Dawn had not fully broken yet. A dull gray light seeped through the cracks of the window.

I struggled to lift the wooden tub packed with the family's dirty clothes and headed for the river. Before leaving, I crouched down and gently straightened Noah's collar.

"Noah," I said softly, "Mom is leaving this mountain today. Will you come with me?"

He blinked at me, then a sly smile spread across his face. "Okay. I want to go outside the mountain with Mom and buy lots and lots of candy."

I patted his head and lowered my voice. "Remember this: I'll take the small path at the east end of the village. After I leave, you sneak over by yourself. I'll be waiting for you there."

He nodded hard, his eyes shining.

I lifted the heavy tub and walked straight to the river. The water was icy, numbing my hands until they burned red. I scrubbed the clothes on autopilot, but my heart was pounding wildly in my chest.

Not long after, the village burst into noisy commotion. Shouts rang out, footsteps rushed past. It was clear that Ruth and Liam had rallied the villagers and were coming after me.

By the time the sun had climbed high, Ruth and Liam came marching toward the river with a crowd behind them. Ruth was gripping a shovel.

The moment she spotted me, she screamed, "Dorothy! You shameless bitch. You still dared to run off with my precious grandson?"

I jumped to my feet and wiped the sweat from my face. "Mother? What are you talking about? I don't understand a word you're saying."

My old clothes were soaked through, my fingers stiff from the cold. I hurriedly grabbed the sleeve of Evelyn Crowley beside me. "I told Evelyn last night I'd come here to wash clothes this morning."

Evelyn pursed her lips before saying, "Ruth, Dorothy works herself to the bone day and night for your whole family. And you're still not satisfied?"

Evelyn's own daughter-in-law had also been abducted and was still locked in the woodshed every day. She would never help a trafficked woman escape.

Ruth eyed me suspiciously, muttering under her breath. "That can't be right. Noah wouldn't lie to me."

I pointed at Liam standing nearby. "Ruth, I gave Liam a son. Where could I possibly run to?

"I've thought it through. A woman marries the man she ends up with, for better or worse. My roots are now in the Barrett family.

"I just want to serve you and Liam properly and raise Noah. Why would I have any other thoughts?"

After a morning commotion, seeing that I had not run at all and was calmly washing clothes, the villagers gradually dispersed. I carried the heavy laundry back with Ruth and Liam. The moment we entered the yard, Ruth yanked Noah into a corner. I hid behind the wall and heard her harsh voice drill into him.

"You little brat! You dare lie to me. Dorothy didn't run at all. Were you lying just to trick candy out of me?"

Faced with Ruth's furious interrogation, Noah froze. The candy in his mouth suddenly tasted like nothing.

He blurted out, "Grandma is stupid. Mom said once she fooled you, she'd take me to the city and live in a big house. She said you're all country bumpkins and not fit to be my family."

Ruth shook with rage. She grabbed a broom and lashed it down on him. "So, you lied to me; you're daring enough to betray your own family."

In the past, I would have rushed forward without hesitation, shielding Noah with my body. This time, I stood quietly behind the wall, listening as his cries grew louder and sharper.

Good. The first step of the plan was complete.

After that beating, Noah's wailing echoed through the yard for a long time. I looked at his tear-streaked face and instinctively reached out to wipe his cheeks.

At the same time, his thoughts rang clearly in my ears again. "It was all Mom's fault. Because of her, I got beaten. The one who should have been hit was Mom."

My hand froze in midair before I slowly withdrew it.

In my previous life, after I was dragged back, Ruth had hung me from the old tree in the yard and beaten me for a day and a night. The belt split my clothes apart, my blood mixing with my sweat as it dripped into the dirt.

Back then, I could never understand how every single escape plan I made was exposed before I even took a step.

I had suspected Evelyn from next door, who had also tied up her daughter-in-law in the woodshed. I had suspected every neighbor who might have turned me in.

However, it never crossed my mind that the child I had nearly died giving birth to—the child I always shielded with my body whenever I was beaten—had been the eyes watching me.

I turned and went into the kitchen, lit the stove, and pan-fried some cornbread. The warm smell of butter and corn filled the air.

Noah, with tears still on his face, followed the scent and ran in. He grabbed the corner of my clothes.

"Mom, I want some cornbread."

At the same time, his thoughts were sweet to the point of being sticky.

"Mom's cornbread is the best in the whole world. If Mom runs away, no one will ever make it for me again. I absolutely cannot let Mom leave."

I gently brushed his hand aside and packed the cornbread into a woven basket.

"This is for Mr. Grant at the other end of the village," I said calmly. "He's going to help me with something important."

Noah's eyes flickered. He lowered his voice. "What kind of help?"

I leaned closer, pressed a finger to my lips, and whispered, "I've spoken to Mr. Grant. Early tomorrow morning, I'll ride his motorcycle out of the village. Noah, will you come with me?"

A glint of slyness flashed in Noah's eyes, mixed with childish malice. "Tomorrow morning?"

I nodded.

I stroke his hair. "This is our secret. You must not tell anyone, especially Grandma and Dad. Do you understand me?"

He nodded vigorously, his voice as sweet as honey. "Don't worry, Mom. I won't tell anyone."

Early the next morning, before heading out with the cornbread, I reminded him once more. Watching his solemn, earnest expression, I circled around to the backyard and hid behind the woodpile.

Sure enough, the moment I left, he ran straight into the kitchen to find Ruth.

"Grandma! Mom is running away with Mr. Grant today!"

This time, Ruth was unusually cautious. She pressed him again and again. "Noah, did you see clearly? If you lie again, I'll punish you severely."

