They dragged me out of the cage and pinned me to the floor.
Across the room, Sophia knelt on the ground, clutching Buddy’s lifeless body.
When she turned her eyes on me, I saw nothing but madness and hatred burning there.
“Claire, you’re dead!” she screamed viciously.
She barked orders to the others: “Hold her down. I’m going to finish her!”
Rushing at me, Sophia slapped me twice across the face.
Pinned to the ground, I couldn’t move, couldn’t even resist.
Through the pain, I raised my head and spat out, “Sophia, if you hadn’t sicced that dog on me, none of this would have happened!”
“This was Mom and Dad’s idea,” she sneered. “They said you needed discipline. You dared to challenge my dog the moment you arrived—what’s next, fighting me for the inheritance?”
“That’s why they wanted to teach you a lesson.”
Sophia’s lips curled smugly. “Now that you’ve killed Buddy, Mom and Dad will hate you even more. Your troubles are just beginning.”
My heart sank, but before I could speak, her hand cracked across my cheek again.
I nearly blacked out.
Not satisfied, she struck me once more.
“Just looking at your face makes me furious!” she shouted.
“Mom and Dad already promised me everything. But then you show up, looking exactly like Mom when she was young! That’s the only reason they brought you back!”
“Well, I’ll fix that tonight. I’ll ruin that pretty face of yours. Then let’s see who still dares call you the Andersons’ real daughter!”
Panic flared in my eyes. I tried to resist, but too many hands held me down.
Sophia raised her heel and drove it into my face.
The sharp heel pierced my skin, agony ripping through me as I cried out in pain.
“Ha! Look at you now, Claire. Do you look like a daughter of the Andersons anymore?”
“I’ll tell you the truth—you’ll never be the real one. I am!” Sophia declared proudly, lifting her heel again.
Another stab of pain, blood spilling across my face.
The agony in my face and arm blurred into numbness, all of it inflicted by the Anderson family themselves.
I raised my head weakly, gazing toward the door with desperate hope.
Would Michael come in time? If not, I might never see him again.
A bitter smile tugged at my lips. So this was the family I had yearned for.
And yet, they had become my death sentence.
“Claire, listen well,” Sophia sneered. “In this family, I’m the only daughter. Once I ruin your face, no one will ever acknowledge you as an Anderson!”
Her voice cut into me, but I could no longer speak. I didn’t even have the strength to struggle anymore.
