Chapter 272 Barbara's Story!
These weren't common knife scars; they were burn marks from cigarettes and bite marks!
There were many of them, with at least a dozen visible ones!
Just looking at them made Ryder's scalp tingle.
Barbara looked at him expressionlessly and asked,
"Do you know how I got these?"
He instinctively shook his head.
Barbara smiled bitterly and coldly as she said, "These masterpieces were left by my demon of a stepfather!"
Hearing this, Ryder instinctively frowned. "You have a stepfather? Everyone said you went abroad with your parents back then."
She shook her head, her eyes vacant as she recounted, "That's right; I went abroad with my parents. At first, we lived a very lavish life, spending money as we pleased and enjoying freedom.
Back then, I thought the air abroad was sweeter and more comfortable; everything seemed so wonderful, without a hint of darkness. However, those
good times were short-lived. As my dad was unfamiliar with foreign investment, he went bankrupt in less than six months. He was also diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer and passed away within a month!"
"I had no relatives abroad. I begged my mom to return to the States, but out of worry about losing face and being looked down upon by relatives and friends, she decided to stay abroad!
Those poverty-stricken days were very tough for us. Living on welfare, we were always hungry and cold, moving places almost every month. Moreover, we could only move into the slums, living among the homeless!"
"The slums—a dark area beyond the law's reach. It wasfilthy and chaotic, filled with robbery, drug use, and theft! On my way to and from school, I was almost followed and raped three times. Living every day was tormentful for me! Just when I couldn't take it anymore, my mom one day returned home excitedly, telling me we'd never have to suffer again as she had met a very rich old foreign man!"
"Yes, he was very rich with a villa, an estate, and a yacht. Naively, I thought the good days were finally here, but I never expected..."
At this point, Barbara's expression gradually became ferocious. "I never expected him to be a demon in human skin. After my mom married him, she used his connections to mix well in wealthy circles and was rarely home. Thus, it was just me and my stepfather. For some reason, from when I first saw that old bastard, I noticed his strange gaze and felt very uncomfortable!"
"Sure enough, it wasn't long before he started doing very strange things, like entering my room without knocking and deliberately touching my hand. I often found my underwear missing, only to see them in his room covered in filthy, disgusting stuff."
Ryder frowned and said, "Fuck! That old guy is a pervert. Didn't you warn him?"
She sneered, "Of course I did, but it only led to even more outrageous behavior. One day, he suddenly barged in while I was showering! Ignoring my resistance, he grabbed my hand and wanted to bed me, promising anything if I agreed. I was terrified, grabbing a shampoo bottle to knock him out before fleeing the house."
"I was terrified. I called my mom, but she didn't answer. I thought about running far away, with returning to the States being even better if I could!
But just a few hours after I ran out, that old bastard called the police and had me caught."
"The reason they caught me wasn't because I hurt him, but because I was a minor and couldn't leave home without a guardian. Do you know? I cried and explained to them, but that old bastard had already bribed them. Now matter how much I tried, it was useless. I was forcibly sent back to the villa!"
"I couldn't escape, so Ihad to live with him cautiously. However,
he secretly put sleeping pills in my water. When I woke up, I was tied to the bed bare-naked."
At this point, Barbara's body began to tremble, her eyes filled with endless hatred. "He was the one who left these scars at that time! Do you know? I cried and begged for mercy, but no matter how much I did, he only tortured me more.
The only blessing here was probably his old age, where his skills in certain departments may have diminished, so he failed the final step. However, that scene is forever stuck in my mind."
Ryder clenched his fists. "Didn't you tell your mom about this?"
Barbara sneered self-deprecatingly, "I thought a mother would do anything for her daughter. However, when I told her about it, s
he looked at me expressionlessly and said that being toyed by a man was normal if it resulted in a stable life and wealth. She even said the games she played with those wealthy men were even more disgusting!"
"Moreover, she warned me not to fight with that demon, as it would affect her connections. She even told me to deliberately please him, to satisfy his fetishes without actually getting physical!
That's my mom. In her eyes, gaining wealth and status from men far outweighed me as her daughter. She could give me money to spend and let me be willful, but she never gave me a shred of motherly love."
Her tears flowed uncontrollably. "So I had to accept all of this. I learned to put on makeup, smoke, get tattoos, braid dreadlocks, trying to fulfill myself! But after all that, I began feeling emptier.
That emptiness was suffocating, and that loneliness was despairing. I even developed moderate depression."
"During that most torturous time, the only thing encouraging me to live was recalling the happy times I had with Sarah back in the States.
She was gentle, kind, beautiful, generous, and so approachable. I hated all men, and even found many women disgusting. However, only Sarah was the last light in my world. So, I could sacrifice anything to be with her; it didn't matter if I had to trade my life."
Hearing all of this, Ryder sat in silence for a while.
Hateful people must have their pitiful side, and Barbara was like that!
Thinking from her perspective, no one else could've bore such pressure.
At the same time, he also understood that her preference for women wasn't innate, but influenced by her environment.
As he was lost in thought, Barbara suddenly looked up, staring at him tearfully while asking, "Ryder, tell me; do you think I'm dirty?"