At that moment, the door was busted down with a loud bang. The man mumbled while pinning me down, "Get out, Ant. I'm fine now. Y'all can come in once I'm done with this bitch. Don't worry, I'll definitely pay you…"I just turned to look at the doorway numbly. The moment I saw the people outside, I began tearing up immediately.Blake and the others were finally here!A policeman kicked the middle-aged man off me instantly before helping me up. "Everything's alright now. Don't be scared. We're here now."After going through intense fear, all I could do now was break down emotionally. I couldn't hold my emotions back anymore as I dove into the officer's arms while wailing at the top of my lungs.He seemed to be startled at first. Then, he patted me on the back awkwardly. "There, there…"I refused to listen to what he had to say. The immense relief I felt after surviving such an ordeal made me firmly believe that I could trust this officer with my life and that I felt safe in his a
That night, I sat on the bench outside the police station and waited for Naomi there after the police had taken my statement. Naomi was worried about me, so she was adamant about spending the night with me in the hotel.Daniel plopped down on the spot next to me. "Don't… Don't be scared. And uh, don't be sad."It took me a moment longer than necessary to tilt my head and look at him. A few moments later, I finally replied softly, "Yeah. I'm not scared anymore. I feel very safe with you guys around. I'm not sad as well."When I saw the look of disbelief on Daniel's face, I forced a smile. "Trust me, I'm done feeling disappointed and sad about Anthony's actions over a year ago. My love for him has already dissipated over the number of times his façade crumbled in front of me."Honestly speaking, I'm thankful to Blake. If it wasn't for him pestering and convincing me for so long, I might not have found out about Anthony's true colors. Perhaps I might've gotten sold off to another ma
Five days later, Daniel accompanied me back to Apolea City. Meanwhile, Naomi would be sending Janice back to her home, which was located in Brumon City.First, Daniel took me to the local police station in Apolea City. After that, we went back to my house under the accompaniment of the local police. They ended up taking my father away for investigative purposes.My mom was shocked at first. When she heard me recounting the incident I had gone through with reddened eyes, her eyes turned red as well."Oh god… Thank goodness you're back, Roxy! Otherwise, I don't think I'll be able to continue living in this world without you! I can't believe that Parson bastard broke up with that poor woman in this way back then! What a monster! I'm going to file for a divorce with him right away!"Only then did my mom tell me about the incident she had kept a secret for more than 20 years.Back then, she had found out about my dad cheating on her with another woman when she was pregnant with me. In
We made the journey in the middle of winter.First, we took a flight. Then, we transitioned to a train ride. One car ride later, we had to switch to a jeep instead. In the end, we had to walk for more than six miles to reach our destination.Finally, my boyfriend, Anthony Hawthorne, and I stood before his house. I even hunched over with my hands clasped onto my knees while panting heavily. At the same time, I began studying Anthony's childhood home.It wasn't as rundown as I thought. If anything, it looked like a regular farmhouse that seemed to have weathered some years.I recalled the houses that were scattered across the area when I walked past them earlier. Honestly speaking, Anthony's childhood home was considered one of the better ones."Let's enter my home."Anthony took my hand and led me into the farmhouse. As he walked, he called out, "Mom, I'm home! Look who's here with me!"As soon as Anthony's voice rang out, someone dashed out of the farmhouse. She stopped before u
"Roxy, what are you two talking about?" Anthony asked me with a smile as he approached me and the girl.I just smiled back awkwardly. "I wanted to greet her, but she never gave me the time of day."Anthony glanced at the young girl. Then, he said coldly, "There's no need to pay attention to her. She's mute, so she can't speak."I was surprised to hear Anthony's response. Then, I shot the girl a sympathetic look.The girl raised her head to glance at us at that moment. Mockery flashed across her eyes momentarily before she lowered her head once again.I turned to look at Anthony instinctively. But he didn't seem to have noticed the girl's expression. Instead, he took my hand and led me back to the farmhouse.A while later, I asked softly, "Who is that girl, Anthony?"Anthony hesitated for a moment. He then replied impatiently, "She's my little sister. She's been a little messed up in the head since young. You don't have to pay any attention to her. "Let's head back into the far
By then, Fiona was doing the dishes in the kitchen with her sleeves all rolled up.I asked softly, "Do you need a hand?"Fiona seemed pretty startled by my question. The bowl that she was holding slipped from her hands and fell into the sink with a loud clatter.A panicked expression appeared on her face as she waved at me hurriedly as a sign that she didn't need my help. She even backed away from me when she saw me approaching her.My gaze fell onto Fiona's arms. Now that her sleeves were rolled up, I could see long red scars, both old and new, marring her arms.The sight of the scars made my gaze darken slightly. I was about to approach Fiona and grab her arm to ask her what happened when I heard a voice coming from behind me."Roxy, what are you doing?" Anthony asked.I froze on the spot. Fiona quickly glanced at me before shaking her head at me. Then, she rolled down her sleeves rapidly in order to hide the scars. After that, she continued doing the dishes with her head lo
Once I was all curled up in bed, I barely managed to send a text message to a friend when Anthony leaned over."Who are you texting?"I quickly deleted the message history while replying, "I was asking my friends to play mobile games with me. It's too boring here."Anthony smiled. "I'll play with you."Feeling touched, I dove into his arms. "You're the best, my darling boyfie!"Anthony pushed me away. "Alright, now sit properly. Look at how improper you're being right now."I stuck out my tongue playfully and made a face at him. He just looked at me helplessly in response.We spent the whole morning playing games on our phones together. After lunch, I plopped down on the couch in the living room. But I soon got bored of doing that.I shook Anthony's arm. "Anthony, why don't we go shopping in the supermarket?""The town's too far away from the village. We'll need five hours just to make a complete trip to and fro. If we were to go now, we wouldn't be able to go home tonight." A
That night, I couldn't sleep a wink. Thank goodness Anthony never shared a bed with me. Otherwise, he would've known that something was up with me.Anthony never did anything intimate with me during our three-year relationship. I always thought of him as a proper gentleman, but now, I had to second-guess the reasons behind his lack of intimacy with me.When Anthony noticed the dark rings under my eyes, he couldn't help but smile. "What's wrong? You couldn't sleep at all?"I kept my head hung low as I answered faintly, "Yeah… I think I suffered from a terrible fright last night. I kept having nightmares…""Why don't I beat Fiona up again to help you vent your frustrations?" Anthony suggested. His smile was now malicious.My pupils shrank instantly. "No need for that! I think I startled her because I entered the kitchen abruptly yesterday. That's probably why she… Um, is she okay?""She's fine. She's doing a lot better than you. It's just that she deserves to be punished," Anthon