Chapter- 4
1267 Words
Nyx’s mind raced frantically as panic clawed its way up her throat.
Run.
She needed to run.
The moment she realized they truly intended to sell her off to Victor Romano, every instinct inside her screamed at her to escape.
Her eyes darted toward the hallway.
The front door wasn’t far.
If she moved quickly enough—
Nyx slowly shifted backward, searching desperately for an opening.
But before she could even take a single step—
“She’s trying to run away!” Mike suddenly shouted.
Everything happened too fast after that.
Her father lunged toward her without hesitation and grabbed her arm violently before she could react.
SLAP!
The harsh blow sent Nyx stumbling sideways.
Pain exploded across her cheek as her head snapped to the side.
“You ungrateful brat!” her father roared, his face burning red with fury. “How dare you defy us?”
Nyx pressed a trembling hand against her stinging cheek, too shocked to speak.
“What makes you think you have the right to refuse?” he continued angrily. “After everything we’ve done for you?”
Nyx almost laughed bitterly at those words.
Everything they had done for her?
Did he mean the years of insults?
The beatings?
The endless labor?
But before she could say anything, her father turned sharply toward Karen and the grandmother.
“Take her and lock her in Mother’s room,” he ordered coldly. “Mr. Romano is coming tomorrow with his family to see her.”
Nyx’s stomach dropped violently.
Tomorrow?
“So make sure she doesn’t try to run away again,” he continued. “I don’t care what you have to do. Beat her, threaten her, scream at her—just make her behave in front of him.”
Nyx felt sick.
“Just don’t damage her face,” Rosa added suddenly from the couch.
Nyx’s eyes flickered toward her mother.
Rosa avoided looking directly at her as she spoke quietly.
“We don’t want Mr. Romano rejecting the marriage because of visible scars.”
Karen immediately pouted in disappointment.
Nyx knew exactly why.
Karen had always hated her face.
Ever since childhood, jealousy had twisted into something ugly inside her sister.
Nyx still remembered the day Karen had nearly poured boiling water on her after her crush complimented Nyx instead of her.
That incident had been one of the reasons they pulled Nyx out of school soon afterward and forced her into part-time jobs.
Her beauty, according to them, was more useful earning money than wasting time studying.
But now—
That same face was being preserved carefully like merchandise waiting to be sold.
Karen’s disappointment only lasted a second before a cruel smile slowly spread across her lips.
“Well,” she said gleefully while grabbing Nyx’s arm roughly, “your future husband is coming tomorrow. Aren’t you excited?”
Nyx jerked her arm away instinctively.
“Let’s go,” the grandmother snapped impatiently.
The old woman grabbed Nyx’s other arm while Karen held tightly onto the first, and together they dragged her toward the basement stairs.
“Pack your things and move into my room tonight,” her grandmother ordered the moment they reached Nyx’s small basement room.
Then she shoved Nyx inside.
Nyx stumbled but quickly steadied herself.
“No,” she whispered hoarsely.
The grandmother frowned.
“What did you say?”
“I said no.”
For the first time in years, Nyx refused to lower her head.
She stood there trembling but unmoving.
The old woman’s expression darkened instantly.
“You dare disobey me?”
She raised her hand to slap Nyx—
But paused halfway after remembering Rosa’s warning about her face.
Instead, the grandmother grabbed her cane and struck Nyx sharply across the shoulder.
Pain shot through Nyx’s body, but she refused to move.
The grandmother hit her again.
And again.
Still Nyx stood there stubbornly, breathing unevenly through the pain.
Karen suddenly sighed dramatically beside them.
“Grandma, you’re too old for this,” she said lazily. “You’ll hurt yourself before you hurt her.”
Then she stretched out her hand toward the cane with a smile.
“Why don’t you let me handle it?”
The grandmother handed over the cane without hesitation.
The moment Karen grabbed it, her expression changed completely.
All the bitterness and jealousy she normally hid surfaced openly in her eyes.
And then—
She swung.
CRACK!
The cane slammed painfully against Nyx’s back.
Another strike followed immediately after.
Then another.
Karen didn’t hold back.
Years of jealousy, resentment, and hatred poured into every hit.
Nyx bit down hard on her lip to stop herself from screaming as pain spread through her entire body.
Karen aimed toward her arms, shoulders, legs—everywhere except her face.
Only because Rosa had forbidden it.
“You think you’re so special?” Karen hissed while striking her again. “Always acting pitiful so people sympathize with you.”
Another hit.
“You should be grateful Romano even wants you.”
Another.
“At least now you’ll finally be useful.”
Eventually, Nyx’s legs gave out.
She collapsed hard onto the floor, groaning weakly in pain.
Even then—
She still refused to obey.
The grandmother clicked her tongue irritably while rubbing her temple.
“What a stubborn girl.”
Karen raised the cane again, ready to continue—
“Enough!” the grandmother snapped suddenly.
Karen froze.
“Are you trying to kill her?” the old woman scolded. “We still need her alive until the wedding.”
Karen frowned in annoyance but lowered the cane reluctantly.
“If she refuses to move, then drag her to my room first,” the grandmother ordered coldly. “After that, pack her belongings and bring them upstairs.”
With that, the old woman snatched the cane back and walked out.
Karen groaned dramatically before crouching beside Nyx.
Without warning, she grabbed a fistful of Nyx’s hair.
Nyx cried out weakly as Karen yanked her across the floor.
Her exhausted fingers desperately clutched onto the faded rug beneath her in protest, but after working all day and enduring a brutal beating, she barely had any strength left.
One harsh tug was enough to tear her grip away.
Karen dragged her all the way upstairs before throwing her carelessly inside the shared bedroom.
Nyx hit the floor hard and curled slightly from the pain.
But Karen had already walked away.
A few minutes later, Karen entered Nyx’s basement room again.
Truthfully, there wasn’t much to pack.
A few undergarments.
Two faded hoodies.
Several old T-shirts.
A couple pairs of worn jeans and trousers.
Most of them were secondhand clothes discarded by the family or gifts the Parkers had quietly given Nyx over the years.
Karen stuffed them into the old faded bag carelessly, her face twisted with disgust as though touching something filthy.
Then suddenly—
Her movements stopped.
Karen’s eyes landed on something hidden near the back of the wardrobe.
A slow smile spread across her lips.
Malice filled her gaze instantly.
“Oh…”
She quickly grabbed the object and slipped it into her pocket before finishing the packing.
Moments later, she returned to the grandmother’s room and tossed the bag roughly toward Nyx, who was still sprawled weakly on the floor.
“Hey, Nyx,” Karen sang mockingly. “Look what I found while packing your bag.”
Smiling cruelly, she slowly opened her hand.
Nyx painfully lifted her head to look.
The moment her eyes landed on the object—
All color drained from her face.
- Writer
