03

chapter - 1

☆☆☆

I knew I was sitting in some kind of cold, metal chair, but my mind was consumed by a whirlwind of thoughts and fragmented memories. Faces and voices swirled in my head, yet I couldn't place where I was or who I had been with. The chaos in my mind was overwhelming---shouting, the deafening sound of gunfire, people screaming in terror. Amidst the cacophony, someone was desperately calling out a name, a name that seemed achingly familiar.

Then, suddenly, the door creaked open. It was eerily silent, as if designed to be that way. I remember a caretaker rushing to me, scooping me up into her arms. I was just a child, and her embrace was supposed to be comforting, but all I felt was confusion and fear. My small body trembled as I drifted off to sleep, the world around me fading into darkness. The next thing I remember is the cold. It was bone-chilling, and my two-year-old self couldn't endure it. I cried out, my tears freezing on my cheeks, and then... nothing. The darkness swallowed me whole, and I slipped into unconsciousness.

A sharp jolt brought me back to reality. My eyes flew open, and I found myself in a stark, basement-like room. The white walls seemed to close in on me, sterile and unfeeling. I was seated in a hard, metal chair, and a cold dread settled over me as I realized my hands were bound by cuffs. Panic surged through me, my heart pounding in my chest. I tugged at the restraints, but they held fast, biting into my skin. The room was oppressively silent, save for my ragged breathing. I was trapped, and the fear I felt as a child came rushing back, more intense and suffocating than ever.

I knew I had to steel myself, to summon every ounce of strength to endure the torment that was surely coming. As I lifted my head, my vision blurred and my body ached all over. The exhaustion from countless sleepless nights weighed heavily on me. My drowsy eyes struggled to focus, but then I saw them—two men, probably in their 40s or 50s.

Then, there was another man, grotesquely overweight. His mere presence made my stomach churn with disgust. But it was the older man, around 60, who sent a chill down my spine. I knew him, and I knew what he was about to do. Hatred burned within me, fierce and unyielding. In my heart, in my mind, there was only one desire: to make him suffer, to inflict upon him the same agony he had caused me and every other girl imprisoned here. I wanted to repay his cruelty with the most excruciating pain and deliver a death so terrifying it would haunt his soul forever.

But I wasn't strong enough. Not yet. The realization was a bitter pill to swallow. Determined to fight through the pain, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. When I opened them again, I saw the filthy man waddling toward me, his pig-like legs carrying his repulsive form closer and closer. My resolve hardened, and I knew that one day, I would make him pay. But for now, I had to endure.

He came closer, close enough that his foul, filthy breath assaulted my senses, making me gag on food I hadn't even eaten. His repulsive mouth twisted into a sneer as he spoke, "Oh, my little kitten, how are you? Seems like something bad happened. But you know, mistakes are not allowed here. And by making that mistake, you should have known you'd end up in my hands."

His words dripped with mockery, and disgust surged within me. Mistake? That wasn't a mistake. I had been deliberate, intentional. But I hadn't succeeded. He leaned in, his breath hot and rancid against my ear, whispering, "My little kitten, it's time to take your punishment."

He stepped back and turned to a table the other two men had brought in, laden with instruments of torture-knives, ropes, chains. My heart pounded as he selected a knife and approached me. He was speaking, but his words were drowned out by the roaring in my ears. All I could focus on was the knife glinting menacingly as it neared my skin.

With a deliberate motion, he began to tear my clothes from my chest down to my belly, the fabric giving way with a sickening rip. Then, he carved his filthy, loathsome name into my chest. The pain was excruciating, each letter burning into my flesh. I wanted to scream, to cry out, but I bit down on the urge. I refused to give him the satisfaction.

The knife continued its cruel work, and I felt my skin tear beneath its blade. The disgust I felt was overwhelming. His name, his vile name, was now etched into my body. His voice, dripping with sadistic pleasure, echoed in the room. "Ha ha ha. Look at you, sweetheart. Look at your skin. Look at this. Your body. The way my name shines there."

Every word was a twisted knife, but I steeled myself. I would not break. Not here, not now. The agony was unbearable, but my resolve was stronger. I would endure this. One day, I would make him pay.

Even after that, this wretched man wasn't done. He took the knife and moved to my thighs, slicing through the fabric of my pants, and began carving names into my skin. The agony was unrelenting. And just when I thought it couldn't get worse, he brought the knife to my cheek, grazing it lightly before speaking.

"You know what you did. Your mistake nearly cost my son his life. But thanks to my loyal people, he was saved. Not without injury, though. His hands were hurt, and you know what that means. A single scratch means ten times the pain for you. But this wasn't just a scratch. A bullet passed through his hand. Now, you'll feel what my son felt."

With that, he started cutting into my palms, the searing pain making me grit my teeth. He moved to my arms, slicing all over. My resolve was crumbling; I couldn't suppress my screams any longer. Silent tears streamed down my face as the pain became unbearable.

But he still wasn't done. He took out a leash and another rope, whipping me relentlessly. My body was on fire with pain, yet I refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing me cry out. Silent tears soaked my face. After what felt like an eternity, I couldn't endure any more. I drifted into the darkness, a place I feared more than anything.

