My phone began to vibrate, and I glanced down to see it was my dad calling. Ever since Carl and I started dating, my parents had favored him more and more. This money-minded couple saw Carl as more important than me. No matter how poorly Carl treated me, they always sided with him, pushing me to bow my head and endure it for the sake of courtesy and family loyalty.
When my stomach hurt so badly it caused cramps, they insisted I bring porridge to Carl. I forced myself to eat for his sake until I ended up throwing up bile. They wouldn’t let me rest and pushed me to keep working with him. Carl even trampled on my dignity just to win his approval.
It was likely Carl who had called my parents, telling them I had dared to defy him and betray him, which made my dad anxious. I hesitated, thinking I’d get scolded if I answered the call right now, so I quickly pressed to decline.
My mom called immediately afterward. I hung my head and focused on fending off the two annoying guys instead. After a few minutes, they finally stopped bothering me and just sent a long voice message on WeChat. I tuned it out, treating it like the barking of a dog.