Chapter 1

• _CHAPTER ONE
• "Bianca darling, wake up it's time to go to school." Bianca snuggled closer to her bed. She hated Mondays because she had to go to school.
• "But I don't want to go to school." Bianca replied murmuring into her soft pillows. Her mother was always there to remind her about how bad Mondays could be.
• Isabella, Bianca's mother smiled as she knew how stubborn Bianca could be and how much she hated school. She needed to find a means to cajole her daughter to stand up from the bed.``How about we do it like this; You get up from bed and go prepare for school, we will go for shopping later in the evening when you get back." At her statement, Bianca woke up from the bed, staring at her mother and hoping it wasn't a mere joke.
• "Are you taking me out shopping?" She asked with admiration all over her face.
• "Of Course darling, your father is already late for work, I don't want him leaving us behind. So get your tiny legs and go to that bathroom and take your bathe." Bianca squealed with joy, hugging her mother and hopping down from her bed. In a matter of minutes, she dashed into the bathroom, while her mother smiled at the energy she possessed.
• After thirty minutes of getting dressed for school, Bianca stepped out of her room to the living room to see her father well dressed in a corporate attire, looking at his watch impatiently, while her mum tried to calm him down.
• "Finally! She is here." Bianca smiled at the relief her father had gotten from seeing her face. "I was beginning to think you would make me lose my job." Everyone laughed as both Isabella and Logan; Bianca's parents got up from the couch and headed out of the living room.
• There was silence as their car moved along the highway with little or no cars passing by. Bianca loved the view of nature. She took in the fresh breath that it had to offer and hoped that this scene would continue to love forever.
• "Bianca darling, hope you grabbed the lunch box I kept in the kitchen?" Isabella asked, breaking the silence.
• "Almost forgot, but I got it anyway." Her mother nodded.
• "Babe, why are you going so fast, slow down a bit." Isabella said and both Bianca and Logan chuckled as they had always found reasons to mock Isabella's fear of speeding cars.
• "Relax babe, there is no car coming. I am late for work as well." After a couple of minutes, everyone observed the big truck heading the same path with their car. "Shit!" Logan cursed through his breath.
• "What's the problem?" Isabella asked with agitation as she was hoping Logan would slow down for the truck to pass.
• "The brakes! They aren't working." The last thing Bianca heard was the horn of the massive truck, alongside a huge collision that forced her slamming her head to the couch. She was in a deep unconscious state, when she felt something splashed onto her face.
• "Wake up idiot!" Bianca jolted up from her sleep, rubbing her face in a bid for the water not to touch her eyes and slowly her brain took in the entire scene before her. Her uncle's wife was staring at her with rage and that was when Bianca realized she had been dreaming after all.
• **
• "Guess you were enjoying your sleep that your lazy ass forgot it's Monday and you have to finish up your chore." Bianca realized she was in big trouble. Ever since the death of her parents in that accident, she had been constantly having nightmares about their death and for most of it, she wondered why she didn't die along with them.
• "I am sorry." Bianca managed to find the proper word to say.
• "Of Course you are sorry. You whole life has always been sorry." The words of Any struck her deep and slowly she got up from bed and made an attempt to walk past Amy, but was pushed back by her uncle's wife.
• "The last time I warned you about sleeping late, what was my punishment again?" Amy asked with so much anger laced in her tone.
• "That I would be beaten so bad that I would hate my existence...." Bianca received a slap to the face, which almost had her falling back to the bed.
• "You should really count yourself lucky. I am in my good ole happy days. The next time you dare to wake up late, your sorry ass is going to regret it." Bianca wasn't surprised by Amy's choice of diction. Her uncle's wife loved using profanities to speak to her. When Bianca was taken in by Felix, her uncle, she thought it would be all roses, till Amy dealt seriously with her, inflicting pains on her body and leaving bruises there.
• Almost in her twenties, she was still a subject of brutal beating and today was indeed lucky as she didn't get touched that much by Amy. Many at times, Bianca wished she could end it all, but deep down there is always a voice telling her not to give up.
• While cleaning up the kitchen, Bianca accidentally dropped one of the plates to the floor and the object broke into several pieces. The impact was so loud that she knew she was in trouble. Bianca bent down to gather the pieces together.
• "Bianca!" She turned around to see Any fuming with anger and before she could get the luxury of time to explain, she felt her cheeks sting. Bianca held her cheeks with tears forming around her eyes. "You piece of trash! Breaking my plates has serious consequences and I would make sure you get punished severely for this." Bianca didn't make an attempt to explain herself as she knew it would end in more beating. "How can you be so stupid? Guess your late mother didn't teach you kitchen etiquettes before she passed on." Those words triggered a little anger within Bianca.
• "At Least my mother had manners .." She held her mouth but it was too late, the words were out and Amy heard them. She looked around the kitchen and the only visible object was the mop stick lying around the edge of the door. Amy rushed and grabbed the stick and slammed it right on Bianca's body, the latter falling to her knees. Amy kept on hitting her with the stick, till it broke into bits.
• "You will learn to speak to me with respect!" Amy said, throwing the broken piece of sticks on Bianca's head, while the latter sob silently. "No lunch and dinner for you. That would teach you a little lesson about respect." She kneed Bianca right on her belly before moving out of the kitchen.
• Bianca sat on the floor, crying uncontrollably about how each day of her life seemed to alleviate with pain. Bianca wondered why the author of her life scripts had to be cruel to add villains like her uncle and his evil wife, alongside their wicked daughter into her life. Bianca believed there was no ending to her pain and all she resolved at, was absorbing everything till she would die someday. Her gaze moved over to the clock hanging on the walls of the kitchen and she gasped, realizing that she would be late for her class.
• Summoning all the strength she had, Bianca got up to her feet and headed out of the kitchen. She ensured everywhere was tidy up and she only met a bad ending at the kitchen.
• In a matter of minutes, Bianca was ready. She didn't wear makeup like the rest of the other girls, and staring at the mirror, she observed her left eye was swollen. This wasn't a good thing as many would only seek to ask questions. Bianca released her hair from the bun she had made it into, and used one part to cover it up, making her look like the perfect enigma people perceived her to be.
• She grabbed her bag and a couple of her books and headed out of the house. Bianca didn't need to inform Amy that she was going, as it may end up triggering her anger once again.
• When Bianca arrived at Preston college, one of the biggest colleges in the whole of New York, the premise was empty; a clear indication that many were in class. She checked her watch and figured she was a couple of minutes late for class and headed into the hallway. From afar, she saw a couple of recognizable students, along with a familiar face and tried to walk past them, but she was pulled back.
• "Look who we have here, isn't it my dearest cousin." The other girls in the hallway laughed, as they chewed their bubble gums continuously. Bianca was praying silently that she would allow her to go away easily.
• "What do we have here..." Despite her resistance, her hair was pulled off her face, revealing the swollen part of her eyes. "Guess someone pissed my mom off."
• "Imade pleas, I am late for classes." Bianca felt hands imprinted on her face and she held onto her cheek, staring at her cousin in disbelief._