The moment Uncle David stepped out, his gentle gaze turned vicious. Not only did he drop all talk of me dating, but he also kicked me square in the chest.

"You filthy bitch," he spat. "How dare you still dream about love at your age? You don't deserve it."

Just then, my aunt, Felicia Hailbrook, came by my home. She was looking for Uncle David.

The second Aunt Felicia saw what he'd done, she tore into him, screaming like he was the scum of the earth. But after Dad pulled her into his study, she turned on me too.

She told me never to think about marriage ever again, or she would poison me.

I was left completely puzzled. What was it about that study that made everyone flip on me the moment they stepped inside?

Even Angela, who had always been close to me since childhood, tried to talk me out of marriage.

She even went so far as to secretly burn all my photos with my ex-boyfriends and block their numbers on my phone. She refused to let me meet or contact any men.

The entire situation weighed on my mind day and night. I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Everything about it felt… creepy.

At the very least, I still had Mom on my side, but she was always busy.

She ran three restaurants and worked herself to the bone from dawn till dusk. She hardly had time to breathe, let alone protect me from what happened at home.

I wouldn't lie, every breakup had left me devastated. I cried and made a fuss, but nothing ever changed.

The disappointment crushed me.

Dad shot me a disdainful look before he settled into the couch to watch television. I walked over and stood in front of him, my expression dead serious.

"Dad, just tell me the truth. Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you? Am I just in your way? Why can't we talk this out like adults? Does it really have to come to this?"

We were family. If there was a misunderstanding, we could talk it out.

But he didn't even look at me. His eyes stayed glued to the television, cold and detached.

"I've told you," he said flatly. "You're not allowed to date or get married. If you dare defy me, I'll kill you myself."

Then, Dad narrowed his eyes at me, his glare sharp enough to send a shiver down my spine. He wasn't joking.

Suddenly, he stood up and went into the kitchen. Then, he came back with a knife and charged at me like a madman.

Terrified, I locked myself inside my room and called my best friend, Susan Collins. I begged her to get the police.

The police officers arrived quickly, with Susan right behind them.

A female officer immediately subdued Dad, wrestled the kitchen knife from his hand, and hurled it across the room. Finally safe, I breathed a sigh of relief and stepped out of my room.

"Mr. Schrute, you're under arrest for attempted murder. You need to come with us to the station for questioning!" the officer declared.

But even as they cuffed him, Dad still wore a smug expression on his face. He wasn't scared at all.

When Susan saw the cuts on my arm from the knife, her face went pale. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

She punched Dad in rage and shouted, "Are you insane? She's your daughter! You actually tried to kill her just for wanting to get married?"

Susan broke down and sobbed into her hands until she could barely catch her breath. I had no doubt that if the police officers weren't right there, she would have thrown herself at Dad just for my sake.

It hit me then that there were people in my corner who genuinely cared for me and my happiness.

The police officers questioned Dad sternly. They demanded to know why he had done it, but he just stared back and showed not a shred of remorse.

Then, Susan stepped forward and raised her phone.

"I have evidence," she said. "Since Elizabeth was 20, her father had forced her to break up with every single boyfriend. He even encouraged them to hit and insult her! I have all the photos she sent me of her injuries. Every one of these monsters needs to be punished.

The moment her words fell, Dad let out a low, chilling laugh. His face twisted into something terrifying.

He signaled for the officers to release him, then turned to Susan with a cold smile.

"I'll go with you," he said calmly. "But first, I need to get something from my study. It's something you'll want to see. If you're afraid I'll run, you can all come with me."

I gasped sharply, a cold chill rushing through me. Without a second thought, I moved to block the way to the study.

Cold sweat beaded on my forehead, and my eyes brimmed red with panic. "No! No one is allowed to enter!" I cried.

A cold dread washed through me. I knew that once they stepped inside with Dad, they would come out changed—just like all the others before.

Seeing how terrified I was, Susan wrapped an arm around my shoulder to comfort me.

"Ellie, are you alright? It's okay. I'm here now, and so are the police. Your dad can't hurt you anymore."

She watched me, concerned, but I stood firmly in front of the door. I gripped the handle tightly, refusing to let anyone enter.

I was terrified and desperate. Even the police officers seemed puzzled by my intense reaction.

Then, two female officers approached me with gentle smiles. They took my hand and guided me to the side.

"It's okay, Elizabeth. They'll just let him get some stuff. He won't be able to harm you," one of them reassured me.

I shook my head desperately as tears streamed down my face. "No, please. You can't let him go in."

My resistance only affirmed the police officers' belief that the study hid some terrible secret.

One of the female officers ordered me to stay put as everyone else followed Dad inside. I could do nothing to stop them.

Even Susan couldn't hold back her frustration. "Now that you're at death's door, let's see what tricks you have up your sleeve!" she snapped. "How dare you try to kill your own daughter! The law will make you pay no matter what you've done!"

She was the last to enter the study. Just before stepping in, she turned and gave me a quick, reassuring wink and a smile.

It was as if to say that there was nothing to worry about and that with her there everything would be fine.

I stood there, my emotions in turmoil. A part of me clung to hope that perhaps, Susan's will was strong enough to resist Dad's influence.

Even if she went into that study, surely she would still be the same person I trusted. But as it turned out, I had been too naive.

Through the crack in the door, I watched as Susan's expression shifted from fear and panic to anger and hostility. Grinding her teeth in rage, she grabbed a teacup and hurled it to the floor.

At that, Dad looked up smugly, as if he had expected it all along.

