In the Hands of Monsters

I was kicked out of the moving car without warning and sent crashing onto the ground hard. The sharp pain sent a wave of dizziness through me.Even so, I stumbled to my feet, instinctively popping my dislocated hand bones and kneecap back into place. I then slowly made my way down the familiar path I'd walked countless times before.I still needed to return to the Sanders residence to retrieve something.Compared to what I'd felt in the past three years, this little bit of pain couldn't do anything to stop me.…By the time I staggered back to the Sanders residence, Connor was already sitting in the living room. Meanwhile, Mom, whom I hadn't met for three years, was currently hugging a coquettish Yvette. She had a soft smile on her face.However, the first to notice me was Yvette."Wendy's back!" She linked arms with Mom and walked over cheerfully.Mom was initially surprised to see me before tearing up in a heartbroken manner. "How did things end up like this? Connor, too—I'

Dad's words hit me like a bolt from the blue. I looked up and exclaimed through gritted teeth, "No! I'm not marrying him!"Dad frowned and scolded, "Are you not going to listen to me now? Liam is the eldest son of the Lancelot family. He's more than eligible to be matched with Yvette. So why not you?"I chuckled coldly and glanced at Yvette. "If he's truly so eligible, you should just let her marry him instead."Yvette flinched diffidently under my gaze. She hid behind Connor and aggrievedly said, "I just got back, so I want to stay by Mom, Dad, and Conny's side more. Are you that eager to kick me out?"Connor got even more enraged when he heard her. "That's enough! Don't forget that you would've died in the slums long ago if Yvette hadn't taken your place, Wendy! Yvette has already suffered enough. Don't say I didn't warn you if you dare to go after her again!"Mom also looked at me with disappointment. "You know very well that Liam loves you, yet you're still pushing Yvette to m

My casual words completely silenced Connor. His expression flickered as he clearly realized what I'd said was true.I'd left everything I'd used to own—from my jewelry to the flowers they'd gifted me—behind at the Sanders residence. I'd even changed my last name to Lloyd.After a while, Connor begrudgingly said, "Do you think we would've come looking for you if it hadn't been for Mom and Dad missing you? Even though Yvette never grew up with us, she's so much better than you! "You're not a descendant of the Sanders family after all—your bad habits are hard to fix no matter how much you're taught!"The crowd of onlookers erupted in a commotion.Someone exclaimed, "She's not even their biological daughter? This family is truly kind—they even came looking for her even though she's not their biological daughter!"Another said, "Stop throwing a tantrum in front of your parents, young lady. You should go home with them. You're family after all."Someone replied, "That's right! Your p

Dad's usual calm demeanor started to show signs of cracks as he clutched the paternity report."How could this be?" he muttered, staggering as if he could barely stand.Mom clutched her chest as tears continued to fall down her face. Her gaze was filled with hurt and guilt as she looked at me. "I'm sorry, Wendy. Why would this happen? Why?"But I'd seen too much of her crying. At this point, I was getting annoyed.Mom walked over to try and hug me, but I only hugged Maria tighter, refusing to let Mom touch me.She awkwardly held her hand out, looking hurt. "Can you let me hug you, Wendy?"Seeing this, Connor quickly supported Mom and turned to me. He opened his mouth and closed his eyes in frustration after a long pause. He whispered, "Why didn't you tell us earlier?"I replied indifferently, "I told you, but did you believe me?"Connor was rendered speechless. Looking at the evidently red handprint on my cheek, he said regretfully, "But we also did the paternity test for you a

Mom cried, "So you knew all along what kind of harm going over there would cause Wendy, yet you still pushed us to send her there? How could you be so heartless? She's our daughter!"Her chest heaved violently when she saw those photos; she was clearly enraged. But she seemed to have forgotten that she'd been one of the people who'd pushed things along.Mom soon fainted from the overwhelming grief. Dad then rushed her to the emergency room.However, Connor saw red when he looked at the photos of my suffering and humiliation. He gritted his teeth and said, "I'll kill him… I'll kill Liam!"…Everything finally quietened down in the hospital room. I looked out the window and chuckled softly after a while.They no longer showed up again after that. The next time I heard about them was on the news.According to the news, Connor had rammed his car into Liam, the newly appointed head of the Lancelot family, as if he'd lost his mind.Liam had died on the day he'd been appointed the fam