Chapter 6

Nathan's presence was like a thorn in Frank's eye.

He always followed a few paces behind me, in step, like a loyal, but unwelcome shadow.

"Ruth, if you promise to come home, everything that's happened before is written off, okay?"

He lowered his stance, a prayer in his tone.

I don't want to ignore him, much less care to.

Instead, he pulled me into the car with one hand, pressed the gas pedal to the floor, and the car sprinted off like an arrow off a string.

To return to the home that was once ours, but is now so foreign to me.

He threw me on the bed and roughly tore at my clothes.

I was terrified, and the fear that I had once almost been violated by a refugee in Leafshire came back to haunt me.

I struggled desperately, but to no avail.

"No, no, please, no ..."

I cried out helplessly as the horrible images flashed through my mind.

I grabbed the ashtray at the foot of the bed and tried to strike him a fatal blow.

Only to be stopped by Frank's quick eyes.

He tightened his grip on my wrist with a force that seemed to crush my bones.

"Ruth, do you hate me that much?"

His voice was hoarse with a hint of pain.

I cringed in pain, grimacing and sweating coldly.

It was then that he noticed the shocking scar on my wrist.

Like a centipede, hideously coiled.

"Ruth, what's wrong with you? What's the matter with you? Such a long scar on your wrist? What happened?"

He finally panicked, his tone full of incredulity and horror.

I sneered, yeah, and he had the nerve to ask what was going on.

"Frank, this is all thanks to you, have you forgotten? You're the one who had me dumped in Leafshire!"

I yelled hysterically, each word piercing his heart like a sharp knife.

"Have you forgotten? That last call I made to you, I almost got raped, didn't you? You hung up and let me reflect!"

My voice trembled as tears blurred my vision.

"Frank, I hate you. Do you know how I got here?"

"I grabbed food from the animals every day, I often had no place to sleep, I was bullied for not speaking the language, they beat me, all the time."

"What gives you the right to write it off with a sorry, I want a divorce, Frank, if you have an ounce of guilt left, get a divorce!"

I hissed, each word as if it had been squeezed hard from my chest with a bloody accusation.

"Divorce? Ruth, you're dreaming!"

Frank's face instantly turned blue, his eyes glazed over like he was trying to tear me apart.

He clamped down hard on my jaw and gritted his teeth.

"Who do you think you are? You can get a divorce whenever you want? I'm telling you, you'll never be able to escape me in this life!"

The sharp pain cleared my head for a few moments, and I looked at him coldly, sarcasm in my eyes.

"Frank, do you think you're still the same poor boy that I could take advantage of? You're not anymore, you've turned into a total demon!"

"I became a devil because of you!"

Frank snarled, the anger in his eyes almost consuming me.

As soon as he dumped me on the bed, he towered over me.

Word for word, "Ruth, listen to me, you will never leave me in this life! Not until I'm dead!"

"I didn't realize you went through so many bad things abroad, I'm sorry ..."

I closed my eyes in despair and let the tears flow freely.

At one time, I was the little princess held in the palm of everyone's hand.

And now, like a lost dog, I was mercilessly abandoned by him and left to be trampled on.

It's all thanks to him!