"I swear it's true," Noah said firmly. "Mom said it herself. She's even taking me with her. She made cornbread for Mr. Grant, too."

Ruth glanced at the now-empty basket, and her face changed instantly.

Moments later, she and Liam charged toward Harry's house with a group of villagers in tow. Liam kicked open the rickety wooden door.

"Harry Grant! How dare you touch my woman?"

He stormed inside, ready to catch us in the act. But the scene everyone imagined never happened because the one lying in bed with Harry wasn't me. It was Liam's younger sister, Emma Barrett.

Ruth trembled with rage and grabbed Emma by the hair. "Emma, you shameless disgrace! What are you doing here?"

The villagers were stunned, then began pointing and whispering to one another about the Barrett family. Liam stood there holding a stick, unable to strike yet unable to stop, his face twisted with humiliation.

By the time I arrived leisurely with the cornbread, Ruth lunged at me like a madwoman. "You slut! Are you here to meet your lover?"

I stumbled back in panic. "Ruth, what are you saying? Harry has connections in town. I wanted to ask him to help Liam find a job."

Ruth sneered and flipped open the basket. On top of the cornbread lay a note that read, "Harry, please take extra care with Liam's matter."

The evidence was complete. My explanation was airtight.

After stirring up trouble again and again, Ruth had already worn out the patience of the entire village. The onlookers muttered among themselves.

"Come on, Ruth. You bought this daughter-in-law fair and square, and she's willing to live properly with the family. What are you still making such a fuss about?"

Humiliated and furious, Ruth drove everyone away and forced us back home. In the yard, the sound of the broom striking Emma and Noah rose and fell again and again.

Noah's wails grew louder with each blow, yet I only stood quietly beneath the eaves. As I watched his eyes swell from crying, I thought to myself.

It was time for the next step.

That night, I deliberately simmered a large pot of soup. I carefully took out the powdered sleeping pills and was about to pour them in when a voice spoke beside me.

"Mom?" Noah appeared out of nowhere, standing at my side. "What are you doing?"

Startled, I quickly pulled him close, pressing my cold fingers against his lips. "This is a sleeping medicine. Once your grandma, dad, and aunt drink it, they'll fall asleep.

"When they're asleep, we'll run away. I'll take you back to the city, and we'll live a good life."

He tilted his head and nodded obediently, though a flicker of malice passed through his eyes.

At the dinner table, I served soup to Ruth and the other two. Noah cradled his bowl and said to Ruth, "Mom put medicine in the soup. She said once you all are fast asleep, she'll take me and run away."

Liam's face instantly turned livid. He shot to his feet, and his broad palm came down hard across my face with a sharp crack.

"You filthy bitch. I knew you were still plotting!"

I was slammed to the ground like a rag doll. My cheek burned with pain, my ears rang, and a rusty, metallic taste flooded my mouth.

"Liam, where could I possibly run?" I gasped. "My life is tied to this family. I'm not going anywhere, not now, not ever."

Seeing as I stubbornly refused to confess, Ruth spat on the ground. "Still pretending? There's something in this soup.

"You ungrateful bitch! Even if you were beaten to death, you'd deserve it."

I struggled to my feet, tears streaming down my face as I said, "So, this is how you trample on my heart? Fine, I'll drink it! I'll drink it right in front of you."

I lifted the bowl and gulped down several mouthfuls. The three of them stared at one another, momentarily speechless.

More than ten minutes passed in suffocating silence. I was still standing there, unharmed, neither dead nor unconscious. Clearly, there was nothing wrong with the soup.

Ruth had already stumbled more than once because of Noah's words, and now her rage finally exploded. She grabbed Noah by the arm.

"You little leech! You dared play tricks on me! Get out, and stand against the wall. Don't come in without my permission!"

Noah was dragged outside roughly. The three members of the Barrett family cursed under their breath and sat back down to eat. I took a small stool and sat with them, deliberately picking at every dish on the table right in front of their eyes.

Before long, Ruth, Liam, and Emma collapsed over the table, unconscious, sleeping like dead pigs.

The drug had indeed been used. It simply was not in the soup but smeared earlier along the inner rims of their bowls. Noah, who was standing outside, escaped this round.

He looked at me in shock, cautiously tugged at my sleeve, and put on an innocent expression. "Mom, are you leaving? Don't leave me behind. Take me with you."

His performance was flawless, yet his vicious thoughts rang clearly in my ears.

"So, I'll pretend to go with her first. Once we're outside, I'll shout and let Grandma and Dad catch her again.

"Let's see if she dares to think only about running away by herself. A disobedient Mom deserves punishment."

The last trace of maternal love vanished completely in that instant.

"You ungrateful brat! Stay here with your vile father and your venomous grandma. Rot in this miserable valley for the rest of your life!"

I slapped Noah hard across the face and grabbed the hoe beside me, murderous intent coiling through my chest like poisonous veins. He stared at me with tear-filled eyes, so stunned that even his crying fell silent.

My hand trembled. In the end, I could not bring myself to strike. I stuffed a rag into Noah's mouth, tied him up in the woodshed, and rushed outside.

There was only one thought in my mind: to run. I must run while I still had the chance.

I avoided every familiar path and chose a narrow trail almost swallowed by weeds. The road was brutal terrain, but it was well hidden.

I ran with all my strength. My skin was torn and scraped, yet I felt no pain. As long as I crossed the small grove ahead, I would reach the highway, where buses ran to the county town.

I braced myself against a tree, just about to catch my breath, when a young voice called out to me from not far behind me.

"Mom."