My adoptive sister pushed me off a balcony just because I refused to hand over my inheritance and my fiancé. I was severely injured. When I finally woke up, I found myself chained in a dark, damp cellar. A drooling, limping man named Donald rushed at me, tearing at my clothes with a sickening grin. Terrified, I gathered every ounce of strength to push him away. Instantly, an old woman standing nearby struck my head with a heavy wooden club. “A bought-and-paid-for bride dares to fight back?” Mrs. Gable shrieked. “If you’re so tough, why don’t you just drink this rat poison and die?!” From that day on, my hands and feet were bound in heavy iron shackles. Despite the endless nights of brutal beatings and verbal abuse, I forced myself to endure. I learned from the other trapped women in this godforsaken backwoods town. I played the part of a submissive, broken wife to please my limping “husband” and his wretched mother. For five long years, I bided my time. Finally, I found an opportunity to slip into their room and grab a burner phone. But just as I was about to dial my brother’s number to beg for rescue… I heard the supposedly brain-dead Donald speaking in a perfectly clear, cold voice just outside the door. “Master Austin, the five-year mark has arrived.” “Do you want me to keep training the eldest heiress, or has she learned her lesson?” Austin Gray. My twin brother. The very person I was about to beg for help. 1 My starved, sluggish brain couldn’t process it at first. Then, Austin’s voice drifted through the wooden door. “Keep her there a little longer.” “Chloe’s engagement party with Logan Miller is in three days.” “Mom and Dad will transfer her share of the trust fund to Chloe then.” “With the trust and the Miller alliance, Chloe will be secure.” “At least I won’t have to worry about Evelyn coming back to ruin her life.” Donald hesitated, his voice low. “But Master Austin, if the true heiress loses her inheritance and her fiancé, what will she do for the rest of her life?” There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Finally, Austin spoke with chilling indifference. “As long as I’m alive, I’ll make sure she doesn’t starve on the streets.” “After all, she is my biological sister.” The stark contrast of his words pierced my heart like an icicle. I slid down the wall, curling into a ball on the dirty floor. Tears fell silently, but my stomach twisted with absolute disgust. His biological sister? I looked at my hands. Once delicate, they were now scarred, calloused, and withered like those of an eighty-year-old woman. I remembered when I first returned to the Gray family, feeling so insecure about my rough hands. Austin had held them, looking into my eyes with warmth. “You’ve suffered so much, Evelyn. Your big brother will make sure you get everything you deserve.” He showered me with diamonds, stood up for me in high society, and loudly scolded Chloe when she tried to sabotage me. I actually believed he loved me. I believed he felt guilty that Chloe’s biological mother had swapped us at birth, leaving me to rot in poverty for twenty years. But it was all a sick, twisted act. The moment I refused to give up my birthright, he had me kidnapped and sold to this living hell, leaving me to be treated like livestock for five years. He even wanted the trust fund my parents set aside for me. He wanted to strip me of everything. “Not starve on the streets”? Even if I weren’t the heiress of the Gray family, I had hands and a brain. I could feed myself. I didn’t need his pitiful, patronizing crumbs. Chloe’s mother ruined the first half of my life, and now my own twin brother had stolen the second. But I am no one’s puppet. The suffocating pain in my chest slowly crystallized into cold, hard rage. I gripped the phone tightly and dialed 91
“I want to report a kidnapping,” I whispered. “Austin Gray, CEO of Gray Group, kidnapped and sold his biological sister, Evelyn Gray.” I hung up immediately. Right now, I couldn’t trust a single soul, not even my parents. The only person who could get me out of this hell was myself. I knew Austin would find out about this call very soon, and he would make a move to cover his tracks. That would be my only window of opportunity to escape. I slipped the phone back into its hiding spot. As I turned to leave, my eyes caught a small paring knife on the counter. I hesitated for a second, then grabbed it and hid it in my waistband. I didn’t want to kill anyone. But if it came down to it, I’d rather spend my life in a federal prison than live like a caged dog here forever. I pushed open the creaky wooden