chapter 5

I had no idea why he was looking at me with a weird expression. All I wanted to do was to pay him back, so I gave him my number.

Dr. Smith called me and asked me to save his number.

His full name was Stephen Smith.

I could finally leave with the painkillers in my hand. I only had 30 dollars left.

I made up my mind to find another job.

Eventually, I got a job as a cleaner at a bar.

I had to work from eight in the evening to three in the morning. This job was tough, but the room and board were included, which was a great benefit for me.

Stephen occasionally sent me messages.

He reminded me not to take too many painkillers and to go to the hospital if I felt unwell.

At first, I found him annoying.

He was a handsome guy, but I didn’t want to be used as a tool to boost his performance. After all, I was impoverished.

Afterwards, I started replying to him with simple sentences.

I told him that I was indeed mentally ill.

I thought that would scare him off, but instead, he texted me three times a day and reminded me to have regular meals.

One night, the bar was crowded with guests.

The manager assigned me to deliver food to a private room.

As I pushed the door open, I saw several men and women dancing energetically.

I put down the food and was about to leave when a man and a woman blocked my way.

"Hello, Ellen! I’m glad to see you here. I’m wondering when you can marry Daniel," the woman said.

"It will never happen. She was released from a psychiatric hospital a few days ago. She is a lunatic!" the man said.

Soon, I recognized them. They were my college classmates.

The man, Leo Green, had been one of my pursuers. After I rejected him, he always had resentment against me.

The woman was the one who told others I had a mental illness at the amusement park.

I didn't want to cause trouble because I couldn’t lose my job again.

However, they refused to spare me.

Leo blocked my way and cast me a dirty look. "Don't go away. I know you're ill and not as pretty as before, but I don't mind. Maybe I can help you get a better job," he said.

The others around us let out a lewd laugh.

I was so terrified that I turned to run away.

Leo grabbed me and tore my clothes apart.

I struggled desperately. A wine bottle fell to the floor, and one of its shards cut me.

The deep despair numbed me, so I couldn't feel the pain.

I had thought that I could start a new life by leaving the psychiatric hospital and staying away from Daniel.

It turned out that being in there might be a better choice. At least now I didn't get beaten as much by doctors since I became much more obedient.

Suddenly, Daniel rushed into the private room. His face was dark with fury as he pinned Leo to the ground and started hitting him violently.

The room was filled with screams and the thuds produced when Daniel hit Leo.

I curled up on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

Though I was not being beaten at present, I could feel the sharp pain.

As Daniel approached me, I broke down and hurried to apologize crazily.

I was terrified and thought that if I didn’t make an apology quickly, he would punch me.

"I'm sorry! I won't do that again! Please don't hit me! I'll obey the rules!" I screamed.

My madness made Daniel motionless.

He saw the scars and bruises on me. I didn’t have enough time to hide them.

They were all over my body.

Some of them were old, and others had formed recently.

"Who did hit you?" Daniel asked, his eyes filled with panic. He was too shocked to touch me.

I ignored him, repeating over and over, "I'm bitch. I shouldn't have fallen in love with Daniel. I'm sorry..."

A sudden pain gripped my stomach. I found it hard to breathe from the agony.

Before losing consciousness, I seemed to hear Daniel's caring voice.

I thought I didn’t hear him correctly.

Daniel wished I would disappear from the world as soon as possible.

I slept for a long time.

So long that when I woke up and saw Daniel, I was still dazed.

He hadn’t shaved for some days. I had never seen him so depressed.

"You should have told me you have been beaten," Daniel said in a raspy voice.