Chapter 2

I snapped out of my memories.

My mother looked delighted. She was like a proud hen that had won a chicken fight.

"It wasn't easy to convince you to come home. Why would I let you escape so easily? You'll be the daughter-in-law of the Wagners from now on. Give me a grandchild and take care of me like a mother-in-law."

This was ridiculous.

I already had a husband. Even if I did not have one, there was no way I could be with my stepbrother, Boris.

The mention of Boris reminded me of my mother's wedding night with my stepfather, Titus Wagner. I had been sleeping in my room then. At night, a man slipped into my bed while no one was paying attention.

Feeling the figure of about 200 pounds press down on me, I woke up right away and struggled underneath his heavy body.

His smelly, sweaty hand covered my mouth while his other hand groped me beneath the covers as he tried to take off my clothes.

It was too dark to tell who the man was. I cried in a panic, begging him to let me go.

I told him that my mother and Titus were right next door. Someone would come for me right away if I screamed, and he should leave if he knew what was good for him. I promised not to say a word about what he did.

He laughed instead. He leaned close to my ear and said something that made my eyes widen.

"Titus is my dad. Who do you think he'll side with? I'll get my dad to let you marry me. You'll take care of me your entire life!"

I was so shocked, I could not move. All I did was lie in bed blankly.

Thinking that I had given in, Boris turned around to take off his clothes. I grabbed the opportunity to push open the windows and jumped out.

I spent the night in a huge stack of firewood that the townspeople had put together. Before anyone else woke up the next day, I snuck home to get my college acceptance letter and my identity card. I left the town right away.

Since then, I never returned.

I did not want to be reminded of that horrible memory.

It never occurred to me that I would be dragged back into this nightmare by my mother after I escaped this hellhole with everything I had.

As I was thinking about this, Titus and Boris, who had come back from visiting relatives in the neighboring town, walked through the door.

Boris' eyes lit up when he saw me crouching in the corner.

"You're back, Raven! You've gotten even more beautiful than before. It's making me hard just by looking at you."

I suddenly felt like throwing up. I cowered backward in fear, trying to hide.

However, my mother grabbed me by the hair and dragged me forward. She pushed me forcefully toward Boris.

After releasing me, she leaned onto Titus' shoulder and clapped her hands. "This little wretch tried to escape three times. I'm exhausted!"

She added, "No need to hold yourself back, Boris. A woman deserves a beating if she's disobedient. Just go hard on her and she'll learn her lesson."

My eyes widened in disbelief. I was nothing to my mother. I was no better than a dog on the street!

Boris could not wait as he quickly lunged at me with a lecherous smile.