Chapter 3

When Dad asked her, tears welled up in her eyes.

"Candy's missing. I haven't seen her all day," she said.

Harley's dog, Candy, was always chasing after me, snapping at my heels.

I had been bitten by a big dog in the village before, so I was terrified of dogs.

But Dad only told my stepmother to keep an eye on Candy.

Now that Candy was missing, Harley had people looking all over for her right away.

Eventually, they found Candy's body out back in the garden.

And a utility knife stained with blood was found in my room.

Dad was furious, storming in and grilling me.

"I-It wasn't me," I stammered.

Panic was all over my face, and once again, I felt like nobody was on my side.

"Dad, I swear it wasn't me!" I pleaded.

Dad snapped, "All the evidence is right here. And you're still trying to talk your way out of it?

"How did I end up with a kid like you? You're nothing but a devil.

"Just look at what your mom raised you to be."

Those words hit me so hard my whole body went numb, like my heart nearly stopped.

Dad's voice caught, and he forced himself to change the subject.

"I'm asking you one last time. Did you do this?" he demanded.

My eyes were bloodshot as I stared at this man who now felt like a complete stranger.

I spoke each word, slow and clear. "No. It wasn't me."

But Dad didn't believe me.

He didn't see the scars on my body. He didn't care about the chilblains on my fingers.

To him, I was just a guilty person.

The one who messed up and never owned up to it.

He rubbed his eyes, looking utterly exhausted, as if he had just given up on me.

Then he threw out a few words. "Locked up. You're not coming out until you admit your mistake."

I should have been used to the dark.

If Mom hadn't put her life on the line for me, I wouldn't even be alive.

Since I was old enough to know anything, I had been kicked out of my own home.

It was easy to control a woman.

All one needed was her child.

For my sake, Mom was willing to submit to them and give up on killing herself.

And on top of that, I was a girl.

I could be sold for some money.

So they only tortured me, keeping me alive but barely.

I lived with those pigs.

Anyone could bully me.

The stench of blood and mud mixed with pig dung filled my nose. The nights were long and dark, and the pigsty was low and cramped.

The only light I could see was the faint glimmer from that pocket watch.

But after I escaped, I realized that all the light in my life had been left in that place I feared so much.

The locked room was pitch black, just like always.

I wrapped my arms around myself, unable to stop trembling.

I didn't know how long I had been locked up. In a daze, I heard music playing outside.

There were lots of voices, people chatting and laughing.

I caught Harley's excited giggles and Dad's sweet, loving words.

So it was Harley's birthday today.

No wonder she set me up and locked me in here.

I had been back for ages, but I was never officially recognized as part of the family.

My existence was a constant reminder to her.

She never really belonged here, no matter what she did.

A dull pain stirred in my stomach.

No one had brought me food for days.

Dad, have you forgotten about me?

My tears had long dried up, and my eyes felt too sore to squeeze out another drop.

After so many days, I felt that unbearable hunger again.

I didn't know how much time had passed.

Then, the door opened.