Chapter- 7
1327 Words
After a few awkward conversations following the washroom incident, Brandon suddenly began praising Nyx as if he were the proudest father in the world.
"She is the hardest-w**********l I have ever known," Brandon said with a smile so stretched it looked painful. "Cooking, cleaning, managing the entire household — she does it all without a single complaint."
"Not only that," her grandmother added quickly, eager to impress. "She even worked several part-time jobs to help support the family expenses. Such a responsible child."
Rosa sighed dramatically and pressed a hand against her chest. "Honestly, Mr. Romano, sending her away is breaking our hearts. She is very precious to this family."
Nyx nearly choked.
Were they seriously talking about her?
Because the people currently praising her like some perfect daughter were the exact same people who had called her useless barely two days ago while forcing her to scrub the bathroom floor.
And since when had she worked those jobs willingly?
Weren't they the ones who had forced her to quit her studies and work herself to exhaustion just to keep money flowing into the house?
Nyx silently watched her family nod enthusiastically at every lie Brandon fed Mr. Romano, looking like eager chicks pecking at grains. The desperation in their eyes was almost laughable. They truly believed they could fool the man and squeeze as much money out of him as possible.
It took every ounce of control for Nyx not to burst into laughter at their ridiculous behavior. Instead, she kept her expression blank and emotionless.
Across from them, Mr. Romano remained calm, though inwardly he understood exactly what was happening.
This was not love.
This was greed.
The family wasn't praising Nyx because they cared about her. They were trying to raise her price.
After all, what kind of family sold their own daughter to pay off debts?
Oh right.
This one did.
Still, since he was satisfied with Nyx, Mr. Romano decided to indulge them a little.
Didn't that old woman mention she works multiple part-time jobs? he thought, his eyes drifting briefly toward Nyx. Interesting. Very useful information.
After all, I can always make her earn back every penny I spent on her after our marriage. Maybe even more. So it's not that bad of a deal.
"Well," he said smoothly, adjusting his cufflinks, "since she means so much to your family, I suppose I can add two lakh more to the agreement."
Every pair of eyes in the room lit up instantly.
"But," he continued firmly, "not a single rupee more. The remaining amount will be paid on the wedding day."
"Of course!"
"That is more than generous!"
"You are too kind, Mr. Romano!"
The family agreed so quickly it was almost embarrassing.
After another round of fake smiles and meaningless conversation, Mr. Romano and his men finally prepared to leave. Everyone except Nyx and Karen eagerly walked them to the apartment entrance.
Silence filled the house the moment the elevator doors closed.
Nyx heard the faint click of the front door locking.
And just like that, every smile vanished.
Their expressions darkened as they slowly turned toward her.
Cold dread settled in Nyx's stomach.
They hadn't forgotten about the tea she spilled on Mr. Romano earlier.
*Here comes the next beating session,* she thought bitterly.
Rosa was the first to move.
"You b***h!" she screamed before slapping Nyx hard across the face.
The impact sent Nyx stumbling sideways.
"How dare you try to ruin everything for us?!"
"You did it deliberately, didn't you?" Mike snarled, glaring at her with accusing eyes.
Nyx shook her head frantically. "N-No, I didn't—"
But they never believed her.
They never did.
"This girl will never learn," her grandmother muttered with a disappointed shake of her head, as though Nyx were the problem in all of this.
Brandon clicked his tongue impatiently. "Mike. Karen. Drag her to her room and teach her a proper lesson."
He didn't even bother moving from his seat.
"Make sure she understands not to create problems after marrying Mr. Romano. I don't want that man coming back here complaining because of her."
As always, Brandon preferred ordering others around instead of dirtying his own hands.
Karen looked almost excited.
Without hesitation, she rushed forward and grabbed Nyx harshly by the arm.
"Don't damage her face," Rosa reminded quickly. "Mr. Romano may back out if he sees scars on her."
For once, Karen didn't complain. She simply nodded, clearly satisfied that the family had not only cleared their debts but had also earned extra money by selling Nyx away.
Nyx clenched her trembling fists tightly.
*Just wait,* she thought as Karen dragged her toward her room while Mike followed behind them.
*One day, I'll make every single one of you pay for what you've done to me.*
And then the beating began.
After beating her to their hearts’ content, Karen and Mike finally walked out of the room.
The door slammed shut behind them with a loud bang before the lock clicked into place.
Nyx remained curled on the cold floor, her entire body throbbing with pain.
Her cheek burned from Rosa’s slap, her arms were covered in bruises, and every breath felt heavy against her aching ribs. Strands of hair stuck messily to her tear-stained face as she stared blankly at the cracked floor beneath her.
Anger boiled inside her chest.
It was never about the tea.
They didn’t care whether she had intentionally spilled it on Mr. Romano or not.
They simply wanted a reason.
A reason to vent their frustrations.
A reason to hurt her.
And today’s incident had conveniently handed them one.
Nyx let out a long, exhausted sigh.
Then another.
And another.
At this point, she had lost count of how many times she had sighed like this throughout her life.
Helpless.
That was what she was.
Completely and utterly helpless.
She slowly wiped the corner of her swollen lips before shifting painfully against the floor. Just then, movement caught the corner of her eye.
Two tiny blurry figures scurried out from beneath the old cupboard.
Nyx blinked.
Then her tense expression softened almost instantly.
The two mice hurried across the floor toward her cautiously, their tiny noses twitching as if checking whether she was alright.
A faint smile tugged at Nyx’s lips.
It was them again.
The two little mice that had been living in the apartment for years.
Most people would have screamed or tried to chase them away, but Nyx never could. She had secretly fed them scraps of food whenever she could spare any.
After all, they were probably the only living creatures in this house that had ever shown her kindness.
The sight of them pulled her mind back to an old memory.
She had only been five years old the first time she met them.
Back then, Karen had broken an expensive vase in the living room and immediately blamed Nyx for it, claiming Nyx had pushed her into the table.
No one had listened to her explanation.
No one ever did.
She still remembered the beating she received that day — worse than most, especially because Brandon had been furious about the broken vase. She had been thrown into her room afterward, bruised, terrified, and crying so hard she could barely breathe.
And then these two tiny creatures had appeared.
At first, little Nyx had nearly screamed in terror.
But something about them felt… strange.
Wrong.
Not frightening wrong.
Just unnatural.
They had stared at her silently with oddly soft eyes, almost as if they understood her pain.
As if they pitied her.
One of them had even dragged over a tiny stolen piece of flatbread from the kitchen and dropped it beside her trembling hands.
The memory still felt surreal even now.
Nyx let out a quiet laugh under her breath despite the pain radiating through her body.
“You two again…” she whispered weakly.
- Writer