When she finally came out, she destroyed her phone. Then, she smiled sweetly at the police officers and apologized.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Schrute was only trying to bond with his daughter. He never intended to hurt her. I misunderstood the entire situation."

The officers frowned, their expressions stern as they fixed their eyes on me.

"Don't you dare make another false report!" one exclaimed. "We'll let you off with a warning this time, but next time, you won't be so lucky!"

Hearing that, I slumped to the ground like a deflated balloon. The shift in their attitude was clear—I had lost my last chance at help.

Susan then jabbed her nails harshly into my temples and snarled. "You heard that, didn't you? If you hadn't lied about someone trying to kill you, I never would've made a false report. You'd better reflect on what you've done!"

Everyone glared at me before the police officers released Dad. Then one by one, they all left.

As the door closed, Susan turned back with a bitter and scornful look.

She stormed into the kitchen and grabbed two knives. Then, she shoved them into Dad's hand and urged him to just finish me off.

"You were right, Mr. Schrute. Elizabeth is nothing but a disgrace. She'd rather throw away a good life just for some romance. You should just finish her off since she refuses to listen. Trash like her doesn't deserve to breathe. She's better off dead."

Upon hearing that, my tears fell uncontrollably as I stared at her in disbelief.

"Susan, do you even hear yourself? You're my best friend!" I cried.

I grabbed her hand, but she shook me off with contempt. Her face was cold.

"I'm only telling the truth," she said. "You brought this on yourself."

In that instant, my heart felt like it was being torn apart. This was my childhood friend, the one I had grown up with. I couldn't believe that she had changed.

Then, I recalled a memory from when I was little, when Dad had punished me by withholding food. Susan would sneak over with bread, wait by my door, and quietly slip it to me so I wouldn't go hungry.

She had once promised that we'd be sisters for life, that she'd always be there for me.

I remembered a day we had walked hand in hand. I had asked, "Hey, what if I never get married?"

Her eyes had shone with sincerity and warmth as she replied with unwavering conviction, "It's okay if you don't. I bought a place, didn't I? You can live with me, and I won't get married either. I'll take care of you for life, and we can even adopt a child. From then on, we'll be family."

She was the one who told me not to cry over men. She said that men could change in a snap, and that only proved that they had never truly loved me.

But now, what made her any different from those men?

My chest ached as if it had been struck, while a thread of suspicion tangled like thorns in my mind, tightening until I could barely breathe.

I couldn't stop wondering—what power did Dad's study hold? How could it twist those who once cherished me, turning their care to cruelty… even making them willing to see me dead?

From that day forward, my friendship with Susan ended. We became strangers. I wasn't physically harmed, but the damage ran deep.

For a long time afterward, I went to therapy, trying to reclaim some piece of happiness.

Dad and Angela didn't care. All they knew was how to control and exploit me.

Then, Mom finally came home for her annual break. She would take a break once a year to spend time with family.

When she found out that I had been going to the hospital for therapy, she was filled with guilt. One night, she came into my room.

Mom stood by my bed and saw me lying there, my eyes numb and vacant. Her own face was streaked with tears.

She pulled me into her arms and said, "Ellie, this is all my fault. I've tried to talk sense into your father so many times, but he just won't listen."

Her voice trembled with pain, as if she wished she could take my suffering herself.

I knew how hard life was for Mom. Without her love, I wouldn't have lasted this long.

Every time Dad tried to beat or scold me, she would always step in and oppose him for my sake. She knew his temper better than anyone, and since she couldn't change him, she compensated by loving me even more.

But Mom was busy running her shop from dawn till dusk, and by the time she came home, I was already asleep.

Still, it didn't matter. I could always feel her care for me. It was what reminded me that someone in this world still cared for me and wouldn't turn against me for some strange, inexplicable reason.

I had thought about moving out, but Dad kept such a close watch on me. He was convinced that I would marry someone in secret the moment I left the house.

He even warned me that if I dared to move away, he would torture me until I begged for death. The very thought of his study sent a shiver down my spine.

I clung to Mom's arm and playfully said, "Mom, will you always listen to me, no matter what I say?"

She stroked my hair tenderly and softly replied, "Of course, I will. You're my beloved daughter. I'll always listen to you, no matter what you say."

Looking at her earnestly, I pleaded, "Then promise me that you'll never ever go into Dad's study. Can you do that for me?"

At that, Mom frowned slightly. "Is there something hidden in there?"

"I don't know," I replied. "But please, just promise me that you'll never go in there, okay?"

"Don't worry, my dear," she reassured me. "I'll listen to you. If you tell me not to go in there, then I won't, I promise."

"You're the best, Mom."

"Of course," she said firmly. "I will always be good to you, always."

Mom's expression was so serious, and I believed her. As long as she stayed out of Dad's study, she wouldn't be brainwashed by him and would still love me.

She even tried to comfort me, saying Dad was just stubborn and difficult, that I shouldn't take his words to heart.

Mom even told me that she had already arranged a blind date for me with a man of good character through a matchmaking site. She said no real parent would forbid their daughter from getting married, that it was unreasonable.

Feeling relieved, I agreed to meet the man that weekend. But the very next day, Mom told me the blind date had been canceled.

We were supposed to go for breakfast together that morning, but she didn't wake me. I slept in until noon, thinking she had gone back to work.

When I finally opened my door, Mom was there waiting. Without a word, she hurled a bowl from the dining table straight at my head.

Pain shot across my forehead, and warm blood spilled onto the floor.