Chapter 322

• At the corner of the picture was me… the toddler version of myself… looking small, vulnerable and utterly pitiable in some baby clothes, looking up at the camera with eyes flooded with tears, as a small hand covered my mouth which was wide open as I cried out of terror. I painfully remembered why I used to do that as a kid, even when I was crying my eyes out, I had learned through pain and beatings to try to stay quiet. And that was what baby me was doing in the picture.
• Muffling my tears, fighting my fear and terror, in order to avoid getting hurt by the monster.
• And the monster captured the moment so perfectly, preserving this devastating memory with sadistic precision. My bandaged fists were trembling with pain as I stared down at the picture.