All Chapters of Her Shield in the Shadows: Chapter 1 - Chapter 4

Trigger Warning: This chapter contains sensitive themes, including physical domestic abuse, violence, and attempted forced intimacy. If you find these topics triggering or uncomfortable, please proceed with caution or skip this chapter. Thank you.Out of all the boys, he was the only one who had the courage to try and court me. I was shy with boys back then, seeing how my sister always cried about her crushes. I thought, if I attached myself to boys, I was going to be hurt just like my Ate Raine experienced.He did everything to please me. I did not know how to act back then because I had absolutely no experience with love. I was worried and awkward, but he was so patient with me. He was determined to make me his, and after months of pursuing me, I was able to say yes to him.He became my first boyfriend. My first kiss, my first date, my first hug, my first heartbeat, my first love... I experienced all of those for the very first time with him.Ate Raine supported me. My sister, being

My first day in Sitio Maligaya felt completely foreign. Everything about the place was unfamiliar to me. The distant chatter of people outside the house, the sweet chirping of birds, the faint music blasting from a neighbor's speaker, and the distinct rumble of passing tricycles, it was a sensory overload of new sounds. It was a stark contrast to the life I was used to, but this sudden change was something I would never complain about.I was finally far away from that living hell. This was my new world now.Sitting up, I stretched my arms before neatly fixing the bed. It was a small, modest bed, but it offered me a profound sense of safety. I was comfortable, and that was all that mattered. Once the bed was made, I walked straight to the bathroom located just outside the room to wash my face. I hissed a curse under my breath when water suddenly splashed all over my clothes, courtesy of my clumsy grip on the plastic dipper.After tying my hair up into a neat bun, I stepped outside. My