He didn't say a word and closed the door, locking me inside. I couldn’t get out because there was a password.

He then went to take a shower.

He must have felt uncomfortable after seeing those creatures.

I sat obediently in the living room.

About an hour later, James came downstairs.

He was in his pajamas, his hair still damp.

I knew to avoid looking at him.

"You can move into that house after it's cleaned up. You can stay here for tonight," explained James.

I thought for a moment and nodded, thanking him.

That house was large, and I would probably still be cleaning it well into the night.

He walked over, and I stood up, feeling like a servant standing to the side.

James pinched my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze.

"Have you quit?" A hint of curiosity appeared on his face.

Without hesitation, I nodded. Any hesitation would be a disrespect to my three years in rehab.

That night, I had a nightmare.

There were countless pairs of eyes.

Hatred, disgust, revulsion, disdain...

All coming from one person and that was James...

4

The next day, when James went to work, I asked him to drop me off in the city center.

As long as I didn't bother him, everything was negotiable.

I looked at the hiring notice outside the flower shop, wondering if the owner would accept someone like me without a degree.

I had been sent to rehab halfway through university.

"Are you here to apply for a job?" the owner, noticing me staring at the notice but not going in, couldn't help but ask.

I nodded.

The owner looked to be just over 25.

He seemed easy to get along with.

The salary was 600 dollars per month, and no degree was required. I just needed to show up on time to help.

I asked the owner for an advance of 200 dollars. Without money, I couldn't do anything.

I was officially starting tomorrow, and the owner didn't seem worried I would run off with the money.

I went to a used car shop and bought a secondhand electric scooter.

I spent 80 dollars for that.

In the past, I wouldn't have thought twice about 80 dollars, but now, I had to haggle for it.

It was not like I didn't have parents. Three years ago, my family abandoned me to protect the company's reputation.

And my only loving grandfather had long since passed away.

If my grandfather were still here, would I have been in this mess?

I shook my head, trying to dispel those useless thoughts.

I rode the electric scooter back to the old house my grandfather left behind.

The weeds outside had already been cleared away by James's men.

Inside, there was dust everywhere and spider webs.

It took me four hours to clean the house, but many things inside were already unusable.

I planned to throw away the useless items, but in my carelessness, I stumbled and dropped things everywhere and I ended up in a mess.

Not only did I scrape my knees, but I was also covered in dirt and dust.

A pair of leather shoes appeared before me; I didn't need to look up to know who they belonged to.

I slowly stood up, feeling a bit of pain in my knees.

"Mr. Gates, is there something you need?" I switched from calling him Jamesy to James, and then to Mr. Gates.

It was better to keep some distance. I didn't want to go back to that place again.

"Grandma asked me to come check on you," said James, frowning.

"Tell Grandma I'm fine. She doesn't need to worry about me." With that, I squatted down and continued to tidy up the mess.

I fell, and things scattered even more.

James grabbed the back of my collar, and with a tearing sound, my shirt was in tatters.

The shirt was the same one I wore yesterday, and after three years, it tore easily with a gentle pull.

"Mr. Gates, please have some self-restraint." I covered myself, my tone a bit harsh, but luckily it was just the back that tore.

But that was the only shirt I had left, and I hadn't had the chance to buy a new one.

How was I supposed to go out and buy clothes now?

However, James's focus was on the injury on my back. "What happened to your back?"

"I misbehaved, and the teacher hit me," I said it so casually, as if I weren't the one being hit.

"You deserved it." James dropped that comment and walked away.

I glanced at my back, which was covered in countless scars, both new and old.

They were from being whipped.

The most recent scar was probably from a few days ago. I had forgotten exactly when.

The wound hadn't completely healed.

I went to the closet and found a shirt covered in dust.

I shook the dust off and put it on without hesitation.

After a while, I felt a bit of itchiness on my back, near the wound.

It might be infected.

When I went out to buy clothes, James returned again.

What was he back for? Did he want to watch me suffer?

He tossed a shirt at me and told me to wear it.

I refused. After all, he had a girlfriend, and it wouldn't be appropriate to buy clothes for another girl, right?

Wait, it had been three years. She must have become his wife by now, right?

But that was none of my business.

James pulled me back into the house.

I obediently sat in a chair.

James took out alcohol and ointment to clean my back.

It stung a bit, but I didn't make a sound.

What was this little pain compared to what I had endured?

"I wonder why this one is on your waist?" James pointed at a particularly ugly scar on my side.

It was more on my kidney than my waist.

I shook my head, indicating that I didn't know either.

"Why did they hit you?" asked James as he adjusted my shirt.

I had already changed into a new shirt.

"Because I was disobedient." I added quickly, as if afraid he wouldn't believe me, "But don't worry, I'm very obedient now."

"Why were you disobedient?" It seemed he didn't hear the answer he wanted, so he asked again.

"I dropped a grain of rice while eating, and the teacher noticed." I looked as obedient as I could.

James frowned and didn't say anything.

I glanced at him, unsure of what he was thinking.

After a long pause, he slowly spoke again.

"Besides your back, did they hit you anywhere else?"

I shook my head to indicate no.

Actually, they didn't hit my back. I curled up, and that was all they could reach.

"It's late, you should go back." I didn't want to stay in the same space as him. I felt suffocated.

Moreover, without me realizing it, it had already become dark outside.

"You said it's late. I won't go back tonight," said James after giving it some thought.

I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast at James's place.

I took out the vegetables I bought at noon, lit a fire on the stove, and casually cooked something.

Fortunately, my grandfather didn't use the gas stove much. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to eat at all.

"This isn't a rehab center. You don't need to eat so fast." I heard James's voice while I was focusing on my meal.