Chapter 2

When someone grabbed me, I thought it was the bastard who tortured me every night.

I screamed in terror: "I'm being good! I'm not crying!"

The person quickly let go, his voice trembling with remorse.

"Daughter, we've been searching for you for three years. We finally found you!"

"Don't you recognize me? I'm your dad!"

Dad?

Those two words pierced my mind like a thorn, like thunder.

Countless images flashed through my mind.

The clearest one was of me being taken by a man and woman from a broken wooden shack to a beautiful big house. They said that would be my home from now on.

A girl who looked like an angel came out of the house.

She called out sweetly, "Daddy! Mommy! You're back?"

When the girl saw me, she gave me a candy.

"Fran, we meet again. Don't be scared. My parents are your parents now."

I remembered!

Even though my body hurt badly—the bastard had hit me with a hammer so many times.

But I still couldn't help feeling excited: "Is Dad here to take me home?"

In the darkness.

I reached out my hand hopefully, wanting to be held by Dad like Ruth was.

But I grasped at empty air.

"Your eyes..."

Dad's voice cut off abruptly.

I panicked a little: "I've gone blind. Will Dad hate me now?"

"How could I? Dad loves Fran the most."

He sounded like he was crying.

When he picked me up, he barely dared to use any strength.

But he was lying!

I clearly saw in those flashes of memory that he was only good to that angel girl.

Dad held her and spun her around, making her giggle with delight.

"Fran, your mom and I have been working hard in the city these years. We had no choice but to send you back to our hometown. Only Ruth stayed by our side."

"Even though she's just my coworker's daughter, her parents died in an accident. She's very pitiful. You need to treat her like a real sister and not bully her, understand?"

I nodded obediently.

Secretly, I wrote in my diary:

[As long as I can stay with Mom and Dad, those people won't be able to call me a bastard with no parents anymore.]

Strange...

I didn't cry when the bastard beat and kicked me.

But when I saw that thick diary.

My muddled brain felt like it had been shot through with an arrow and exploded!

My ears filled with chaotic noise.

"Fran! Why are you always jealous of Ruth? She's smarter and more likable than you—isn't that how it should be?"

"Fran, can't you learn from Ruth? Is it so hard to smile at your parents and act cute? We raised you for nothing!"

Dad gently touched my forehead, asking what was wrong.

I came back to my senses in a panic.

I asked uncertainly: "...Do I still have a home?"

The last page of the diary read:

Dad and Mom are Ruth's dad and mom.

That beautiful big house is also Ruth's home.

None of it is mine.

My whole body curled up. My damaged eyes and torn lower body throbbed with unbearable pain.

Covering my face, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I broke down crying.

"Bad people hurt me. I hurt everywhere!"

"I waited so long. No one came to save me."

"You think I'm stupid. You don't want me anymore!"