Life had just become so difficult for me. Yes, it was very hard, harder than I could ever have thought.My name is Mia Johnson. I was eighteen years old by then, and I had just joined campus.I swear that living with my mother was some sort of hell. Imagine having a mother who never cares about you. She never cares if you are still living or dead.I came home from school and I found my sister, Denny, in the living room, her legs on the table, munching on some snacks. As usual, I did not have much to say to her. I nodded at her before walking to my room. That was what I always did whenever I was at home; staying in my room.Denny was three years older than me. But with the way both mom and her treated me, they made me feel like an outsider, someone who did not deserve to dine at the same table as them.I had just changed my clothes when my door was pushed open. Without second thoughts, I knew it was Denny. She had come to find trouble with me again.“Save it, Denny,” I said. I was not

I cannot tell how I went to my room. But I did not care about anything else. All I did was cry continuously, until I fell asleep.In the middle of the night, my stomach began hurting. I had skipped both lunch and dinner. And being someone with acid reflux, it was bound to hurt.However, I was still too sad to even open my eyes. I did not want to think about anything else, especially after both mom's and Carlos' betrayal.However, I felt something, or rather, someone close to me. At first, I thought I was hallucinating. Then, the hair on my body stood straight. I felt like I was in real danger.I opened my eyes, and the first thing that came to my mind was to scream! A person! There was someone in my room.The man hurriedly covered my mouth with his hand, blocking the scream. I shivered more, thinking that he wanted to hurt me. I tried struggling against him.But he shook his head at me. “Don't scream! I am not here to hurt you,” he said. I don't know what he did to me, but I stopped s

On Saturday, Emah and I went to the mall for some shopping. Of course, I did not get any permission from mom. I left home when she was not around. Actually, it was Emah who pulled me out by force.Emah kept on buying everything that we found on the way. On the other hand, I was only interested in some snacks. I did not care about the other things.I was carrying a few of Emah's shopping bags as we moved around. This girl was always obsessed with shopping.Suddenly, someone walked closer to me, knocking a bag down. “What the hell…” I wanted to shout at the person when he apologized and bent to pick up the bag.But even after he handed me the bag, I remained frozen. This man… it was him!The man looked into my eyes and I saw him smile. He held my hand and put the bag in it. He winked and hurriedly walked away.I remained frozen in place and looked at the man as he walked away. Emah, who had walked some distance away, came back looking for me. “What is wrong?“ She asked as she shook me.

I hesitated for some seconds before nodding my head and walking behind her. I did not see the need to keep hiding from her. I needed to know her plans so that I would find a way to fight for myself.I slowly took a seat, a heavy lump in my throat. I looked at the woman in front of me with some hatred. She was my mom! I was supposed to be so happy around her, to talk to her and share my problems!But here I was, fearing for my own life! At times, I always hoped that she was not my biological mother. But again, who else could it be?“You have to call Carlos and apologize,” Mom said straightforwardly, bringing me back to my senses. I creased my brows. Was she asking me to apologize? “Why should I do it? I just told him the truth…”Mom stood up abruptly, looking directly into my eyes. “Listen to me, you unfilial child! You have to do as I asked you. You are going to be in a relationship with him and do as he asks you. If you have other plans, you can do it after I get what I want!“Tears

I could see a smile appear at the corner of mom's lips, and I felt my heart ache more. Did she rejoice in everything that she was doing?“It is a good thing that you don't want to beat around the bushes,” she said and took her phone. This confirmed to me that she actually had abducted Emah.I swallowed hard and fought back my tears. “Why do you have to go for my friends when they are innocent, mom? Why don't you do all these to me instead? I am the one at fault here!“Mom chuckled and looked up at me. The next second, her eyes turned very icy. “What will I gain from harming you? I don't see the need to kill you when you are still going to be dead within the next two years…”“Mom!“ I shouted, bursting into tears. So she decided to harm my friends instead? Was this woman ever going to be human?She ignored me and made a call, putting it on speaker. The next second, I heard a shriek from the other end.“What do you people want from me?“ There came a voice that I recognized immediately.“