They Wished I Had Died

The day my son was taken by human traffickers, I ran after them like a madwoman.

I never expected the kidnapper to strike the back of my head so hard that my mental capacity regressed to that of a toddler.

From then on, I—once an outstanding university professor—became a crazy woman everyone pointed and whispered about.

I wandered off many times, but my husband always searched the world over to find me and hold me tight.

My son knelt before me in remorse: "Mom became this way because of me."

"Don't be scared, Mom. I'll protect you."