door, instantly melting back into the role of the terrified, submissive country wife. Mrs. Gable was waiting in the yard. Seeing me, her face contorted with rage, and she whipped a wooden rod across my back. “You lazy bitch! Why isn’t dinner ready? Are you trying to starve us to death?!” “Get your ass into the kitchen, now!” 2 Sharp, burning pain flared across my arms as angry red welts rose on my skin. But I didn’t dare fight back. I kept my head low and whimpered, “I’m sorry, I’m going right now.” Seeing my submission, Mrs. Gable spat on the ground, satisfied. “Better. Let me tell you something, girl. Once you enter the Gable house, you’re ours forever.” “Stop dreaming your fancy rich girl dreams.” “Your only job is to pop out some strong boys for my son.” I had heard those words thousands of times. I used to think it was just her trying to break my spirit. Now I realized it was Austin’s script, systematically crushing my dignity. He was terrified I would take back what belonged to me, forgetting that everything Chloe had was stolen from me in the first place. Pure hatred fueled my steps as I entered the kitchen. Without hesitation, I pulled out a handful of toxic wild mushrooms I had gathered and dried weeks ago. Looking at the boiling stew on the stove, I chopped the mushrooms finely and tossed them in. As night fell, I served the stew on the table. When I didn’t leave the room immediately, Mrs. Gable kicked a cracked plastic bowl on the floor. “That’s your feeding dish,” she sneered. “A bought slave doesn’t get to sit at our table.” “Get on your knees and serve your man!” Donald walked in, dropping his “fool” act. Seeing me standing there, he kicked me hard in the shin, clapping his hands and laughing like a toddler. To make it worse, he grabbed a ladle of smelly dishwater and dumped it into my cracked bowl. “Eat!” he yelled. “Eat it up!” When I hesitated, Mrs. Gable slammed her rod heavily across my back. “Eat it, you worthless bitch! Or do you want me to shove it down your throat?!” The pain made my mind go blank for a second. Through the haze, I saw the dark, malicious gleam in Donald’s eyes. I forced down the urge to drive the knife into his throat. I knelt, lowered my head, and pretended to drink the foul liquid from the bowl. Only then did Mrs. Gable pull her son away. “See? She’s obedient now. Come on, son, let’s eat our stew.” My hands were soaked in the disgusting dishwater, and the searing pain on my back kept me hyper-focused. My other hand slowly gripped the knife under my shirt. I listened to the clatter of their spoons, my heart pounding in my chest. *Clang!* Mrs. Gable suddenly dropped her spoon, clutching her stomach as she collapsed to the floor, groaning in agony. Donald jumped up, but before he could even call out, he doubled over, vomiting blood, and crashed beside her. He glared up at me, his eyes filled with rage and sudden terror. “You…” he gasped. “What did you do?!” I stood up, kicked my plastic bowl aside, and pulled out the knife, letting out a cold laugh. “What’s wrong, Donald? Done playing the idiot?” Seeing me step closer with the knife, Donald scrambled backward in terror. “What… what are you going to do?!” Before I could strike, the phone in Donald’s pocket began to ring. I snatched it from him. The caller ID read: *Master Austin*. I pressed the blade against Donald’s throat and whispered, “If you want to live, you will say exactly what I want you to say. Otherwise, I’ll slit your throat right now and bury you both in the yard.” Donald nodded frantically, trembling. I swiped to answer the call and immediately hit the record button. Austin’s exhausted voice came through the speaker. “Donald, are you absolutely sure Evelyn is under tight control?” Holding the knife steady, I nudged Donald. He stammered, “Y-yes… she’s locked down. Did something happen?” Austin sighed, his voice dripping with annoyance. “Someone called 911 claiming I kidnapped Evelyn. My parents don’t believe it, but Chloe says Dad is hesitating about transferring the trust fund now.” “Donald, I recall you haven’t officially married yet, right?” Sensing what was coming next, I pressed the knife slightly harder, making a tiny cut on his neck. “Answer him!” I mouthed. Donald shivered. “No, Master Austin. You promised that once this was done, you’d give me enough cash to get a proper wife.” Austin didn’t hesitate. “I’ll double it. One hundred thousand dollars.” “Get her pregnant. Now.” “I’ll handle the paperwork to make your marriage legal. Once our parents find out she’s married to a hillbilly with a kid on the way, they will never hand the Gray