When I opened my eyes, I was back in my cell- a small, oppressive room that felt like a prison. The rough ground and walls offered no comfort. My only "bed" was a ragged old mat in the corner. There was no table, just a single, dim light and a small window that let in little air. The room had no fan, so I was at the mercy of the weather. In winter, I froze; in summer, I boiled. Both extremes were unbearable. The only time I felt remotely okay was during the mild days between summer and winter. But now, it was winter-the season I hated most. It had been my enemy since I was two years old.

You've read what I've been through today. Now, let me tell you the story of myself, as much as I remember till now.

Well guys, I don't even know where to start. My life has never been filled with happy moments. It's been nothing but sadness and pain, pain so unbearable that it's torn my heart into pieces I can't even count. I don't speak much, so what you're hearing now are my thoughts. Even if I could speak, my life hasn't given me a reason to speak happily about anything. My voice is only for screams and shouts of agony.

So, let's start from the beginning. I don't remember much from my earliest childhood, but I do know that, at one point, I lived a happy life. I had a family. I can't recall if they were my mother, my father, if I had siblings, or what kind of relationship we had. I was so young that those details are lost to me. But I do remember feeling safe and loved.

I remember an old man who would hold me in his arms, making me feel like I was in the safest place in the world. An old woman whose presence felt like heaven, bringing me immense happiness. There were boys around my age; I don't remember their faces or voices, but I do remember the joy they brought me. I can still faintly recall running around, laughing and smiling. Those moments now feel like a distant dream, one I'm afraid was just a figment of my imagination.

The reality I face now makes it hard to believe I ever had such happiness. My memories start in an orphanage. It was a good place, and I was happy there. The teacher, who was like a sister to me, was only about 25. I had many older brothers and sisters because I was the youngest in the orphanage. I had been left at the orphanage gate with no note, just a locket around my neck. The locket had the name "Mia" engraved on it—no surname, just "Mia." I still have that locket, not around my neck because I know these filthy people would take it for its gold. I keep it hidden under my ragged mattress, the safest place I could think of.

Despite the orphanage being a place of relative happiness, the absence of parents always cast a shadow of sadness. None of the other children had parents either, so I never felt the joy of having a family. Then one day, a man came to adopt me. His name was Chad Lester. I never knew that his name would become synonymous with horror.

Chad took me from the orphanage, and I thought I was finally going to experience the happiness of having a father. He said he didn't have a wife and didn't want to get married. I didn't care about his personal life; I just wanted to give him the love of a daughter and take care of him as my father. The first few months were fine—just two months, actually. It wasn't perfect, but he didn't do anything wrong.

But then, everything changed. His expressions, his emotions, the way he spoke to me—it all changed. The man who had been kind to me for those two months became someone else entirely. It started with screaming and shouting, calling my name in ways that made me feel embarrassed and ashamed. Then came the slaps and kicks. And finally, the torture began.

He made me do things I never wanted to do, and bit by bit, I became the worst kind of maid in his house. I had to start cleaning at five in the morning, cleaning the entire house. It was a huge house, with two floors, but he gave me only a small room. Unlike my small room in the orphanage, which had a sense of safety and happiness, this room offered nothing but despair.

I had to make breakfast, lunch, dinner, and endure the yelling and beatings all day. I wasn't even given the luxury of going to school, just two hours of tuition a day because he made sure I didn't deserve a single penny spent on me. He always made it clear I was worth nothing and should be grateful to be his daughter. But gratitude? For what? The first two months? The rest was pure hell. I became nothing but a punching bag for him, a piece of meat and bone he could abuse at will. Screaming, shouting, kicking, torturing, making me work all day. A single mistake meant sleepless nights full of pain.


This continued for three years. No friends, no outside world, except for tuition, where I wasn't allowed to speak. The house rules were simple but cruel: never talk back, never talk, never look him in the eye, always finish work within the time limit, never leave the house, and eat only if he left food. These rules made me doubt my existence, filled me with self-hate. Many times, I thought about ending it all. Why live if this is what life is? What will happen when I grow up? Will I be stuck in this hell forever?

Then one day, everything changed. Chad came to my room while I was reading a book I had begged for. Books were my only escape, filling me with dreams of becoming someone, inspired by women who broke barriers. That day, he barged in, grabbed my forearm, and dragged me out despite the pain in my ribs from the previous night's beating. He put me in the car, only the third time I'd ever been in one, and drove to a rundown, unfinished building.


I felt something was wrong. Chad was oddly happy, which usually meant less punching, but that day felt different. We arrived at the building, where a few cars were parked outside. Fear gripped me as we walked inside. My legs felt heavy, and when I slowed down, he screamed at me to walk faster. I obeyed, terrified of making him angry.

Inside, we met a man surrounded by others in black. Chad spoke to him in a language I didn't understand, and suddenly, the men in black started toward me. I looked at Chad with pleading eyes, but he ignored me. The men grabbed me, forcing me into another car. I didn't know it then, but I was leaving one hell only to enter another, even worse place.

My story took a darker turn from there.....

☆☆☆

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