‘I'm sorry, Mom.’‘I'm sorry, Eve.’‘I still couldn’t escape.’I curled up on the ground in despair, staring blankly at my father’s twisted, angry face. There was no one left to save me now. Living was so exhausting, but I had to keep going. I had to live for them.I glared at my dad, my eyes filled with defiance. "Dad, if you kill me, there will be no one left to take care of you."He froze, his cane suspended mid-air. “What did you say? You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting?”“Dad, I’m just telling you the truth. You took a sterilization potion; you’ll never have any more children. This is your karma!“Why don’t you think about why you never had kids after me?”His face turned pale, and his lips trembled. Finally, he believed me. He let the cane fall from his hand and collapsed onto the ground.My mom was a college student who came to this village as a teacher. She was forced to have three children with my father, and I was the youngest. My sister wasn’t
Mayor Kingsley kicked him hard. “Emma marrying into my family benefits you, too. From now on, we’ll be a family. Otherwise, my son’s life… Well, I’d hold you responsible for it.” To save his own life, my dad nodded in agreement. Instead of worrying about having no one to tend to his grave later, he was more afraid of Mayor Kingsley ending his life now. Though this was a ghost marriage, it was still the mayor’s son, so the ceremony was grand. There was a formal process, and the village hosted a large banquet. Rumor had it that an important person was attending—someone who regularly sent college volunteers to our village. On the wedding day, I wore a white gown and entered the main hall. My dad sat above, his eyes complicated. “Emma, don’t blame me for being heartless. Being the mayor’s daughter-in-law is a good path for you. You’ll have no worries about food and clothing.” I remained expressionless, holding the cup steadily with both hands. Step by step, I
Blood continued to seep from my dad’s mouth and nose as he muttered curses, his words becoming increasingly garbled. “Worthless... woman...” I cut him off, shouting back, “The worthless one is you! Mike died because of you. With a father like you, he deserved his fate.“But you should be happy, Dad. At least I can see you off before I get married!” His body went rigid, and he collapsed heavily to the ground, completely still. His eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets, staring at me. Finally, he was dead.When I arrived at the altar, Mayor Kingsley was bending over, grinning obsequiously at a bald man in a suit. The bald man sat leisurely in the main seat, squinting as he examined me with a gaze filled with undisguised desire. I held the bouquet as I kneeled respectfully, bowing three times to Mayor Kingsley. He handed me a ring and offered a few hypocritical words of advice. After the ceremony, I was escorted into a room that was clearly not the wedding sui
I pressed my hands hard over my ears, curling up in bed. However, the sharp, agonizing cries still cut through the thick walls, stabbing into my heart.It went on for a while before, finally, the noise from the main house faded away, and the night returned to its unsettling silence.The door to my room creaked open. Unsteady footsteps echoed closer. I opened my eyes. It was her—my sister-in-law, Eve.Her hair was a mess; her cheeks were red and swollen, and her eyes dull and lifeless. She had her arms wrapped tightly around her body, her fingers pale from the pressure.She was trembling, climbing into my bed as if it were second nature.I moved instinctively, helping her unbutton her clothes. Her body was covered in painful-looking bite marks, some spots even oozing blood. New bruises littered her back, and her slender waist still bore the imprint of a shoe.My heart ached as I grabbed the medicinal balm and gently applied it to her skin.Her body jerked as soon as it to
The sky was gray and murky the next morning before dawn. The chickens were clucking noisily when I groggily reached over to the side of the bed. It was cold. Eve must’ve snuck back in the middle of the night again. Sighing, I got up, ready to begin another day’s work of hauling water, chopping wood, and starting the fire. There was never a moment to rest.After two hours of work, Dad finally woke up, strolling over to the table with a sour look, waiting to be served. Eve came over, eyes downcast, and carefully placed a steaming bowl of oatmeal on the table. Dad’s eyes locked onto her, dark and menacing. Suddenly, his hand shot out, grabbing her roughly. She flinched, and the hot oatmeal spilled all over his pants.Dad leaped up, fury flashing in his eyes. He grabbed her by the hair, yanking hard. “You evil woman! Trying to ruin this family’s legacy, huh?”He spat his words like venom, his face twisting with rage. “What were you doing sneaking around last night, huh?
Once again, he used his foot to shove me aside. However, I crawled over, even though my clothes were stained with blood. Dad’s face was ashen. He stared murderously at me, his facial muscles twitching with rage. It was as if he would kill me any second now.Eve’s eyes filled with fear, and she shook her head desperately. “No, don’t worry about me. Just stay back.”Dad dragged her into the room, and soon, the sound of agonizing screams filled the air. It was heart-wrenching and sent shivers down my spine.I slumped to the ground, my fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles turned white as I fought back the urge to vomit.Our neighbor, Mrs. Hart, sat on her porch, sneering. “Didn’t think old Frank still had it in him. My man’s no good; comes home and passes out like a pig. College girls like her have it easy—if it’s not the husband, it’s the father-in-law. There’s always a man around taking care of them.”She looked at me with a mocking smile. “You’re still too young to unde
I struggled with all my might, shouting for Mike, but it was useless. For the first time, I saw how twisted and ugly his face could be. In my panic, my hand brushed against a hard stone beside me. Using every ounce of strength I had, I struck him. Once, twice... Each time, I put all my force into it, my hands stinging from the impact. Something warm splattered across my face. The person on top of me let out a strange yelp and ran off, pulling up his pants as he fled. I stared blankly, mechanically repeating my action. I wasn’t sure how long I kept at it. It wasn’t until Mike lay motionless in a pool of blood that I snapped out of it. Pulling up my pants, I stumbled home. I scrubbed my body over and over, rubbing my skin raw. I couldn't stop, though.My mom noticed something was off and quickly asked what had happened. At that moment, I couldn’t hold back any longer. I burst into tears and stammered out the whole story. She cried, too, as she held me tightly. Her vo
Eve placed the remaining half of the drumstick in my hands. "Emma, just hang on for a few more days. I’ll get you out of here soon," she whispered before turning to leave.I watched her retreating figure, unable to stop myself from calling out. "Eve, you have to survive too, okay?"She paused, her body stiffening for a moment before nodding firmly. It was as if she was making a promise—to me or herself."Emma, we’re both going to make it."Not long after, I found out where that drumstick came from. Mayor Kingsley strolled out of the main house, buckling his pants. He wore a satisfied look, puffing on a cigarette as he exhaled clouds of smoke."No wonder they say young college girls are something else. Even after having kids, she’s still so tight, and her tricks... way better than my wife."My dad stood by, looking at him with a fawning expression. "Mayor Kingsley, could I maybe light a lantern at this year’s festival too?"Mayor Kingsley blew a puff of smoke right into my da