Chapter 4

Mom's hands stilled, and she fell silent. Then, she looked away, avoiding my expectant gaze.

"That was just an accident," she said, her voice laced with guilt. "You're young and beautiful. If you marry Kieran, maybe he'll treat you better than your father and I ever did."

A lump formed in my throat, and I bit my lip, unable to utter another word. So, she was well aware that she and Dad had treated me terribly all these years.

Mom locked the balcony door from the outside. I bit through the inside of my lip, closing my eyes in helplessness as tears soaked through my pillow.

My bag, which was out in the living room, still held the gifts I had bought for Mom and Dad with the wages I'd earned from two months of my summer job. However, did they ever see me as their family?

I couldn't wrap my head around it. In a heartbeat, my chest felt tight and unbearably painful, and I passed out.

…

When I came to, the first thing that came into view was a pockmarked face. "Honey, you're finally awake!" Kieran's lecherous gaze roamed over my body.

I shook like a leaf as I propped myself up on my arms and scrambled backward. Instinctively, I wanted to call out to Mom and Dad for help. Yet, as I looked past Kieran, Mom and Dad were at the door, staring at me blankly.

"Daphne, from now on, you belong to the Draven family. Be a good wife to your husband." Mom's voice was unnervingly calm. Having said her piece, she took Dad's hand and left.

My eyes bulged, and as the door slammed shut, the tightly wound string of my sanity snapped. I thrashed wildly, desperate to escape from underneath Kieran.

Yet, no matter what I did, I couldn't break free from his grip. He pinned me down, his slimy fingers tracing along my waist.

Goosebumps broke out all over my body as I sobbed hysterically, begging him to spare me. However, he only became more aroused, and he tore my clothes to shreds.

He was about to cross the line when I gritted my teeth and drove my knee into his groin. Seizing advantage of the moment he doubled over in pain, I scrambled to my feet and bolted for the door.

The moment I flung it open, an excruciating pain exploded in my chest as I was kicked right back to the ground by Dad.

He glared at me, his face filled with disappointment. "I've already accepted 20 grand from Kieran and married you off to him, Daphne. So, stop being so difficult. Hurry up and serve him properly so you can go back home with him!"

With that, he raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face. In a heartbeat, a searing pain spread across my cheek.

I clutched my swollen cheek, and I could no longer suppress the overwhelming sense of betrayal within me. Tears cascaded down my face as I shrieked, "I'm your flesh and blood, Dad. Are you seriously going to sell me to a murderer for 20 grand and make me his wife? I just received my college acceptance letter yesterday, and today's my birth—"

Before I could finish, he slammed the door in my face, unwilling to listen to another word.

Kieran grinned maliciously and tackled me to the ground once again. This time, all the fight drained out of me.

I closed my eyes in despair, allowing a fine, dense pain to bloom beneath me. I could vaguely hear my family laughing as they discussed buying a house.

I had no idea how much time passed before Kieran finally pulled away from me. He licked his lips in satisfaction. "If you'd been this obedient from the start, you wouldn't have had to suffer."

I nodded stiffly and wiped the tear stains away from my face. I slipped the matches into my pocket, obediently walked into the kitchen, and forced a smile at Mom and Dad. "Dad, Mom, before I leave, I want to cook one last meal for you to repay you for raising me."

Mom wrapped her arm around Leo and sat down at the dining table. Dad's expression remained hardened as he warned me, "Fine. Now that your body belongs to Kieran, you're stuck with him for life. Don't even think about pulling any more tricks. Once you're done cooking, pack up and leave with him."

Moments later, when Mom and Dad heard nothing from the kitchen, they walked in with scowls on their faces to rush me. The moment they pushed open the door, the color drained from their faces, and their eyes widened in terror.