Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Mom pinched my cheek. “What are you thinking about?”

“Mom was just speaking off the cuff. You are the treasure I carried for ten months.

“Ruanruan, I found a letter in the mailbox. It’s for you.”

Mom pulled out an envelope.

I opened it, puzzled. Suddenly, my pupils constricted, and my entire body went into a spasm.

Inside was a photograph.

In the photo, I was being stepped on like a pathetic dog, someone’s foot grinding into my stomach.

My bullies were pouring glue over my head.

They were laughing, looking incredibly happy.

I still remembered what they said.

*A bitch doesn’t deserve such beautiful hair.*

The sensation of high heels digging into my stomach felt as vivid as if it were happening right now.

On the back of the photo, a sentence was written:

“We’re really looking forward to visiting Ruanruan’s house to see how a family of bitches lives.”

At the end, there was a very cute smiley face.

Cold sweat seeped from my forehead. Instinctively, I tried to hide the photo behind my back.

But Mom didn’t give me the chance to conceal it.

She snatched the photo from my hand with ease.

I watched her, filled with trepidation.

The expression on her face didn’t change at all; she still wore a faint, gentle smile.

“Ruanruan, are these the people who gave you those injuries?

“And you went behind my back to cut your hair because of them, too?”

I nodded nervously, trembling as I pressed my cheek against her hand.

“Mom… please… I can transfer schools. We can tell the teachers. I’ll tell them not to come…

“Please don’t do anything to them…”

Like a pitiful little animal, I let out a weak plea to my mother.

In the past, whenever I made Mom angry, this trick would always make her forgive me.

Mom laughed.

Her eyes, unnervingly dark, stared at me. “Ruanruan, although Mom loves it when you act spoiled, it won’t work this time.

“Didn’t Mom tell you? We have to be hospitable to our guests. How could we possibly turn them away?”

Mom stroked my face lovingly, whispering softly in my ear, “We will definitely prepare a grand night for them-one they’ll never forget for the rest of their lives.”

As I heard my mother’s words, my body turned cold, inch by inch.

That night.

I had a nightmare.

In the dream, I was eight years old again.

I was standing barefoot in the living room.

It was dark, and the lights were off.

My parents’ bedroom door was slightly ajar, leaving a narrow crack.

A faint light leaked from within.

I heard the sound of their voices.

Curious, I clutched my doll and walked over.

“I don’t know if bringing this child back was the right choice or not…”

“Do you regret it?”

“It’s not regret, exactly. I just feel that with this child’s personality…”

“If we don’t like her later, we’ll just kill her. It’s not like there’s only one corpse in our garden anyway… heehee…”

A chill surged from the soles of my feet to my limbs.

At eight years old, I felt as if I had plummeted into a frozen hell.

Suddenly, the room fell into a dead silence.

My parents’ faces slowly poked out from behind the door.

They wore identical, synchronized smiles as they stared at me. “Children who eavesdrop on their parents are bad children!”