Chapter 3

On Christmas Day, Ken called me out of the family chapel.

I was so dizzy that I could not even stand up properly.

Ken immediately grabbed two ropes and tied my feet tightly, forcing me to stand straight.

I dared not say a word because I could not get my voice out.

The living room was filled with relatives and friends.

Anne was dressed in a festive red outfit, moving among the crowd and making everyone laugh heartily.

I huddled on the single couch in the corner, trying to minimize my presence.

"Is this the Jane that the Lawson family sent to the mountains for a spiritual retreat?" Flora McAdams, a distant aunt of the Lawsons, looked me up and down, clutching her chest.

"Oh, she lost so much weight. Her complexion looks so pale and sickly too. It's honestly a little creepy. Ken, did this girl not eat properly up on the mountain? Why is she standing... all crooked? Was she not getting enough to eat?"

Ken paused for a moment while pouring coffee, but he still maintained a smile. "Aunt Flora, you must be joking. Jane was doing a spiritual retreat on the mountain and had a simple diet. It cannot compare to the pampered, comfortable life she had at home."

"Spiritual retreat?" Flora curled her lip. "More like she's made herself into a fool. She didn’t even greet her elders. She has absolutely no manners. Anne's more sensible. She's more obedient and much prettier."

"Exactly. We watched Anne grow up. She's sure to marry into a good family one day."

Anne lowered her head shyly, though she cast a triumphant glance at me out of the corner of her eye.

I listened blankly, feeling nothing at all.

Suddenly, Anne walked over carrying a fruit platter. She ‘tripped’ and pounced right at me. "Ah!"

The heavy crystal platter slammed straight into me, crashing hard against my head.

"Ahh!" I curled up in pain and instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

"Oh! My hand!" Anne wailed, clutching her wrist. "Jane, why did you push me? I just wanted to bring you some fruit!"

Everyone's gaze turned toward us.

Clutching my head, I struggled to catch my breath and could only shake my head weakly. "I-I didn't..."

"You didn't?" Ken strode over to help Anne up.

"Anne's hand is all red! Jane, how dare you lash out like that in front of so many elders? Do you have a death wish?"

"Did she really push her? That's just vicious."

"She was so quiet earlier. I thought she was just a quiet girl, but it turns out she's full of malice."

"That's the upbringing of an illegitimate child for you. It’s impossible to raise them right!”

The surrounding discussion drowned out my incoherent protests.

With a dark scowl, Ken grabbed me by the collar and dragged me into the study on the second floor.

As the door closed, he released his grip, and I fell clumsily to the floor. "Ken, I really didn't push her. She fell on her own—"

Slap!

Another slap left my ears ringing.

"How dare you make excuses! Anne is so kind-hearted. Would she frame you over something like that?

“You’re the one who’s been twisted since childhood, always jealous that Anne was the favorite!" Ken glared at me, gasping heavily.

"Jane, it seems those three years up in the mountains didn't teach you a thing. You can't change what's rotten in your core, can you?" He walked over to the desk and picked up a ruler.

The ruler blurred into a multitude of images before my eyes. It instantly looked as if hundreds of rulers were standing right in front of me.

I shuddered and instinctively curled into a ball. "Don't hit... Don't hit my head... Please don't hit my head..."

My head had already suffered severe trauma, and parts of it had been surgically removed. If it suffered another blow, I would be doomed.

"Your head? Do you think I'm an idiot like you? Hitting you there would just kill you!”

The nuns at the convent loved to whack my head. They claimed it would beat the evil thoughts out of my head, allowing me to become the well-behaved child Ken wanted.

The ruler in Ken's hand lashed viciously across my back. "You're afraid people will find out you snuck off the mountain to play, aren't you? Why won't you ever learn? Why are you so bad?"

"I didn't! I wasn't being bad! I'm very obedient!" I screamed. My back was burning with pain, yet I dared not let go of the hand protecting my head.

"You didn't? Why are you acting so guilty?" Ken struck even harder. "How did the Lawsons end up with someone as hopelessly stubborn as you?"

He whacked a dozen times before finally stopping. He tossed the ruler aside and straightened his shirt. "Alright. Stop playing dead.

“Go hide in a corner and stay out of sight. Remember: if you embarrass the Lawsons again, I'm sending you back to Coolwater Convent."