During the Spring Festival, my boyfriend Andrew Beadsworth, signed up for an overseas tour group. As soon as the plane landed, he coaxed me onto a bus. The car drove for two days and two nights. I trembled all over as I looked at the increasingly familiar route. It was exactly the hometown I escaped from four years ago. Andrew noticed my dissimilarity, he finally pretended to stop. He said with a ferocious look that he would sell me to a black factory. Then the big boss he was talking about was the head of that factory, actually my own brother. I spent twenty years of my life faking my death to escape from him and then I didn't expect to be tricked back by Andrew four years later.

***

Seeing me trembling Andrew smiled gently. “Florencia, didn't you say you love me very much? I owe a huge gambling debt. Can you help me?”

My voice began to tremble. I feared what would happen to him if his fate fell into my brother's hands.

“Please Andrew, send me back quickly. I can give you the money you want.  I'll go work and earn money to support you for the rest of your life. Andrew. Please, believe me.”

Andrew’s facial expression changed. He then scolded me sternly, “Do you think I can have time to wait? If you don't pay me back the money in three days, I'll be killed by them, Florencia. You are wasting my time. You have been raised by me for two years. So, it's time to pay me back with interest!”

I shivered even more when I heard him say that I was wasting his time. I knew in the past, my brother's subordinates secretly criticized me for being a waste. They also didn't even dare to crush an ant to death. My brother buried me in the soil. He then poured honey on me and attracted countless ants. That person died after being chewed up by the ants. I just thought if my brother heard Andrew scolding me like this, what would he do to him?

The fear spread in my heart, looking at this man I had loved for two years. Then the tears finally flowed uncontrollably.

“Didn't you say you wanted to start your own family with me? You said I was your most beloved family Andrew,” I asked him briefly.

Andrew's warm hand caressed my face. His words that came out were icy cold and piercing.

“Yes, of course, Florencia. Shouldn't family members help each other? So, please, help me.”

I clenched my lips and desperately shook my head. I could see a flash of pity in Andrew's eyes.

Andrew said, “You're the most heartbreaking when you cry, Florencia. Do you know that? You're the prettiest of all my girlfriends and also the most innocent. If it wasn't for the lack of money, I really wouldn't want to sell you.”

His eyes suddenly became fierce. “You're mine and I can't accept another man doing that to you, Florencia.”

He tackled me into the carriage and took out a rope to tie my hands behind me. Then, he pulled out a dagger from his pocket. He gestured at my face.

“Florencia, you don't want to be insulted either, do you? Let me help you, okay?”

The dagger flashed with a cold light and cut a fiery pain on my face. I felt a stinging sensation.

“Please, don’t do that Andrew,” I cried out in despair.

My face was my brother's favourite. When I was a child, I knocked over the servant's boiling water that had not been dried yet and my face was scalded. When he learned that the scars might be left on my face, my brother cut off the maid's hands. He then threw them into the crocodile pool. He threatened the doctor that he must cure my face or else he would remove his face skin. My brother said that my face looked like my dead mother. So, he would never allow my face to be injured.

Meanwhile Andrew scratched my face. If my brother knew I didn't dare to think about it anymore. I just ignored the pain on my face.

“Please, my face can't be ruined Andrew.”

Andrew laughed. “I asked Abelard a long time ago. He said that the women in the factory don't need to look at their posture. It’s ok as long their body functions are normal.”

I was silent and asked in my heart, ‘Abelard? Could it be the factory's newest employee, Abelard, who came to the factory four years ago?’

Without waiting for me to react again Andrew continued to slash my face with a knife. It hurt so much that I couldn't speak. I just felt that the blood flowed into my eyes, filling them with scarlet.

I then asked him, “I know Abelard. Will you take me to see him Andrew?”

At this time, I just thought as long as Abelard saw me, he would definitely send me back. Andrew then was stunned. The knife in his hand cut deeper.

“You bitch! You think you really aren't sincere to me. How dare you still want to climb up to Abelard? I'll hurt your face and then let's see how you can still seduce other men, Florencia.”

I wailed continuously in pain until I passed out. When I woke up again, I found myself being thrown at the factory gate. I then saw the person who was talking to Andrew next to me was none other than Abelard.

“Abelard,” I shouted out his name in a mute voice.

Abelard was a little suspicious. He then turned his head to look at me on the ground.

Abelard then asked Andrew, “How does she know my name?”

Andrew's face changed. He immediately stepped forward to stomp on my mouth hard.

“Maybe she heard the phone call in the car just now. Come on, don’t worry, Abelard. It's useless for her to know now.”

Abelard thought for a moment and put a cigarette into his mouth. “Is that so Andrew? I don’t think you dare to play tricks. Is this the first one you sent to me?”

Andrew slammed my mouth hard a few times, before trotting over to light his cigarette. He then explained, “No, Abelard. It’s the seventh one. Don't worry, I know all the rules. This girl has no relatives and no family. She is an orphan. She just only has one registered in the household registration book. The important thing is when she was with me she was still a chick. She is a virgin, Abelard.”

Abelard squatted down and blew a smoke ring on my face. He then looked at me carefully. On the other hand, I rekindled a glimmer of hope. He did recognize me and as long as he did, he would definitely urge Andrew to bring me back quickly. After all, if my brother knew that it was his men who kidnapped me, they would all have to die.

“Tsk, how did you make her face look so ugly Andrew? She is so ugly.”

