Liam, the man I’d been married to for three years, forced me into a dangerous and remote area for Educational Outreach Programs, all because of his lover. He accused me of being rude, jealous, and arrogant. Little did he know, the place was filled with uneducated men and countless old bachelors.

Three years later, Liam came to bring me home. When he saw me, heavily pregnant and looking like a rough village woman, he completely broke down.

“I loved you so much, how could you betray me?” he cried.

I stared at him blankly. Isn’t this exactly what you wanted?

——

The village chief found me while I was kneeling, serving food to Jack. Every movement sent sharp pain through my knees. For most, this might seem unbearable, but for me, it had become routine.

The chief rushed through the courtyard into the room, panting, “Jack, get Chloe ready quickly. She’s been recognized as an advanced individual, and Mr. Grant has sent someone to pick her up.”

Jack didn’t even flinch. He just kept munching on his meat pie, smirking, “Sure, sure, same old story, right?”

Then he leaned in close, his breath foul, as if ready to kiss me.

It made sense that Jack didn’t believe it—after all, they’d been saying this for years, first as warnings, and later just to taunt me.

When I first arrived in the village, all the bachelors stared at me, making me terrified. Jack, who seemed like an honest farmer, stood up for me. He warned them that I was Mr. Grant’s wife and that they should behave themselves if they didn’t want trouble.

Back then, Jack was respectful, trying to gain my favor, probably hoping I’d speak well of him to Liam.

But then I overheard Liam’s beloved, Evelyn, whispering to Jack, “Dad, you must be joking. What kind of wife is she? Liam told me he wanted to marry me. It doesn’t matter if you rape her to death.”

After that, Jack’s demeanor changed. The next time he saw me, there was a greedy glint in his eyes. His dry, cracked hands, with dirt under his nails, reached out to touch my shoulder, rubbing it.

I almost vomited. I warned him, “Do you want to die? I’m Liam’s legal wife. He will come for me.”

Jack hesitated, and I took the chance to escape, hiding in a corner as I anxiously make a phone call to Liam.

When he finally picked up, I cried, “Liam, please, you have to save me. They’re going to rape me.”

There was noise in the background, and after a long pause, Liam laughed and said, “You’re just trying to get out of helping with the Educational Outreach Programs, aren’t you? Evelyn told me the people there are simple and honest. Honestly, they should be more afraid of you with the way you act at night.”

Liam let out a laugh, half-joking and half-serious, “You better not betray me.” Then he hung up, and I could still hear Evelyn’s playful voice lingering in the background.

After we got married, I did everything I could to seduce Liam every night. I wanted him to love me as much as I loved him, so I shamelessly tried to please him, and he seemed to enjoy it.

I called him back immediately, but the phone just rang and rang. When I tried again, it went straight to voicemail—his phone was off.

Then Jack walked in, cornering me in the dingy little dorm room. I tried to fight him off, but he was a strong man, hardened by years of farm work. I screamed for help, but the dorm was surrounded by nothing but overgrown weeds, with no one around to hear.

My face stung with pain as he sneered, “You think he still wants you after so many men have had their turn? If he really cared, would he send a beautiful, charming wife like you to a place like this?”

“Everyone knows this is a village full of bachelors. Sending women here is just a perk for us. Be good, having a few kids for me, and you’ll be set for life...”

Pain and humiliation clouded my mind. I couldn’t understand why Liam did this to me. If I hadn’t threatened my father to help him, he wouldn’t have anything he has today.

He was the one who promised to marry me, who said he would love me forever. So why doesn’t that count now?

That night, I felt like I was trapped in hell, with demons tearing at my body and soul. I couldn’t tell if I was still alive or dead; everything blurred together.

As the first light of dawn slipped through the broken tiles, Jack stirred. He yawned, stretched lazily, and began picking up his clothes. After getting dressed, he looked at me with a twisted grin.

“Damn, you really fooled me. You act all pure and innocent, but you pushed me into this. You’ve ruined my honor. Now, apologize to my wife and ask her to let you serve our family.”

He loosened his belt, leering at me as he stepped closer.

In a panic, I grabbed a stool and smashed it over his head, then bolted out the door. Outside, I spotted three men and a woman walking by, and I screamed for help.

They all looked at me with pity in their eyes. Seeing Jack closing in, I ran toward them with every ounce of strength I had. If I could just reach them, I’d be safe.

One of the men caught me, and I looked up at him with gratitude. Jack came up behind me, and the man who had helped me asked what was going on. I expected Jack to panic or make excuses, but instead, he said calmly, “Just a woman nobody else wants…”

Another man cut him off, laughing, “Well, sir, you should take care of us too, eh? Your little grandsons here need some attention!” The group erupted into laughter, the woman with them blushing as she turned away.

