Chapter 3

Mom and Dad were waiting right outside the door with ropes in their hands.

Leo's voice rang out behind me. "Hurry up and catch this bitch, Mom and Dad! She really was trying to make a run for it!"

I turned around in disbelief, only to meet Leo's triumphant gaze.

White-hot pain shot through the back of my knee as Dad kicked me down from behind. My knees slammed into the ground, instantly drawing blood.

"How dare you run away, you ingrate? We've already accepted your wedding gift. Are you attempting to ruin your mother and me so we can never hold our heads up in front of our neighbors again?"

Right after saying that, he yanked off his belt and lashed me with it. My skin was beaten black and blue. I curled up into a ball on the floor, wailing in despair.

Leo planted his hands on his hips and lifted his chin toward Dad, clearly fishing for praise. "See, Dad? I'm pretty smart, aren't I? I told you we should test her to see if she'd flee. If I hadn't, she would've actually gotten away tonight!"

After hearing that, Dad shot him an approving look before lashing out at me even harder with the belt.

His enraged expression overlapped with a memory of him holding me and beaming. "You're my precious little girl, Daphne. If anyone dares bully you, I'll fight them to the bitter end!"

"I brought you into this world, Daphne! I'm only asking you to marry someone and help out the family. What right do you have to refuse?"

The belt cracked down on my back once more, splitting skin and flesh in an instant. Yet, the pain in my heart at that moment was ten thousand times worse than anything my body could feel.

Before Leo came along, Dad used to protect me like I was made of glass. Even when I ran around, he would guard me from the side, afraid that I might trip or scrape myself.

Now, he was the one beating me until I was covered in wounds, all so he could marry me off to Kieran, the man who had killed his ex-wife, in exchange for 20 grand to buy Leo a house.

"That's enough." Mom suddenly raised her hand to stop Dad before casting me an unreadable look. "Kieran's picking her up tomorrow. If you actually beat her to a pulp, what will we do if we're forced to return the wedding gift?"

After hearing that, Dad glared at me menacingly. He turned around and affectionately ruffled Leo's hair. "Don't worry, son. I won't let your sister escape; she has to get married to get your down payment so you can take a wife and carry on our family line."

I collapsed on the ground like a broken doll, my face reflecting utter despair. As it turned out, in Dad's eyes, my future was worth nothing compared to passing on the family line. The promises he had made to protect me had long since been forgotten.

Mom helped me to my feet and supported me back to the little bed on the balcony. As she carefully applied ointment to my wounds, the concern in her eyes made me lose myself in the memory of when I was nine and had accidentally scraped the skin on my leg.

Her eyes had instantly misted over, and she'd scooped me up and sprinted straight to the hospital. "My little princess has to wear pretty dresses when she grows up. I can't let you have a single scar on your legs!"

Yet, ever since Leo came into the picture, she had never bought me another dress. All of Mom and Dad's time, energy, and money went strictly to Leo, while they pinched every penny when it came to me.

Now, my legs had been whipped raw and bloody by Dad. They would undoubtedly be left covered in ugly scars, yet Mom merely frowned.

When the antiseptic touched my wounds again, the pain forced a muffled groan from my lips. When I lowered my gaze and noticed the pity in Mom's gaze, the last sliver of hope flared up in my heart.

I grasped her hand and croaked out, "Mom, I really don't want to marry Kieran! He's a murderer! I was once your precious little girl, too. Do you really have the heart to watch me throw my whole life away?"