Chapter 3

Over the days that followed, I became a discarded piece of trash, shoved into the darkest corner of the estate.

Seeing how Julian and Mom treated me, the staff grew bolder, barking orders and striking me whenever they felt like it.

Lucas, meanwhile, found himself a new game.

"Hey, monster, get over here! Starting today, you're my pony!"

When I hesitated, he grabbed a fistful of my hair, dragged me into the garden, and shoved my face toward the ground.

"On all fours! Now!"

Gritting my teeth, I dropped down. The jagged gravel tore into my knees.

Lucas climbed onto my back, yanking my hair like reins and yelling, "Giddyup!"

I had no choice but to crawl forward through the agony. The moment I slowed, his riding crop came down hard across my spine.

When that grew boring, he would have a handler bring the mastiff out.

"Get her, Nero! Make her run faster!"

The dog's vicious barking snapped at my heels. My heart pounded so hard it felt ready to burst. I crawled desperately, leaving smears of blood on the gravel from my shredded knees, terrified of what would happen if I stopped.

What broke me most was Mom.

She would sit beneath a patio umbrella, sipping iced tea, watching Lucas ride me like an animal.

Yet the corners of her lips curved into a gentle smile.

"Careful, Lucas. Don't fall."

Her eyes never lingered on me, not even when the crop tore through the thin fabric on my back.

In her eyes, I really was nothing more than a beast meant for her son's amusement.

In that house, I went hungry every single day.

Lucas hated carrots. At every meal, he dumped them into the flower beds outside.

Whenever the coast was clear, I would crouch by the dirt, scavenging the discarded vegetables.

The bitter taste of soil filled my mouth, but at least it kept the starvation at bay.

One afternoon, faint with hunger, I chewed a couple of mouthfuls before realizing something was wrong. It wasn't a carrot.

"What are you doing?!"

Mom marched over, her eyes landing on the crushed blooms beneath my knees.

"My prize roses! You dare eat my flowers?!"

Hearing the commotion, Lucas ran over. When he saw the carrots and the trampled petals, panic flickered across his face.

Afraid Mom would realize he had been wasting his food, he quickly pointed at me.

"Mommy! She stole my carrots and stomped on your flowers on purpose!"

Mom's temper exploded.

She grabbed my arm, shaking me violently.

"You ungrateful little wretch! Letting you breathe is already more than you deserve, and you dare steal Lucas's food and ruin my garden? I should have let you rot in that mountain!"

"That's enough. Don't upset yourself."

Julian had appeared nearby. He stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Mom's trembling shoulders and rubbing her back to soothe her, though his glare drilled into me with venom.

Once she calmed down, he stepped over, crouched down, and gripped my chin tightly, forcing my head up.

"Listen to me carefully. Do not upset her again, and never lay a finger on Lucas. In this house, you don't even have the right to touch a blade of grass."

"Cross the line again, and I will show you things far worse than being chased by a dog."

Terrified by the cruelty in his eyes, I shook uncontrollably, tears streaming down my cheeks, too frightened to even whimper.

His grip tightened until my jaw felt ready to snap. Only when he finally let go did I collapse like a marionette with cut strings, watching him guide Mom away.

Lucas lingered behind just long enough to make a mocking face at me.

Mom knew perfectly well that Lucas was bigger and stronger than me, that I was only ever on the receiving end of his cruelty.

Yet she would rather swallow his obvious lies than look at me for one honest second.