Another humiliation

★★★★★

The door banged violently in the morning, startling Anastasia who had gone to sleep last night after sobbing for over an hour. In addition, she didn't eat yesterday night, thus her first thought upon waking up was food.

Anastasia staggered over to the door and opened it, only to see the same servant standing there with the clothes in her hand.

“It appears that you slept soundly last night. If you wish to eat breakfast, put on these clothes and join the rest of the family at the breakfast table within ten minutes; else, food will not be served to you later," The servant said while rolling her eyes. She could not get over the pleasure she got from criticizing this woman; it made her feel superior.

Anastasia's expression was plain, and she didn't force herself to speak since she believed she deserved it. It was not their fault; it was her parents who purposefully pushed her into this circumstance and had no intention of helping her out of it. Which meant that no matter how horrible the days were, she would have to live here until her breath drained from her body.

She took the clothes from her hand and locked the door. Anastasia was saddened, but she kept her emotions under control. She proceeded towards the washroom with those clothes, and she had not examined the shabby-looking attire. She had a fast shower and changed into those clothes, which were indeed servant attire. Looking at herself, she chuckled with tears in her eyes. She exited the room, gathering the rest of her hair in a bun, and went in search of a meal.

The room she was given was in the farthest part of the enormous home, entirely cut off from the main entrance. She headed for the breakfast table, considering a meeting with Richard as she needed to file for divorce. This marriage wasn't going to last whatever her parents may have planned.

However, when she reached the table, she realized that she had no idea what Richard looked like; She had never seen him, and her family had never shown her a photograph of the guy she married.

"Look, who is here?" Richard's mother chimed when she saw Anastasia in servant's clothes; she couldn't convey how much she wanted her mother-in-law to see Anastasia's face; the woman she picked to marry his son.

Anastasia noticed two men and a quiet woman who were eating strangely while seated next to Richard's mother at the breakfast table. She was well aware that nothing nice could happen to her in this place and Richard's mother would insult her

"Nobody can deny that she appears incredibly gorgeous, even in servants' attire," One of the men spoke with nasty eyes on Ana's body, which was rolling over every part of her body, making Anastasia quite uncomfortable. Her hand gripped the hem of the garment tightly as she approached the table, snatching a chair to sit down. But Richard's mother's remarks froze her stance: "Before joining us for breakfast, lovely girl, I want to know if you have called your family."

Glancing at Richard's mother, Anastasia swallowed her dread subtly, knowing that her response would determine her fate. Her knees trembled and fear started to knock at her heart.

“Speak up, Ana! The breakfast will not be going to stay warm for the rest of the day," Richard's mother sweetly said, yet everyone could feel the chilliness from her voice.

Anastasia shook her head saying slowly with her eyes lowered, “No, they refused to come here and they said I have to remain here since it is my home now!"

Richard's mother smashed the table hard, stood up, glared at Anastasia, and yelled, "Your parents' boldness will pay them dearly. They assume it's your residence; I applaud their beliefs."

"Sister, calm yourself, she is just a tiny girl," said the same man who had previously made a vulgar statement about Anastasia, addressing Richard's mother as his sister.

“Calm down!?? Jerry, You are urging me to hush down. I told you these people are greedy for money,” Richard's mother responded violently, glaring at Ana, and for a second she felt like hacking this lady to pieces. She was grateful that her son had not agreed to this marriage, but if this had persisted, Richard's thoughts might have changed, or his decision might have changed after witnessing this vixen.

"I just..." Jerry was unable to complete it as his sister screamed at Ana, “Withdraw your hand from the chair and sit on the floor to eat because we do not think of you as a member of this family.”

Anastasia's gut squeezed as her tears flowed, and she let go of the chair and sat on the chilly floor, having no choice but to accept the adjustment, her parents had proposed the night before.

"Enough Selena; she is a small girl, exactly like Emelia. You shouldn't have to be so harsh," the other man, who had remained silent the entire time, tried to stop Selena from hurting the innocent girl. Furthermore, he noticed Anastasia shaking in terror.

“Hah! You also give in to her allure, don’t you!? Markus, is she really beautiful?" Richard's mother gritted her teeth and asked her boyfriend, "Do you want to sleep with her? I feel like everyone wants to be easy on Ana because she has this look that makes people want to shield her."

"You are inconceivable!" After pushing the chair and yelling at Selena, Markus headed for the door.

"Markus," Selena called him, but he did not halt or turn around to look at Selena despite her yelling. Furious, Selena accused Anastasia of being the cause of this. She was fully aware that Ana was to blame for everything.

Looking at the servant who was standing in the distance, Selena instructed, "Bring her food, but feed her dog food instead of what we eat."

The woman, who had been eating silently all along, glanced at Selena in disbelief. She was Selena's daughter. Due to her autism, she rarely spoke to strangers; yet, what she was hearing from her mother right now worried her. Her gaze wandered to the girl on the floor, and she noticed her sobbing strongly with her head down, which hurt her. She wanted to talk with her mother but was unable to do so because Selena had no intention of stopping.

"Have sure she finishes all of the dog food she is given, then have her scrub the floor of the house," Selena said her words with her chin up before leaving the table, announcing, “Jerry, come with me. I have things to say."

Jerry pursed his lips in displeasure because he had something else on his mind. He couldn't stop staring at the girl on the floor; her breathtaking attractiveness fueled his desire for her. He didn't mind having her as his own because Richard didn't care about her.

Selena and Jerry entered the room, as a servant delivered a bowl of dog food and placed it in front of Ana, saying, "Eat before she punishes you further."

Selena's daughter left the table with a bowl full of sausages and bread. She approached Anastasia slowly, not wanting to alarm her. When she spotted Ana preparing to consume dog food, she kicked it away and held the dish in front of her.

“Don't...eat that! Eat this!" The woman replied with a smile. Anastasia looked up and peered at the woman through tears. Certainly, she had given up hope that anyone would feed her.

"Miss Helena, I don't believe you should dismiss your mother's words. You know, she is going to be angry with you," the servant who brought Anastasia the dog food advised nicely to Helena, knowing they had been ordered not to speak to Helena in a loud voice.

With a look of rage in her eyes, Helena grabbed a glass and threw it at the servant, who let out a terrified cry and ran out of the dining room.