Chapter 3

After a vicious beating, Andrew and Caroline locked me up because I refused to tell them the password to my bank card.

They refused to treat my wounds or let me have anything to eat or drink.

I had another nosebleed.

It took a while for me to stop the bleeding. I slumped onto the ground.

There was no bed or windows in the tiny little room. The only light I had seeped through the crack under the door.

I held my doll tightly and curled up right beside my only ray of light.

Although I used to be the well-cared-for daughter of the Nilson family, I wasn't actually a spoiled woman. In fact, I was quiet and reserved, known in our circle as a well-behaved lady.

Xavier often said that I was boring to be around, as I provided no excitement.

Everyone in Hesselton knew that Sophia Nilson was Xavier Gubbens' fiancée, a girl he'd picked out himself when he was a child.

No one believed that the bold and outspoken Xavier would like someone as quiet as me.

When I was 16, a man from a wealthy family who had held a grudge against the Nilson family tricked me to a bar and tried to get me drunk so that they could take incriminating photos of me.

I fought hard against them, threatening that Xavier would come after them.

When they heard Xavier's name, they looked at each other hesitantly.

Eventually, the leader of the group waved his hand and told them to continue stripping me. He said, "You're just his fiancée in name. We all know that he's tired of you."

Just then, Xavier kicked open the door, storming in all by himself.

That night, he beat up everyone in the room except me, sending all of them to the hospital.

A couple of days later, the heads of their families came to my door to apologize to me. It was only then that I found out that the Gubbens family had dealt with them too.

Xavier made it clear that I was his fiancée, and that no one was allowed to bully me.

Since then, no one dared to mess with me again.

I grew up under Mom and Xavier's protection.

That was why I didn't understand how I ended up in this situation.

Xavier probably still didn't know about this. He hadn't been able to celebrate my birthday with me because of work. I had even given him the silent treatment because of that.

A glimmer of hope rose in my heart. If he found out… No, he definitely would find out. When he found out about this, he would come and save me.

Before that happened, I had to find a way to save myself.

Weakly, I pulled myself up and used all my strength to knock on the door. "941225, 941225…"

I kept repeating the numbers, hoping to use the money to get some temporary peace.

After taking all the money I had, Caroline and Andrew stopped being angry and let me out.

I immediately tried to call and text Xavier, but he ignored me.

I was forced to stay with the Nielsons.

That was how I was saddled with endless house chores. I had to cook, clean, and do the laundry. I wasn't allowed to eat at the table; I had to wait until they were finished before fighting the dog for the leftovers.

Caroline demanded that I wash all the clothes with just my hands. She would sometimes beat me just for using too much water.

Andrew was a drunkard. The couple quarreled all the time when he was drunk. He would even hit me, blaming me for not bringing more money from the Nilsons.

The scariest part was that the looks he gave me were slowly starting to feel unsettling.

Even their ten-year-old child looked down on me.

The first time I refused to bring water to my little brother, he splashed a whole glass of water on me, saying vicious words in his innocent voice, "Mom said that you're my servant. I can treat you however I like! If you don't listen to me, I'll kill you!"

I was scared. I wanted to escape from this place, but no matter how many times I called Xavier, he did not pick up my calls. Mom had also blacklisted me.

Living in fear, I began to lose weight quickly.

One day, while I was doing the laundry, Andrew suddenly hugged me from behind. He began touching me, saying that I was pretty.

Unable to free myself from his hold, I bit him hard.

He was furious. He picked up a clothing hanger and beat me mercilessly.

That day, I lost a lot of blood. I thought I was going to die.