A drop of tears slid down her cheek as she stares at her swollen face in the mirror. Her heart wrenches in pain, and she feels her world crash down to her feet. Again, she has just received the beating of her life from her stepfather. This is what she goes through every day in the hands of the monster that got married to her mom ten years ago, and has been abusing her. Not that her mom is helping matters at all anyway. Unlike every other mother out there that deems it fit to make sure that their children are happy and doing well, her own mom doesn't care about her, as she sees everything her stepfather does to her, to be the right thing. Even when she sees that she's being maltreated. Ariel Williams is just nineteen years old, yet treated like a ten years old little girl. Yes, at times she thinks of running away, but where will she go from here? What will become her fate if she eventually runs away? And isn't it better to stay here and have a roof over her head while suffering, than

Chapter 3Three days later... Her heart beats rapidly as she cuddles herself up on the bed and stare at the closed door. It's almost time Maxwell will show up in the room to have sex with her as scheduled, and she can't help getting scared. They have gone to the hospital just the following day that she came here, and after series of tests, the doctor confirmed that she's healthy, though she was still given some injections. It's almost 10pm already, and as the second ticks slowly, she feels her heartbeat increases rapidly. You can imagine why she's so scared, right? Aside from never been laid by any man all her life, she never thought that she would lose her virginity to some stranger. The minute hand finally ticks the time, and as if he timed her, the door suddenly pulls open, and her breath stops immediately as she beholds him standing. He's wearing a purple robe that exposes a portion of his chest. Although she didn't stare long before she turns her gaze away, but he looks so br

Chapter 5The next day at Max's mansion... The early morning sunlight penetrates the room through the window, and Ariel slowly tilts her head to see that it's morning already. She sighs briefly and runs her fingers through her messy hair, groaning tiredly. Recalling the incident of the previous night, a smile lace up her lips. She has never felt so good all her life, and she enjoyed every bit of it yesterday. Looking to the side of the bed, she sighs briefly as an empty space welcomes her. Maybe if he were to be her boyfriend or husband, he would've been by her side and sleeping peacefully, and maybe she may have all the time to stare at his handsome face, but too bad that he can never be hers. He belongs to someone else. Realizing that she has to go to the hospital to get the test result, she quickly stands up from the bed and drags herself into the bathroom, while holding the duvet to her naked body. Her vaginal feel sore after the sex, but she can still manage to walk. After ha

Chapter 7Two months later... Max has successfully taken over the companies and things have been moving smoothly for the past two months. Ariel still lives with them, but she hasn't been happy as the thought of eventually giving up her child keeps haunting her every second that ticks. It's a beautiful evening and the atmosphere is conducive for a balcony. Staring up at the dark sky, she sighs for the umpteenth time as she holds the rail. So many thoughts parade through her mind and she can't help another sigh that tears through her throat. The thought of her mom flashes through her mind, and a drop of tears slid down the corner of her cheek as she bites her bottom lip sadly. As much as she dislikes her for doing this to her, she still can't help but miss her. She has no idea why she was suddenly cruel to her, but one thing she will never forget is that there was a time that she lived her life for her, a time that her mom protected and sacrificed her happiness to make her happy. But

Chapter 9Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she sighs for the umpteenth time and tucks her hair behind her ear. It's going to be her first day at work today, and she feels awkward. She hasn't done this before, and neither does she know how it works. She never imagined that she'd ever get to work as a secretary. Of course, she knows that the job wasn't given to her because of her qualification, but she's still confused about why Max would do that. Even if he wanted to help her, he could've gotten her a job somewhere else, right? Taking a deep breath, she finally picks up her phone which Max got for her a couple of days ago, before she ambles out of the room, closing the door gently behind her. Her heels click on the floor as she walks along the hallway, and soon, she descends from the staircase. She looks extremely beautiful in her black suit which reveals her curvy shape. Her thick black long curled hair is falling freely over her shoulders with some strands resting on her for