The night my girlfriend and I got engaged, everything went wrong. She was taken into the restroom and raped.
I could hear everything clearly from the men’s room next door. Chelsea’s cries were filled with utter despair, and her screams were sharp enough to pierce the eardrums.
When I stepped out, I saw the man who had assaulted her. He appeared pleased as he pulled up his pants and walked off.
After the incident, Chelsea lost her sanity. She started muttering nonsense and couldn't tell day from night. Half a month later, the doctors said there was nothing that could help her.
And so, I made the painful decision to break off the engagement with her family.
In the hospital room, Chelsea’s older brother, Zeke, clenched his fists and slammed them into my face. His eyes were bloodshot with rage as he grabbed me by the collar.
"You bastard, are you even human? My sister was raped, and now she’s like this! You didn’t go after the bastard who did this to her. Instead, you’re backing out, wanting to break off the engagement and abandon her. Are you even a man, huh?"
——
His words were thunderous, his spit hitting my face.
I didn’t fight back.
I said nothing, as if I agreed with everything he said.
"My daughter has always been well-behaved and sensible," Miriam, my future mother-in-law, said, her voice shaking with emotion. "She chose you after much thought. How could you let her suffer like this?"
Tears streamed down her face as her anger became so fierce that she could barely speak. When she turned and saw her daughter lying on the bed, lost in thought, her fury only intensified.
She stepped forward and slapped me twice across the face.
"Anthony, if you’re a man," Miriam screamed, "then find the bastard who raped my daughter!"
Seeing her tear-streaked face, I gently shook my head.
"I want to break off the engagement."
Suddenly, Zeke grabbed me by the throat, his grip tightening.
“You piece of trash!” he roared. “You’re going to abandon my sister?”
Miriam pointed a trembling finger at me.
"Chelsea always said she was lucky," she said, sobbing. "She found the man who loved her most, outside of her family. Is this how you love her?"
I glanced at Chelsea, lying on the bed, my expression indifferent. "Aunt Miriam, I’m also heartbroken over what happened to Chelsea. But since it’s already happened, we have to accept the reality."
"Face reality? What reality are you talking about?" Zeke roared, his voice like thunder. "Do you think my sister is tainted? So, do you want to break off the engagement because of that? Is that it?"
His eyes burned with such fierce hatred that I thought he might swallow me whole.
Miriam looked at me with anger in her eyes. When she saw me nod, she couldn’t hold back any longer. She lunged at me, her hands reaching for my face.
I instinctively tried to dodge, but with Zeke choking me, I couldn’t move.
Then, Miriam went wild, scratching at my face.
My cheeks burned, but the agony I felt inside was far more intense.
When she saw my face covered in blood, she finally stopped.
A nurse came in, horrified.
Upon seeing me, she nervously asked, "Do you want me to call the police?"
Zeke scoffed coldly. "Bastard, you want to call the police?"
I looked at the nurse and gently shook my head.
“But you’re bleeding so much…” the nurse murmured.
“Mind your own damn business!” Zeke barked, scaring her off.
Terrified by his presence, the nurse quickly ran off.
Just then, the door to the hospital room opened again.
My future father-in-law, Douglas Gardner, walked in, his face dark with anger.
Zeke immediately ran to his father, complaining, "Dad, this bastard wants to break off the engagement with my sister! He thinks she’s tainted and wants to abandon her!"
Without a word, Douglas picked up a chair and smashed it down hard on my back.