Group inheritance over to her.” Every single word felt like a physical blow to my heart. My own twin brother was paying a disgusting creep to assault me and force me to have a child, just to keep his precious, unrelated adoptive sister in luxury. Pain and fury boiled inside me. My hand shook so violently that Donald found an opening. He slammed his elbow into my ribs, knocking me back. 3 The loud thud of our struggle echoed through the phone. “Donald?” Austin’s voice sharpened with suspicion. “What’s going on over there?” Donald scrambled for the phone. I didn’t think twice—I grabbed a heavy wooden stool next to me and slammed it down on his head with all my might. He slumped to the ground, unconscious. Gasping for breath, I wiped the sweat and blood from my forehead. I kicked his limp body, grabbed his phone, and hung up. Then, I found some heavy rope and tied both Donald and his mother securely to the support beams. Just as I finished, there was a loud knock on the front door. “Mrs. Gable? Is everything alright in there?” I hid the knife behind my back, cracked the door open slightly, and made sure my bloody forehead was visible. “Betty,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Is something wrong?” Betty looked at me, her eyes darting suspiciously. I squeezed my hands tight, realizing Austin must have sent her to check on us. The whole damn town was probably on his payroll. I forced myself to look terrified. “Donald… he drank too much. He’s throwing a fit. Mrs. Gable is trying to clean up the mess…” Donald was a notorious alcoholic who got violent when drunk, so everyone in town avoided him. Hearing this, Betty’s face paled slightly. She glanced at the blood on my forehead and took a step back. “Right… well, you handle that. I’ll be going.” As soon as she turned around, I locked the heavy wooden door. I knew this lie wouldn’t buy me much time. Austin wasn’t stupid; he’d know Donald hadn’t been drinking over the phone. My only option was to run. Now. I ran to the bedroom, found the keys, and unlocked the heavy iron shackles on my ankles and wrists. I stuffed the phone with the recording into my pocket, grabbed a few pieces of stale bread, and climbed out the back window into the pitch-black night. There was only one paved road out of this town, and it was bound to be monitored. I took a deep breath and plunged straight into the dense, wild woods. Thorns and sharp branches tore at my skin, reopening my half-healed wounds. The smell of copper and dirt filled my nose. I gritted my teeth, refusing to make a sound, even as my breathing grew ragged. The dark forest was terrifying, instantly triggering a repressed memory. When we were kids, Chloe’s mother had abandoned me in a similar forest. All because I got a perfect score on an exam and said I wanted to go to an Ivy League university in New York. She had dragged me into the woods and screamed in my face: “You were born to be trash! Accept your fate and you might live. Fight it, and you’ll die!” But I refused to accept it. I survived those woods, fought my way back, forced the local authorities to let me go to school, and eventually found my biological parents. Now, history was repeating itself. And I still refused to submit. Suddenly, the distant baying of hounds echoed through the trees. I looked back. Not far behind, dozens of flashlight beams were cutting through the dark. They were hunting me. Panicking, I ran faster, ignoring the branches whipping my face. Suddenly, my foot caught on a root. I gasped as I tumbled over the edge of a steep ravine, rolling down violently. My head slammed hard against a rock. A blinding light flashed before my eyes, and then everything went black. *** In the grand ballroom of the Plaza Hotel in New York, Chloe, radiant in a white designer gown, held Austin’s arm as they walked toward the Miller family. “Austin, is this real?” Chloe whispered, her eyes shining. “I’m really marrying Logan? And Mom and Dad are giving me the trust fund?” Austin smiled warmly, patting her hand. “Of course, Chloe. I convinced Mom and Dad that the 911 call from a few days ago was just a sick prank.” “I promised you the Miller alliance and the inheritance. No one is going to take that away from you.” “Not even Evelyn.” Austin led Chloe to the center stage. Under the glittering chandeliers, he picked up the trust transfer documents prepared by their parents. But before he could sign, the heavy oak doors of the ballroom slammed open. High-pitched screams instantly shattered the elegant music. “Oh my god! What is that?!”
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