The slap came without warning.
Ella Carter’s head snapped to the side, her vision blurring as the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. For a moment, the world spun, then steadied just enough for her to see her adoptive mother’s furious face looming over her.
“You ungrateful girl!” Mrs. Carter spat. “After everything we’ve done for you, this is how you repay us?”
Ella pressed her trembling fingers to her cheek, her heart pounding violently against her ribs. Everything they’d done for her?
She almost laughed.
Instead, she swallowed the bitterness clawing up her throat and forced her voice to remain steady.
“I said I won’t marry him.”
The room fell into a suffocating silence.
Then,
CRASH!
A ceramic plate shattered against the wall beside her, shards scattering across the floor like broken promises.
“You won’t?” Mr. Carter’s voice boomed as he rose from his seat. His eyes were cold, calculating. “Since when do you get to decide anything in this house?”
Ella’s fingers curled into fists at her sides. Her body trembled, but not from fear alone, this time, there was something else beneath it.
Exhaustion.
Six years.
Six years of enduring this house. Six years of being treated like she was less than human. Six years of sacrificing everything she had, her dreams, her dignity, her future…
For them.
For him.
“I’m not an object you can sell,” she said, her voice low but firm. “I won’t marry a man old enough to be my father just because he’s offering money.”
Mrs. Carter let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “Listen to her! Acting like she has pride.”
Her gaze turned venomous.
“Let me remind you, you were nothing when we took you in. Nothing! We fed you, clothed you, gave you a roof over your head. The least you can do is repay us.”
Repay them.
Ella’s chest tightened painfully.
Was that what she was to them? A debt waiting to be collected?
“I have repaid you,” she said, her voice shaking now despite her efforts. “I’ve worked for this family since I was a child. I’ve given you everything I earned,”
“And it’s still not enough!” Mr. Carter snapped.
He stepped closer, towering over her.
“The man is offering a generous bride price. Do you know what that means for this family? For your sister?”
At the mention of Lily, a bitter taste flooded Ella’s mouth.
Of course.
It was always about Lily.
Her gaze shifted toward the doorway, where her stepsister stood watching, arms crossed, a faint smile playing on her lips. Lily Carter, perfect, beautiful, adored.
And cruel.
“You should be grateful, Ella,” Lily said softly, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “Not everyone gets the chance to be useful.”
Useful.
The word cut deeper than the slap.
Ella stared at her, something inside her chest cracking open. “I’m not your sacrifice.”
Lily tilted her head, amused. “You already are.”
Silence fell again, heavy and suffocating.
Then Mr. Carter spoke, his voice final.
“The wedding is in two weeks.”
Ella’s breath caught.
“No,” she whispered.
“Yes,” he said coldly. “And if you try to run…”
His gaze hardened.
“Don’t forget, we know exactly how to deal with disobedient girls.”
A chill ran down her spine.
For a moment, fear threatened to swallow her whole.
Then,
A single thought pushed through the darkness.
Mason.
Her fingers tightened slightly, as if holding onto something invisible.
He wouldn’t let this happen.
He couldn’t.
Six years.
Six years of love, of sacrifice, of promises whispered late at night through weak phone calls and fading hope.
“When I succeed, I’ll come back for you.”
He had said it so many times.
And she believed him.
Because she had to.
“I won’t marry him,” Ella said again, more quietly this time, but there was something unyielding beneath her words.
Mrs. Carter scoffed. “We’ll see about that.”
That night, Ella sat on the edge of her small bed, the dim light flickering above her.
Her cheek still burned.
Her heart… hurt more.
Slowly, she reached under her pillow and pulled out her phone.
The screen lit up, revealing a message thread she had read a hundred times over.
Mason.
Her thumb hovered for a moment before she finally typed:
“I miss you.”
She hesitated… then added:
“When are you coming back?”
The message sent.
Seconds ticked by.
Then minutes.
Her chest tightened with each passing moment.
Finally,
Her phone buzzed.
Her breath caught as she opened it.
Mason: Busy. Talk later.
That was all.
Ella stared at the screen, her heart sinking, but she forced herself to smile.
He was busy.
That was normal.
He was working hard… building a future for them.
For her.
Right?
Swallowing the ache, she opened her banking app.
Her balance was almost empty.
Without hesitation, she transferred the remaining money to him.
Transaction Successful.
She stared at the confirmation, her chest tightening slightly, but she pushed the feeling down.
This was temporary.
Everything was temporary.
Soon, he would come back.
Soon, everything would change.
Soon… she would be free.
Ella lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling as tears silently slipped down her temples.
Outside, the night was quiet.
Too quiet.
As if the world itself was holding its breath.
Waiting.
For the moment everything would fall apart.