Chapter 3

Every single time that happened, Lenora would placate me, coaxing and promising me that it was the last time.

But as soon as Gideon called her again, she'd abandon me without hesitation and run to him.

"Lenora," I said, looking at her.

Thinking that the issue had already passed, she answered happily and threw herself into my arms, nuzzling against me.

I caught the scent of men's cologne on her, and a wave of disgust churned in me. It was the woody fragrance that Gideon loved most. There was no way I could ever mistake it.

I pushed her away. "The smell on you is disgusting."

Lenora didn't expect me to do that. She looked at me in surprise, then, sounding hurt, said, "Babe, how can you say that to me?"

In the past, my heart would've ached terribly just seeing her like this. But now, I merely looked at her coldly and said, "Lenora, let's get a divorce."

We were legally married, we just hadn't had the wedding ceremony yet.

Lenora immediately began to tear up. She took my hand, her voice trembling. "Babe, how can you ask for a divorce? Didn't we promise we'd stay together forever?"

A chuckle escaped me. So she did remember the vow we'd made to be together forever. Yet, the person to break the promise first was her.

I pulled my hand free. "I told you before you left. If you ran out on the wedding, we'd be over. For good."

Lenora started crying uncontrollably, sobbing as she tried to explain, "No, babe. I never wanted a divorce…"

She kept talking, but I had no interest in listening. I walked right out of the apartment. No matter how much she cried and shouted behind me, I never once looked back.

I didn't feel like going back to Sloane Manor, so I checked into a hotel nearby.

That night, I couldn't sleep at all. It was only after taking some melatonin that I finally drifted off, but even then, my sleep was restless.

In my dream, I returned to that village again. Just thinking about those hell-like years made me tremble uncontrollably.

The traffickers had kidnapped me, but because I was a boy, I wasn't as easily sold as the girls. So they kept me locked up in a dog cage, feeding me dog food, and making me entertain them every day as if I were an actual dog.

Whenever they were in a bad mood, they'd take it out on me, leaving my face and body covered in scars.

Eventually, I was sold to a middle-aged couple, who had just lost their son. They took me to a remote, impoverished village.

Lex and Gina Little had bought me, not because they wanted a son, but because they wanted someone to serve them and take care of them when they grew old. Since I was older, I was the cheapest option.

From the moment I arrived at their house, I had to wake up before dawn to start work. I farmed, fed pigs, and even prepared their meals and did their laundry on a strict schedule.

I had to keep moving, never allowed to stop. If I stopped for even a moment, they'd whip me with a riding crop, beat me with a cane, or humiliate me with the cruelest words and curses.

The other kids in the village bullied me as well. There was rarely a part of me that wasn't injured or bruised.

Every single day, I never gave up trying to escape the village. It wasn't until a year later—when Gina became pregnant, and they were so caught up in their joy that they stopped paying attention to me—that I finally managed to make a run for it.

But I wasn't successful. The villagers caught me and sent me back.

Lex beat me savagely, then locked me up in the pigsty without giving me any medical treatment.

I spent three days in the pigsty without a single drop of water or a bite of food. It wasn't until I was so hungry that my vision blurred and I was on the verge of death that they finally relented.

"You ungrateful brat!" Lex snapped as he threw pig slop at me. "You only deserve pig feed!"

I didn't even have the strength to say anything. Using my hands, I scooped up the spoiled, fly-covered slop and shoved it into my mouth. The rotten, foul stench filled my nose and mouth. I wanted to throw it up, but I knew that if I didn't eat it, I'd die.

But I couldn't die. I wanted to go back home and see my parents.