chapter 3

So, I kept being with Daniel every day and declared that I was the only one that could be his girlfriend.

It wasn't until later that I realized that I got him wrong. His personality had nothing to do with his indifference to me.

Daniel never said he loved me just because he hated me.

Lying on the bed, I thought I wouldn't be able to sleep. However, I was too weak, and it had been too long since I had slept in such a soft bed.

So, I fell asleep later but had a nightmare.

In the dream, several people were beating me, pulled my hair, and kicked me on my belly.

I curled up. Each part of my body was aching, and my stomach was in severe pain.

I felt something inside me going away from me, but I couldn't hold onto it.

At that time, I seemed to see Daniel.

He stood not far away, watching everything happen indifferently.

His cold eyes were filled with intense disgust.

I woke up in pain, clutching my aching stomach. To ease the pain, I went downstairs to search for food.

After sneaking into the kitchen, I took a bottle of milk from the fridge and drank it as I sat in a corner.

Daniel came in quietly.

When I saw him, I couldn’t help but step back. The bottle slipped from my hand because of my carelessness. The milk spilled all over the floor.

I hurriedly crouched down, trying to clean up.

Daniel walked over and reached out his hand to me.

I was so terrified that I held my head in my hands. As I was trembling, I said, "Don't hit me, please! I didn’t mean to drop it..."

Daniel looked at me in shock as if he realized something was wrong.

"Ellen, what’s the matter with you? Did someone beat you in the hospital?"

I dared not tell him that for the past three years, I had been living in hell.

Even if I had spoken the truth, no one would have believed me.

They would not take my words seriously because I was a mental patient.

I rubbed my hair, which was extremely short, and said calmly, "I refused to take my medication and listen to doctors, so I was beaten, but I’ve healed. So, I won't stop you from marrying Ada."

Daniel frowned deeply. He said in an unfriendly tone, "The relationship between Ada and me is none of your business."

I nodded.

Indeed, I didn't deserve to interfere in their marriage.

The next day, I told Linda that I wanted to move back to the house my mother left me.

Linda disagreed and said, "That house has been left behind for so many years. I hope you can stay here. I want to take care of you."

I remained silent, having no idea how to respond.

In the past, everyone would satisfy my requests as long as I acted cute.

However, the painful experiences I had gone through during the past three years taught me how to keep silent and obedient. I dared not say no to anyone.

In the end, it was Daniel who spoke to Linda for me, "Mom, how about letting her go? Living in that old house might be good for her condition."

I looked at Daniel gratefully, not minding his emphasis on my illness.

After dinner, Daniel drove me away.

The house my mother left me was in the city center. It had been unoccupied for many years. All the surfaces of the items in the house were covered with dust.

On top of the cabinet placed in the living room, there was a family photo.

The people in it were my parents and me. My father stole the assets of my family and ran away with his first love.

My mother was from a wealthy family. Her biggest misfortune was falling in love with a man who didn't love her at all.

When I was ten, my mother’s father passed away.

My father secretly transferred all the assets to his bank account before abandoning my mother and me. Therefore, my mother and I ran up huge debts.

She spent her lifetime making money to pay off the debts, and eventually died in the hospital.

Years later, I made the same mistake by falling for the wrong person and nearly losing my life for him.

No matter how regretful I was, what had happened could not be changed.

I was so unhealthy that it took me a long time to clean the house.

The dust made me cough continuously. My stomachache got increasingly acute. Finally, I spat blood.

I wiped it off carelessly before going out for job hunting.

I needed to be financially independent. And I should buy some painkillers at a drug store.

After wandering around for an afternoon, I finally found a job.