Chapter One

Under the pouring rain, a woman with black hair and dark brown eyes ran through the storm and stopped to take shelter under a big tree to catch her breath. 

She panted hard while wiping her face then looked ahead to see the shop that was almost closing soon.

“You’re almost there, just two blocks away and you're there…” She encouraged herself before stepping out of the rain again and sprinting towards the shop.

As soon as she made it to the shop, the owner immediately saw her and stopped her by the door.

"I'm sorry, you can't come in here like that." The owner, Greg, told her.

She was obedient so she took out the money in her pants which were drenched with water and showed it to Greg.

"One… one bottle of vodka please." She politely asked while panting hard to catch her breath.

Greg gave her a look as if she was crazy before turning around to get what she needed.

"This one's on me, save your money." He told the woman and handed her the vodka. "Are they giving you a hard time?"

The woman forced out a fake smile as if she expected Greg to ask him that question and answered in confidence "No they're not, it was my idea to come here." 

"Marjorie, you don't need to lie, like what I said before. Words can lie but-" The woman continued Greg’s sentence while taking his hand and giving the money.

"But the eyes can never lie." She looked up to him and gave him a real smile and added "Don't worry, I'm really fine."

Before Greg can say another word, Marjorie was already far away from his store. He shook his head while letting out a deep breath.

“May you find happiness soon.” He pleaded while looking at the full moon that was hiding behind the clouds.

When Marjorie made it outside her house, she stood there for a few minutes before removing her coat and boots while chuckling slightly.

'What's the use of them if it can't even keep me dry?' She wondered while turning the door knob.

"I'm home." She announced quietly, not that anyone cares about her presence anyway.

Even if she were to die on the road, no one would even notice. As soon as she took one step, she received a hard slap on the face that sent her on the ground.

"About damn time!" Her father, or rather, step father Damon grabbed the vodka from her hand before she fell. "Useless f***king child, making me wait for a long time!"

Damon stomped to the lounge and immediately chugged his drink. Marjorie slowly stood up while holding her cheek then she went to her bedroom. 

When she opened the door, she saw her step-sister Anna rummaging through her stuff.

"What are you doing?" Anna shot her head towards Marjorie with a shocked face but then she immediately replaced it with a smirk.

"Nothing." Anna replied and walked past her.

It was obvious that Anna was hiding something behind her back so Marjorie turned her around and saw the MP3 player that her parents left for her.

"Those are mine." Marjorie was about to take it but she got punched in the guts instead.

"Not anymore." Anna retorted while laughing.

"Give it back to me please, that’s the only thing I have!" She pleaded while using the wall to support her so she can stand.

"You don’t own anything in this house b*tch! This junk is now mine!" Anna smirked and walked towards the door.

Marjorie used all of her strength to charge herself towards Anna and grabbed the MP3 player. This sudden move made her fall onto the ground and Anna bumping into a wall.

She held the MP3 player close to her chest with tears falling from her eyes. Even though she hasn’t met her parents, she was glad that they still didn’t abandon her completely.

Marjorie knew that one day she will meet them and the only reason why she’s still alive was because they gave her to a family that would take care of her. That's what she wants to believe.

Even if they constantly abused her, she was still grateful that she has a roof over her head.

“How dare you touch me! You will regret this!” Anna threatened as she ran outside to complain to her mother.

Marjorie clutches the MP3, knowing that sooner or later she will have to face Delilah, her step-mother's wrath. 

This is her daily routine, she gets abused by everyone in the house because she was an orphan. She didn’t mind though because she believes that if she continued being obedient, then they would start loving her at least.

She slowly walked towards her cabinet and took out a very old note that was left from her parents. The note was crumbled and the letters were faded but she can still read what was written on it.

'Her name is Marjorie, her father is still alive and would one day come back for her. He will surely repay you for your kindness if you raise her as your own. We will always love you, our dear daughter. We know that you will grow into a beautiful, strong woman. -Love, your parents.

Aside from feeding her and giving her a roof to survive, Marjorie only stayed there because she was waiting for her father. There were so many questions lingering in her mind but she chose to save it until she actually meets her father.

On the other hand, Delilah kept her because she also received a note saying that every month, a huge amount of money would appear by their door so that they would be able to give Marjorie everything she needed.

Of course they didn’t use it for her though, they spend every penny to gamble and buy drugs. The money doesn’t last long as they would always lose in gambling then blame it on Marjorie that they have badlucks.

Everytime start of the month Marjorie would stay up all night to find out who the sender was but the money would just mysteriously appear. Although she never lost hope that one day she will meet her biological parents.

She always wondered why her parents left her when they could have taken her and why they prefer to send a huge amount of money instead of being with her. She can only answer these questions when she meets them and she would make them explain everything to her.

The hope in her heart never faded even after she was almost beaten to death once. She didn’t mind, she doesn’t care. Even if she often gets bullied at her school, she endured everything.

The sound of Delilah's voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked up the door to see the mother and the daughter.

"There she is mother, I only wanted to listen to the music on her MP3 player but she snatched it away from me, pushed me against the wall and yelled at me!" Anna acted as if she was crying and Delilah glared at the innocent woman.

Before Marjorie can even defend herself, a slap was sent to her face. She didn’t seem shocked by it as she was already used to the pain and decided not to speak as her step-mother won’t believe her anyway.

She was used to them treating her like a maid and giving her new scars everyday. Her life became like Cinderella, no real parents to defend her and everyday is a hell for her.

What's worst is Delilah’s abusive husband. Whenever it’s only Marjorie and Damon in the house, Damon would find a way to abuse Marjorie in the worst way. 

He had also tried raping her but failed as Delilah would always come to her rescue, which Marjorie was thankful for. Several times Damon would hit her with whatever he can grab onto to vent out his anger or when he's drunk.

This has been her life since she learned how to speak and gotten used to it. The only thing that kept her going was the thought of either Delilah will love her back as one of her own or her finding her real parents. 

Maybe there's a reason why they won't show themselves and they’re just trying to protect me. That was what Marjorie wanted to think so the thought of them not wanting her wouldn't cross her mind.