4

Amber snorted harshly. “Don’t make excuses! You see, many omegas are busy preparing for the party. It seems like I’ve been too weak on you lately, that you dare to forget your place!” Amber’s voice was piercing, full of hatred.

Emily lowered her head, her body shuddering. There was nothing she could do but apologize over and over again, hoping that Amber’s anger would subside a little.

Amber stared at Emily mercilessly, her gaze filled with hatred that was so cold it made the air around them feel piercing. Without saying a word, Amber glanced at the wooden rattan that was always next to the sofa. With a calm but threatening movement, she reached for the stick, her eyes never leaving Emily’s figure, who was trembling with fear.

Seeing the rattan in Amber’s hand, Emily’s heart seemed to stop. The wounds on her body had not even had time to heal, and the thought of receiving more pain almost paralyzed her with fear. Amber's face turned cold, and a thin, cynical smile appeared at the corner of her lips, showing how satisfied she was with the power she held. With a slight preparation, Amber raised the stick, ready to hit Emily's limp back.

But just as the stick was about to touch her, a cheerful voice from the doorway stopped Amber's movement.

"Mom, I'm home," Zack shouted cheerfully, a smile wide and full of happiness, unaware of what had almost happened in the room.

Behind Zack, three other men followed, each standing with a charm full of arrogance. Their friendly smiles for Amber were a nightmare for Emily; their gazes, which had once ruined her life, now filled the space around her again. At that moment, their presence brought back all the old pain for Emily.

When Emily saw Zack, Steffan, Freddy, and Marko standing in the doorway, it was as if the air around her had become very heavy. Her body stiffened, and her heart felt like it had stopped beating, as if every sound and laugh echoed in her head, bringing back dark memories that she had tried to suppress deep inside. She stared at them with teary eyes, and in her mind, the horrific memories of her first days in this house came flooding back.

At that time, Emily was still ten years old. Her fragile self was locked in a small room without windows, a stuffy room that felt like a personal prison in a house that was supposed to be a place of refuge. There was no gap for fresh air or light. In the darkness of the room, her small body curled up in fear, suffocating from the increasingly thin air. The darkness and cold that surrounded Emily only confirmed her fear.

From behind the wall, there was the sound of cynical and condescending giggles. It was Zack, along with his three friends, who were enjoying the sight of Emily being tortured. They laughed as if the torture Emily was going through was cheap entertainment for them. This was not the first time they had played tricks on her like this. Many times, Emily was locked up, left without food or water, sometimes for days. Every second in the darkness felt like an endless punishment, a painful wait with no certainty of when it would all end.

One night, Zack and his friends went further. They put poisonous snakes and wild rats into the room where Emily was locked, making her even more frightened. Emily's small body trembled, cold sweat running down her temples as she felt the bite of a rat that almost made her faint. The poison from the snake bite made her body feel hot and burning from the inside. Every night like this, Emily could no longer hold back her screams, hoping that someone would hear and come to help her. However, no one cared. Every time she almost left this life, Zack and his friends always appeared just in time to save her, only to continue the endless torture.

Time passed, and Emily grew into a young girl with a face that still radiated natural beauty, even though her body was thin and covered in wounds that never fully healed. Her attractive appearance actually became a new threat to her. The gazes of Zack and his friends, which were once full of hatred, had now turned into looks that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, a wild lust hiding behind their grins.

Emily still clearly remembers that terrible day. After working hard in the backyard, her tired body was forcibly dragged into a long-unused warehouse. There, Zack and his three friends were waiting with a more threatening gaze than before. Her body was snatched, forced to stay still even though Emily tried to fight with all her might. She screamed, cried, and begged them to let her go, but their faces only showed cruel satisfaction. There was no empathy, no compassion.

Zack pushed Emily roughly, and his three friends held her hands and feet with a strength that she could not resist. She struggled with all her might, but her body was weak and limp. Emily's clothes were forcibly removed, and Zack got closer with a gaze full of threatening passion. Emily's heart felt broken; her body was wrapped in shame and fear that suffocated her chest. However, in the midst of that despair, an unexpected incident saved her. Her menstrual blood suddenly flowed, creating a very obvious stain. Zack, who saw the blood, was immediately shocked; his facial expression changed to disgust.

With a nauseous look, Zack turned around, cursing angrily before finally rushing out of the warehouse, followed by his three friends. Emily was left alone in the dark and quiet place. Her body was shaking, tears streaming down her face as she curled up to cover her partially exposed body. Shame and pain filled her mind, overwhelming her entire being with a feeling of helplessness she had never felt before.

Back in the present, Emily stood frozen in the doorway, looking at those who had taken away her dignity and left wounds that would never heal. Her heart felt like it was split open, while her body was stiff with freezing fear. The bitter memories shook her, but in front of Zack and his friends, she showed no emotion. Only her glassy gaze could capture the trauma that had once again overshadowed her life.