Roses in the Abyss

The Boy I Liked Hurt Me

1

When the police burst in, Chris Baton stood up in panic. I lay on the floor, staring ahead in despair.

Amid the chaos and noise, a pair of hands helped me up.

Immediately after, a warm and oversized coat was draped over my shoulders.

A strange but gentle voice whispered in my ear, "Don't be afraid."

I nodded, and tears I had been holding back began to fall uncontrollably.

Unintentionally, I looked up and saw Chris, now handcuffed, also looking at me.

Our eyes met. He smirked slightly, revealing a barely perceptible smile.

He was then shoved roughly by the police and led away.

"Lucy, don't be afraid."

The arriving counselor embraced me, softly comforting me. "I've called your aunt. She'll be here soon."

I simply nodded and said nothing.

The pain coursing through my body made me shiver uncontrollably.

After an indeterminate time, my aunt finally arrived.

When she looked at me, there was a brief flash of harshness in her eyes.

It was fleeting, and no one else saw it but me.

In the blink of an eye, her face was filled with sorrow as she rushed over to hug me tightly, crying uncontrollably. "My poor child, how could this happen to you..."

Nestled in her warm embrace, I felt no warmth whatsoever.

I only felt myself shivering even more.

2

My aunt took me to the hospital.

I knew she still couldn't accept it, clinging to a final shred of hope.

But the final examination results inevitably disappointed her.

Her face darkened completely, becoming extremely ugly.

"Go home!"

I lowered my head, silently enduring her rage.

Once in the car, she sat as far from me as possible, as if I were something dirty.

After getting out of the car, she walked ahead without a care for my slow, painful steps.

Finally reaching the front door, I hadn't even steadied myself before she yanked me and slapped me.

Although I had braced myself, the slap still made my head turn, and a sweet, metallic taste filled my mouth.

My legs were too weak to support me, causing me to collapse to the ground.

Before I could recover, she grabbed my hair and forced me to look up at her.

Her face was contorted in rage, like a demon from hell.

"Why did you call the police?"

She held my hair tightly, making me feel as though my scalp might tear.

I couldn't help but scream in pain.

But instead of any sympathy, she only gripped harder.

"With this kind of incident, you gather evidence and keep your mouth shut! No one would have known, and we could have found a way to cover it up and get some compensation. But no, you had to make it public! Do you think you're being honored?

"Now everyone knows, and there's no way to hide it. Who would want to marry you in a prestigious family from now on? Don't you know, all my plans have been ruined because of you?

"If I'd known you'd be so shameless, I should have never brought you back and let you die outside!"

I let her push and hit me, not resisting.

It wasn't that I didn't want to, but I couldn't.

With things having come to this, I couldn't let it all fall apart.

Patience in small matters was crucial for larger plans.

3

"Mom! What are you doing!?"

Zain Hobs heard the commotion and rushed over.

He rescued me from my aunt's clutches.

Though he's younger than I am, when he opened his arms and stood in front of me, I felt an unusual sense of security.

My aunt's expression noticeably softened.

But it was only a limited form of gentleness. "This doesn't concern you, go back to your room!"

"No way!"

Zain ignored my aunt's cold demeanor and stubbornly shielded me.

His small face was filled with determination. "I can't just watch you bully my cousin!"

I looked up at him, and my desolate heart began to warm up.

This place really isn't my home.

After my parents died unexpectedly, they didn't even have time to leave a last word.

I suddenly became an orphan, tossed around like a ball by relatives who didn't want to take me in, fearing trouble.

In the end, someone contacted my aunt who had married far away, hoping she would adopt me.

On the phone, my aunt didn't want to take on this burden; she said that having just lost her husband and raising her child alone was hard enough.

Eventually, she relented after persistent persuasion and agreed to come see me.

When she saw me for the first time, her eyes visibly lit up, and the gloom on her face vanished.

She immediately embraced me and vowed to take care of me.

At that moment, I thought I might finally have a home again.

Little did I know, what awaited me was a hell shrouded in beauty.

I lay on the floor, feeling the cold of the ground seeping into my body, and my legs felt so numb they were losing sensation.

My aunt finally gave in to Zain and said, "You go back to your room and reflect on this!"

"Mom! It's not my cousin's fault; you should..."

"Zain."

I suddenly spoke up, interrupting him.

He turned to look at me while I tried to push myself up from the floor.

But I still failed.

I looked up at him and gave a wry smile. "Help me."

Zain didn't hesitate, quickly helping me up and then escorting me back to my room.

4

"Lucy..."

Zain stood in front of me, frowning and looking worried. "Are you okay?"

I forced a smile and said, "I'm fine, don't worry, you can go now."

"But..."

"It's fine, be good and go."

I waved my hand and lowered my voice. "Your mom is in a bad mood, so don't provoke her now, or you might end up getting scolded too."

Zain stubbornly said, "I'm not afraid!"

"But I am."

Sighing, I patiently persuaded him. "If you get scolded or beaten, who will take care of me? I'm still waiting for you to sneak some food to me tonight."

"Oh, right!"

Zain smacked his forehead, as if realizing something.

He hesitated no more and quickly turned to leave, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

As the door closed, the smile on my face vanished.

I let out a long breath, feeling a heaviness in my chest and still struggling to breathe.

My face hurt, my scalp ached, and my legs throbbed.

Everything hurt.

"That bastard really has no manners at all!"

I muttered under my breath when my phone suddenly rang.

Looking at it, I saw a message from Chris. [I'm out. Want to meet up?]

I bit my lip and slowly typed. [I'm hurting.]

After a while, I hadn't received a reply.

I threw the phone onto the bed and headed to the bathroom for a shower.

Sticky all over my body, and having been lying on the ground for a while, I didn't know how dirty I must be.

Naturally, I was still not as dirty as someone's heart.