Adelaine Reese

TW: Violence, Mention of Death, Abuse, Explicit Language

Adelaine Reese's POV

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Adelaine Reese!" He smelled of booze, obviously drunk, and from the behavior he's spouting, it's fairly clear that he lost a gamble again. His strong right hand was strangling my neck and lifting me against the wall. My dull long black hair swayed harshly when he threw my thin body into the corner of the room.

It was dark, which was the usual situation for the past three months since we had no money to pay for the bills, but he was still able to approach me without stumbling on the empty bottles of beer on the floor.

How lucky I would be if he'd just slip, fall on his head, and die immediately.

But luck is a bitch to me, so there's no way that's gonna happen even if I hope with all my might.

I kept a straight face when he grabbed my hair tightly and pulled it harshly. "You useless shit! Why can't you just get good grades! Fuck it, you stupid girl! How can I get money if you won't graduate from school?" Good thing that it was dark that he can't see me rolling my eyes with his words. If he did, I'd probably get more pain than this.

He always viewed children as objects, more specifically, a money-producing machine.

That's why he went and fucked different women, getting 5 kids in the process, but he never cared for any of them.

A trash who only knows how to fuck, not love.

Although he isn't handsome like those actors in the television, he was way better in acting than them because he was able to sway those women with his cunning mind and smooth tongue. Hell, he never even married at least one of them after his whispers of loyalty during their passionate night. I knew because my mother always had the same narrative as she abused me before for having him leave her.

He also made the other mothers take care of their children and just went to visit them when they're already successful. He put up different acts, one being a sorry father for not going to them soon, then another being a pitiful father who wanted the love of his child. Deserving for him, none of them cared about him and decided to file a case when he'd approach them.

And that's how I also ended up being beaten up by my so-called "father" and suffering with him. His four other children are already living good lives, so he came to me, the youngest, and tried to pamper me like he was the holiest person in the world, when in fact, he's the most corrupt one.

I knew at first glance that he wasn't any good, but I held on to such a rotten rope than completely falling off to the void.

I don't have anyone to ask for help since my mother died due to an illness. I was still not of legal age at that time, so I was only able to feed myself by working different part-time jobs. Before I met him, I didn't attend school since my mother didn't have enough money to sustain for my studies, so I always earned money by having a slave-like work in different stores during those times.

I became a janitress, garbage collector, and even an informant of the enemy store.

My half-siblings were also someone I can consider to ask for help, since I've already met them for a brief time when my father took me to them to ask for their help. Saying that even if they wouldn't help him, they would at least pity me. But of course, he was coldly rejected.

Due to his anger from being turned away, he first hurt me after we headed home. It was nothing new to me since pain has already been a part of my life since I was young. He shouted at me, commanded that I should go back alone to my siblings' homes and ask for some money. It was cold and raining that day, so he said I should go and beg in the rain for their help.

He threatened to stab me with a knife if I didn't go, so I just went out and let the heavy downpour consume my pain. I'd also rather be wet in the rain than stay with a trash like him.

Out of curiosity, I tried to go to my siblings' homes and see if they would help me. It's not like I expected them to save me, since there was nothing that they would gain when they do. In fact, it would just cause problems for them if they would, knowing how that bastard of a man would take advantage of the situation.

And I was right.

Everyone coldly rejected me, saying they'd rather not invite problems for them. I even got slapped by some of the mothers when they saw me in front of their gates.

That night, I wanted to run away, but before I could even take a step away from my last sibling's house, my consciousness faded and I just woke up in my father's home, bedridden with a fever. Turns out that he followed me, but also got mad when I was rejected, so he continued to hurt me even if I was sick.

That continued after 3 years, even if I became of legal age. I can't escape his grasp, because he'd always have ways to find me. During those three years, I guess the only good thing that he gave me was to send me to school after having me homeschooled for a year and having all those lessons that I needed to learn for my age in a short span of time. I managed to enter high school, though I can't say that being isolated in that place is a good experience. Along that, I've also grown more accustomed to pain as it became an every day part of my life.

I guess it was also a good thing that I've been hit a lot of times when I was still with my mom. Her words that pained me more than her slaps honed my mind to think of nothing but survival.

Never expect for good things. To hope is nothing but a mere delusion in this life. You won't live if you won't work. Do anything to survive. It doesn't matter how young you are, you should work for yourself or you'll be nothing but a rotting corpse.

I thought I'd die during those days, but I guess I couldn't escape this reality no matter how I wanted to.

A slap on my cheek woke me up from my thoughts and I could feel the anger seething in his breath. I expected another slap but he immediately turned away from me and started mumbling to himself.

"Fuck it, I shouldn't have harmed that face. Even if she's dumb, she still got a pretty face, the only good thing she got from that stupid mother of hers. Ahhh… How the fuck am I going to cover this one? The buyer was already expecting me."

I stiffened on my place when I heard him mutter about a 'buyer'. It wasn't something unexpected, but I could feel the chills spreading in my body upon the thought of being sold.

This shitty man!

I can't even refute or shout at him because his grip on my neck earlier was too hard that I can't even seem to take in air properly. Then the rain suddenly poured outside, which quickly turned into a storm after a few minutes.

A strong downpour covered any other noise, including his annoying voice, and my hearing focused on the droplets falling. The sound of thunder calmed me and I closed my eyes to take a short rest. It's tiring to be thrown around and slapped, you know?

Before I let darkness take my consciousness, a lingering thought crossed my mind.

How nice would it be if lightning were to hit here and bring me to another world, like those usual novel tropes.

And for the first time, my hope was heard. Adelaine Reese now lived as Zeshia Kylio Edgerburn with her memories intact.