Love Me Or I Die

CHAPTER 4

There was so much pain in her lower body that she did not dare to move. It hurts that much.

He had not only tore her body apart but her soul as well.

She fluttered her eyes closed for she had no more power left in her. Her long eyelashes had been soaked with her tears, and there was some vague translucent color on her pale face.

She scrunched up in a fetal position. She was bruising everywhere from sleeping naked in the cold since she did not have anyone to cover her up with a blanket. 

She felt so miserable that she hugged her stomach. Her weak voice vaguely escaped from her badly bitten, scarred lips,

“Mummy… mummy… .”

As helpless as a child, the only thing she needed was her mother—but her mother hated her.

She could still recall the events that happened that year. Even though they had led a plain and tough life, her mother had loved her until then.

(***Flashback****)

A woman held a young girl’s hand. The girl had a round face, a pair of big eyes and two long rolls of eyelashes which batted like small fans when she blinked.

“Mummy, why have we come here?” Curious, the little girl tilted her head upwards. The woman merely bent her waist down and placed her hand on her soft, flawless face.

“Lucia, this will be our home in the future. Can you remember it?

After the little girl nodded her head, the woman stood up. She had recently marry into Lucia's father's family. Lucia was just three years old by now.

“Stella, Is this Lucia? She looks beautiful.” The man looked at the little girl as she tried to hide behind her mother. She had the molds of being a beauty and she would definitely be a gorgeous woman when she grow up.

“Come, Lucy. This is your new father. Can you call him ‘Daddy’ ?” Stella nodded her head as she pulled Lucia from behind her. Lucia cast a look at her mother and she glanced at the strange man.

Then, in a soft timid voice, she called, “Daddy”.

She would behave so she wouldn’t be left behind by her mother.

“Ha… great. Good girl. Right, I have a daughter too but now, I don’t know where she went to play.”

Steven's face glowed with affection at the mention of his daughter. She was his most treasured darling baby.

“Daddy…” a velvety voice rang. Then, like a flapping butterfly, a little girl ran right into his arms. Lucia tugged at the corner of her mother’s blouse and looked at the little girl’s attire with such envy. It looked beautiful, like a princess from a fairytale. But she could give it up as long as she had her mother. She moved closer towards Stella unconsciously.

“Ah…” you carried your baby daughter in your arms, “Sophia, this is your new mother and that is your new sister.” He pointed at Stella and Lucia who were standing in front of them.

“I don’t want a mother.” Sophia pouted her lips delicately. “Nor do I want a new mother or even a sister. I only want Daddy. I hate them.”

Steven could only look apologetically at Stella. He had really spoilt her rotten. She was his only daughter, of course, it was inevitable.

“It’s alright, Steven. I understand.”

Stella simply shook her head but she had made up her mind to always treat Steven’s daughter well. She could only truly call this place her home, where she would gain everything, once his daughter accepted her.

She loosened Lucia’s small hand but the little girl only held on tighter to her clothes.

“Mummy… ” She blinked her black eyes. A stream of tears had gathered on her eyelashes rapidly. Was her mother giving her up?

As she looked at her daughter’s pitiful expression, Stella hesitated for a moment. Then, she hardened herself and pulled her hand away. And she walked towards Steven.

“Sophia, I am your Auntie. In the future, I will give you lots of delicious food and I'll play with you. I will love you just like my own daughter and just like how your father loves you.”

Maybe it was because of the gentleness in Stella's voice or perhaps it was a voice that little girls liked. Nevertheless, Sophia blinked her eyes in reply.

“Will I be the only one you love? Just like how Daddy does?” she asked Stella with her arms still hugging tightly around her father's neck. She would give her part of her father if she would only really love her, play with her and make lots of delicious food for her like she said.

Stella was caught in a dilemma. She subconsciously looked at her daughter who stood alone at the side. It wasn’t until she saw the look of displeasure flash on little Sophia's face that she started to nod her head.

“Yes, I will only love you.”

“Mummy.” Lucia’s mouth trembled from time to time, with her eyes filled with tears. As she helplessly looked at her mother, tears started to streak down her face.

And Stella really did what she had promised to little Sophia.

She carried her and was feeding her at the dinner table.

“Mummy, I want to eat that.”  Sophia looked at the cupcake in Lucia's bowl, she knew she must have it. She had painstakingly picked it with her chopsticks.

When Stella heard that the little girl had started to call her mother, she was almost brought to tears. She had finally started to call her mother.

“No dear, that belongs to your sister. Daddy will pick another one for you, ok?” Steven looked at his daughter with a hint of displeasure.

“That is fine. An older sister should give in to the younger.”  Stella quickly coaxed Sophia who was in her arms. She put her hand on top of her father’s hand and took the cake out of Lucia’s bowl. She had intentionally neglected the look of grievance on Lucia's face.

Sophia only took a bite out of the cupcake and she refused to eat after that.

“Hey… you can have it back.” she set aside her plate and pushed it to Lucia’s side of the table. “Aren’t you fond of eating that? Then eat,” she arrogantly said. She was the only princess in the family, Lucia was basically nothing. She was even despised by her own biological mother.

She lowered her head and looked at the cake that Sophia had eaten. She bit on her lip and looked helplessly at her mother,  “Mummy…”

“Your sister gave you that. So you should eat it.” Stella purposely ignored the tears in her own daughter’s eyes. She continued to feed her step daughter attentively as she sat in her arms. That was the agreement she had with Steven just because he was wealthy. She promised to love his child more than her own child, basically because of the grudge she still has for Lucia's late father.

Lucia’s head sank even more. She hesitantly took the fork that was next to her plate and began eating. However, she did not taste the sweetness of the cake, instead, it tasted bitter.

“Mummy, I don’t want to eat. I really don’t feel like eating anymore.”

But she still kept on eating because her sister had wanted her to eat.

“I don’t want them to draw blood,” cried out Sophia while they were at the hospital. She kept pushing and pulling against her father's body, struggling her way out of his grasp. Her father ached to see her princess like that.

“Sophia, listen to daddy. It will not hurt. We just need to draw a little bit of your blood.”

“No! No! I don’t want!” She would not stop crying. There was nothing that the doctor could do.

Lucia, who was present at that moment, glanced over to the doctor’s hand. She swore she saw a thick syringe, she couldn’t help but shudder.

It would be painful to be pierced with that.