Abelard stood up with a look of disgust and got up to stop looking at me. My heart sank to the bottom of the valley. I couldn’t believe he didn't recognize me at all. I then asked in my heart, ‘Did Andrew hurt my face until it was completely disfigured?’ Thinking of this made me overwhelmed with sadness. I just wanted to let out a cry loudly, but my throat felt like it was blocked with cotton.

Andrew then said, “She is too restless and wanted to use her beauty to escape, Abelard. So I hurt her face. Anyway, the face doesn't matter anyway, right?”

As he said that, he then squatted down and laughed lowly in my ear. “See, you have given up on seducing Abelard. You can hear that he said you're ugly.”

I used all my strength to squeeze out a few words from my teeth. “You guys are going to die soon.”

Abelard raised his eyebrows. He then kicked away Andrew. Abelard walked toward me and squatted in front of me. My ears could hear his laugh.

“Oh my God, did this girl just curse us to death?”

Looking at his eerie smile, I shook my head in fear. ‘It's not what I mean. What I want to say is you guys should send me away quickly. Otherwise, you guys will die!’

“Oh, damn!” 

Abelard pinched open my mouth. He pressed the cigarette butt with sparks into it. The sharp pain came from my tongue and the smell of burning flesh accompanied my screams. It was spreading all around.

“How dare you threaten us when you're ugly bitch?”

Abelard spat a mouthful of thick phlegm on my face. Meanwhile Andrew picked up a wooden stick from the side and poked at my mouth.

“How dare the dead bitch offend Abelard? I'll make you scream, bitch!”

Blood was poked out of my mouth, accompanied by wood shavings gushing down my throat. At this moment, I only felt like I was about to suffocate. My tears were pouring down like a waterfall. In my heart, I asked, ‘Am I going to die here?’

Abelard shouted, “Alright, I will teach you a lesson, girl. You won't get any money if you screw up.”

Abelard voiced out to stop Andrew. Andrew hastily threw away the bloodied wooden stick in his hand.

“Okay, then shall we go in now and sign the contract to get the money?”

I was lifted by two big men and dragged towards the factory. A small sedan came up to us. It was none other than my brother's car. I struggled frantically and lunged under the wheels as hard as I could with all my strength. Then a car stopped and my brother pulled open the back door. He then stepped out. My brother looked at me on the ground, but he just frowned.

I then shouted, “Brother, it's me! I'm your sister!” 

I struggled to look up at him and silently asked for help. Unfortunately, Abelard grabbed me up and slapped me across the face.

“Damn little bitch! How dare you charge into our big brother?”

I was slapped so hard that my eyes went black. I then spat out blood. It made my brother's leather shoes dirty. Abelard was shocked and kneeled to help his brother wipe it up.

“I'm sorry big brother. This new little bitch is making a lot of noise. I'll help you wipe it clean!”

Seeing this Andrew also hurriedly knelt to help wipe his shoes. My brother only narrowed his eyes at me lying on the side.

“Oh, she is the new one that just delivered today?”

Abelard replied, “Yes, this little bitch is not honest. To avoid more trouble, we hurt her face and make her ugly. But she just cursed us to death!”

Abelard’s answer made my brother interested in me. “Oh, the first time someone came here and still dared to mouth off. Is she a college student?”

Andrew grabbed the opportunity to speak and answered, “Yes, she just graduated this year. She is also an excellent student!”

My brother thoughtfully turned his head to look at me and sighed. “If Fleur were still here, she would be the same age as her. She would have almost graduated from college.”

Hearing my brother call my little name made me wriggle. I tried to wail frantically.

“My brother, it's me! I'm Florencia.”

“Shit! Little bitch, please be honest with me!” Abelard raised his foot and kicked me hard. It was right into my face.

The wound on my face split open again. The blood kept continuously outward. My mouth and tongue had long been mashed. It made I couldn't say a word. I could only cry out in pain and sorrow.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

My brother was stunned. He then squatted down to take a closer look at me. I was filled with excitement and tried to open my mouth to call out to him. But when my throat itched and I coughed out a mouthful of blood. It just splashed right onto my brother's face. Abelard and Andrew were instantly shocked. One of them hurriedly took out a tissue to wipe the blood for my brother. Meanwhile, the other dragged me to move inside. 

When he saw the iron barrel filled with sewage in the factory, Abelard lifted me. In the next second, I was pressed hard into the bucket by him. The dirty water instantly rushed into my mouth and nose. A choking sensation hit me and a sharp pain came from my lungs. Just when I thought I was going to die, Abelard lifted me by my hair and carried me out of the water.

“Hei, little bitch, how many lives do you have to dare disrespect my big brother? Today, I'll make you dead to make amends to my big brother!”

I had just caught my breath for a few seconds when I was once again pressed into the water. After repeating this several times, I was choked and could no longer make any sound. Abelard then threw me on the ground trotted towards my brother and bowed repeatedly.

“Big brother, since that little bitch has offended you, I think she is useless to still live. What should I do with her? How about first pulling out her nails and then rewarding her with a bowl of pearl milk tea?”

I was shocked in my heart. Pearl milk tea was the kind of torture I had seen them use on other girls. Unexpectedly, I didn't realize that today it was going to be my turn.

‘It's also good, my brother. You have committed so many sins. It's not wrong to fulfil them on me,’ I said in my heart. Thinking of this, I calmed down.

My brother wiped the blood from his face. His eyes then glared fiercely at me but froze. At this moment, I slowly closed my eyes, waiting for death to come. I was a little happy when I thought that I was going to see my mom and dad.

“Is she smiling right now?” My brother asked.