“Harder, darling! Teach her a real lesson! If you don’t beat some sense into her, who knows what she’ll do next!”
“Look at Sophie—she’s bleeding so much! If she dies, I won’t live either!”
Fueled by her cries, my father’s strikes grew even heavier.
My body was battered, my lips bleeding from how tightly I’d bitten them, but still I refused to fall.
Nestled in my mother’s arms, Sophie weakly murmured:
“Please, stop… I know my sister didn’t mean it.”
Her pitiful plea only stoked my father’s fury further.
He hurled the belt aside and pointed his finger at me, cursing:
“Look at Sophie—hurt like this, yet she’s still pleading for you. And you? You heartless beast, do you even have a shred of conscience left?”
Panting heavily, his chest heaved with rage.
“She can’t stay in this house any longer. She’ll be the death of Sophie.”
As if making a grave decision, he pulled out his phone and dialed.
“Hello? Mr. Dawson?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“About the marriage we discussed—my daughter’s marriage. I agree.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll have her married off.”
My phone and laptop were confiscated, and I was locked in the cold, pitch-black basement—just as icy as my heart.