Chapter 1

It was past six in the evening when my mom showed up at the front door yelling.

"Aurora, Aurora!"

I rushed out quickly. She was carrying several bags.

"Come on, hurry up, stupid girl. Can't you see this is heavy?"

Mom was in a bad mood, as usual. Xander must've done or said something she didn't like, and in the end, she'd take it all out on me.

"These are the groceries for the month. Put everything where it belongs. You know Xander hates messes. And one more thing—don't touch anything without permission. If you're hungry, tell me and I'll set something aside for you."

"What, I can't grab something to eat in my own house?"

"Shut your mouth, girl, or I'll knock your teeth out with those smart-ass comments. None of this was paid with your money. You don't help at all around here."

"I want to work, but I end up taking care of Alice for you."

Suddenly, I felt a slap across my face. My mom's claws were out.

"Not you, MISSY! Who do you think you're talking to? Your little street friends? I'm sick of your attitude. I'm your mother. If you want to live in this house, you better learn how to treat your elders and tuck that little tail between your legs."

"And where would I even go?" I said through tears. It was the second slap I'd gotten that week. "You're all I have in this world, and even then, it's like I don't have anyone. Ever since you got with Xander, all you do is mistreat me—and worse, you let him do the same."

It had been four years since my dad died, and a year after that, my mom got a new boyfriend. Two months in, they were already living together because she'd gotten pregnant with Alice, my little sister. I took care of her so they could both go to work. Ever since we moved into his place, he never looked at me the same. He didn't talk to me unless it was to complain something was missing from the fridge or to bark orders if something in the house was out of place.

My mom was blind when it came to him—blinded by love and jealousy. That was why she treated me like this. I was sure of it. She was so jealous that whenever he had a day off, she would kick me out for the whole day and I could only come back when she got home.

"What, does it bother you? He's the one who pays for everything in this house. You should be on your knees every day thanking him. Now quit the drama or I'm gonna lose what little patience I have left. Go bathe Alice—we're going out."

"Where are we going?"

"Not we, just us. You're staying here. Don't forget the house is a mess! Take advantage of us being out and clean the floors!"

It was always like that. They'd go out the day before Xander's day off. They never took me. And as a bonus, I got to play Cinderella.

"Don't forget tomorrow's your day to go out. Xander will stay with Alice, and you can enjoy your day."

She made it sound like she was doing me a favor, but really, she just didn't want me alone in the house with him. Not because she was afraid he'd do something to me—but because she was afraid I'd flirt with him. My mom didn't get that I was actually disgusted. I couldn't stand the way he looked at me out of the corner of his eye.

The only good thing was that I managed to make some money. Since Xander and my mom were out all day, I used the time to make little girl hair bows during the week. On his day off—Fridays—I'd go out and sell them. I'd stand near daycares, schools, and maternity clinics. The money I made went toward buying more supplies, and I saved the rest. I didn't spend a single cent. I'm saving up so that one day, when I have enough, I can leave this place. Of course, they don't know about any of this—if they did, they'd have already taken every penny from me.

Once, on a Friday, as I was leaving the house, I don't know what came over my mom, but she gave me a hundred dollars. Told me to buy something I liked. That was back when she was still pregnant. I thought, 'Either I waste this money on something stupid and it's gone, or I invest it and make it grow.' And that's what I did. I bought some ribbons, hot glue, pearls, and started making bows—thanks to YouTube tutorials. I hid all my materials well, and when I'd go out to sell, I packed everything in a backpack. Thanks to that, I've already saved up 1,800 dollars.

I was just waiting to turn eighteen so I could finally leave. I wanted to move to another city, get a job, rent a small studio, take the college entrance exam, and study. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I didn't see any other option besides risking it all. If I stayed in that house, I'd never make it to college or get a decent job—because, in Xander and my mom's minds, my “work” there was already paid with a roof over my head and rationed meals.

It was already night when they all left. I quickly packed my selling stuff in my backpack and put the money in there too. It was risky to get robbed on the street, but I was even more afraid of getting robbed at home—I had a feeling my mom went through my things when I wasn't around. Once everything was ready, I called Isla, the only friend I had.

"Hey, Isla, how are the trip plans going?"

Isla was moving to another state—she was going to live with her aunt after earning a scholarship to one of the best medical schools in the country. We had met back in elementary school, and since then, we had been best friends. Our plan was to go to university together, but last year, when I finished high school, my mom hadn't let me take the entrance exam. She said I had to stay home to take care of my sister. Hiring a nanny, according to her, was just throwing money away when she had an “unemployed daughter” at home.

I was crushed, honestly devastated. I knew I had what it takes to win a scholarship too. I'd always been a top student, getting great grades. Ever since my dad passed away, my goal had been to study medicine and give my mom a better future—but then Xander showed up, and everything changed.

All the love and affection my mom once had for me turned into insults, abuse, and total disrespect—all because of a sick jealousy she wouldn't admit out loud, but I could see it clearly in every hostile thing she did.

"Everything's ready, my suitcase is packed. I'm leaving tomorrow at four. You're coming to say goodbye, right?"

"Of course. Did you forget tomorrow's my 'day off'?" I said sarcastically.

"I'm so sad we won't be together anymore. I really wanted us to go to college side by side."

"Don't even bring it up, my heart's already in pieces. But I'm happy for you. You're going to be an amazing cardiologist."

"I feel so bad for you, girl. I really hope that once you turn eighteen, you won't stay there a second longer."

"Oh, I won't. Just two more months. And what are two months compared to all these years I've lived through?"

"Where will you go?"

"I don't know yet. But I'm planning to move far, far away. I don't know what things will be like, but whatever they are, it's gotta be better than this."