you understand my explanation?"

The detective looked into Zoe's eyes, asking her to indicate her understanding. He had just delivered the verdict to Zoe and needed an official confirmation that the verdict had been communicated.

Unable to form words, Zoe, who was once again reduced to tears without speech, nodded faintly. Even if she could speak, Zoe wasn't sure she'd be able to.

Exploiting her inability to defend herself, they had played dirty. Max's betrayal was nothing compared to what Zoe was feeling now. They had inflicted another wound on her already bleeding soul.

"Thank you. I hope you'll also comply with this sentence for the sake of your well-being."

The detective was warning Zoe not to approach Max again. The threat of punishment was severe. The police would arrest her if anyone reported her getting close to Max.

"I will unlock these shackles now, as your verdict has been officially delivered." The police officer released the shackle on Zoe's hand, which immediately went limp.

"I hope you recover quickly. Have a good afternoon."

After completing their task, the detective didn't linger. He wouldn't provide comfort or say that everything would be alright. Nothing would be okay after this; Zoe knew her life was over.

All her hopes for the future had vanished. The person who once shared beautiful dreams of the future with her had proven indifferent.

Even her dreams no longer seemed beautiful. How could she sing when she couldn't even speak?

Zoe closed her eyes, hoping she wouldn't wake up again because the reality awaited her was not a life. It was a cruel fate, akin to a nightmare.