Chapter 2
That uneasy feeling just kept growing inside me, like vines twisting and spreading through my heart.
I tore the whole house apart, searching everywhere.
Finally, I spotted a tiny corner of stiff paper sticking out from the stove.
There was a broken red seal on it, and I could just barely make out the outline of the word "University".
It felt like someone had reached into my chest and squeezed my heart to a stop.
It was late, and the house was silent. My younger brother Jake's steady snoring came from his room. I crept inside and spotted his phone on the nightstand.
I pulled up an app and typed as fast as I could: [My family burned my college admission letter. What should I do?]
Almost instantly, a reply popped up.
But before I could even read it, Jake suddenly rolled over and sat up, wide awake.
"Who's there?" Jake barked into the darkness.
I froze, instinctively hiding the phone behind my back.
His face instantly twisted in anger.
"Why are you stealing my phone?" Jake snapped.
He slapped my hand away and snatched the phone back.
"You bitch! How dare you steal from me!" Jake spat.
The commotion woke up my parents, and they rushed in, quickly pulling Jake away.
"What's all this noise about in the middle of the night?" my mom snapped.
Jake, still fuming, shouted, "She stole my phone."
My mom was furious. "Why were you messing with Jake's phone? Are you up to your tricks again?"
Jake looked down at the screen, and when he saw what I'd typed, he suddenly snickered, a creepy laugh echoing in the room.
"I get it now," Jake sneered.
He waved the phone in front of our parents, grinning, "Mom, Dad, check this out. She's still living in a fantasy. She's actually asking people online what to do if her college admission letter got burned."
The air in the room went dead silent.
My parents' eyes were like knives, stabbing right into me.
"You still think you're going to college?"
"Do you think you're all grown up now, ready to fly the coop? You want to run off and never come back?"
My dad's voice was so low that it was downright scary.
I didn't dare say a word.
But to them, my silence was as good as admitting it.
My mom grabbed the thick rope they used for tying up money, and together with my dad, they tied my hands behind my back and hoisted me up by the wrists, hanging me from the rafters.
My feet left the ground, and a sharp, tearing pain shot through my shoulders.
My dad ripped off his belt and started beating me, not holding back at all.
The belt whistled through the air, leaving burning welts across my skin with every hit.
I clenched my teeth, refusing to let myself cry out.
The pain made my vision go black, and I started to lose consciousness.
Right then, I could feel death breathing down my neck.
Just when the pain was so bad that I thought I was about to pass out, I heard my mom's voice.
She said, "That's enough. Don't cripple her. We'll be counting on her to find a husband to raise us."
Hearing that, my dad finally stopped.
He spat on the floor and threw the belt aside. "She doesn't even deserve that."
I was left hanging all night, and when they finally let me down the next morning, I collapsed on the floor like a pile of dead weight.
Before I could even catch my breath, my mom dragged me into the main room.
There were a bunch of men sitting there.
They were all bachelors from our village or the next one over, and the oldest one's hair was already turning grey.
My mom and dad were grinning and pouring them water.
As soon as I walked in, every single one of them turned to stare at me, like I was just some piece of merchandise up for sale.
"She's got a good look," one of the men said, smacking his lips.
My mom replied right away, "Of course! Our girl is the prettiest for miles and miles. No one in the village can compare to her."
Another man frowned and asked, "I heard she's not a virgin, is she?"
At that, all the men looked put off, their faces twisted in disgust.
My mom's smile froze for a moment, but she quickly plastered it back on.
"That's just outsiders talking nonsense. Besides, it's not her fault. That's why we're not asking much for the wedding," she said, trying to play it off.
"She's got the looks, but..." one of the men said.
"We can haggle over the price," my mom said.
They were bargaining over me like I was just something to be bought and sold, and it was the most degrading thing ever.
I finally blurted out, "I won't marry any of them!"
This wasn't how my life was supposed to be.