The sun was shining that day, the grass was tall, and everything outside was alive with spring. But inside, my world was frozen—no light, no hope.

I grew up in a loving, prosperous family, dreaming of a life like my parents’—a heart won, growing old together. When I fell for Liam, poor as he was, I poured everything I had into loving him, believing he’d be my rock for life. But he pushed me into a pit of despair, and now I couldn’t find my way out.

The darkness settled in, and the demons finally left. After a while, I felt something damp on my back and weakly called out, “Help me… save me…”

Jack sneered, lifting my foot with just two fingers before dropping it like it was a broken stick. “You filthy bitch, thought you could trick me?”

“You’re supposed to be a fancy college girl, but you’re no better than an animal, pissing and shitting everywhere.”

He dragged out a cart, tied me up stark naked, and wheeled me away into the night. As we went, he spat on me. “Disgusting. You’re not even fit to be my mistress.”

He turned a corner and hauled me into the pigsty. The place was damp, stifling, and swarming with mosquitoes.

“You’re worthless. This is where you belong,” he snarled, locking me in. He dusted off his hands and walked away, completely at ease, as if nothing had happened.

I was covered in filth, my lips cracked from thirst, and I felt like I couldn’t go on. I lay down in the muck, thinking maybe starving to death wouldn’t be so bad.

I don’t know how much time passed, but suddenly, I heard chaos outside—footsteps and a girl’s scream. She ran to the pigsty and was horrified by what she saw. As she turned to flee, the woman behind her caught her up.

The girl dropped to her knees, sobbing, “Mother, I don’t want to marry that old man!”

I suddenly jolted awake. If I died like this, what would happen to my sister? Would she end up suffering the same fate? Who would protect her? I forced myself to crawl to the edge of the fence and licked the leftover water from the pig trough. If I could survive one more day, that was something.

And somehow, I did survive—long enough for Liam to finally come for me.

The village chief slapped his thigh in frustration, grabbing Jack by the shirt and warning him sharply, “There are things better left unsaid, so keep your mouth shut!”

“This time it’s real—he even brought a journalist for an interview!” The color drained from Jack’s face. He swallowed the rest of his bun, then quickly pulled out a wad of cash, trying to smooth things over.

“Don’t scare me, Mr. Grant. How did it come to this... maybe we could just tell them she died of illness...”

The village chief looked even more grim. He raised his arm and slapped Jack, saying sternly, “Even if an expert died here, I couldn’t cover it up, let alone Liam’s wife. Don’t get any funny ideas—make her keep quiet, or we’ll all go down together.”

Jack, drenched in sweat, chased after the retreating village chief, calling out, “You can’t just leave me hanging…”

He returned looking defeated, his eyes hardening as he stared at me with a mix of cunning and malice. He reached out with his rough, yellowed hand.

I felt nothing—like a piece of wood. Most of the time, I existed like a walking corpse, numb to everything around me.

What a shame, I thought. If you give up now, you’ll just be handing that bastard an easy win.

He grabbed my hand in anger, but something inside me snapped. I shoved him away with all the strength I could muster.

“Let go of me.”

Jack was startled and kicked me against the wall. “If you dare expose what happened here, do you think Mr. Grant will still want you, you lowlife?”

He started undressing as he approached me, sneering, “If you open your mouth, I’ll just say you were the one who betrayed him first—that you even had a daughter with me. How about that?”

My breath quickened, and painful memories flooded back, overwhelming me. He moved closer, and suddenly, it was like I was back in those dark days.

Three years ago, I found out I was pregnant, but I didn’t know who the father was. By the time it was discovered, I was already five months along. Jack was furious and wanted me to abort, but others stopped him, saying the baby could be valuable.

Under their strict surveillance, I gave birth to a baby girl who was taken away immediately. The next time I saw her, she was already over two years old, dressed in filthy clothes. She was terrified of getting hit for feeding the chickens and had run to hide in the pigsty. She wasn’t even 80 centimeters tall, but she was already digging through the trough for food with skill. Her little hands were covered in frostbite.

I couldn’t bring myself to love her, but I couldn’t hate her either.

Soon, a group of women caught up to us, pointing and whispering. Jack’s wife was the loudest.

“She was asking for it,” she sneered.

“She’s a tramp. My husband won’t even touch me anymore.”

“Filthy, shameless whore.”

...

A stream of vile words and urine splashed all over me, drenching me from head to toe. But I couldn’t even cry.

When Jack heard the commotion, he came over and chased them away, but I saw his eyes dart to his two-year-old daughter. Jack’s wife grabbed the little girl and took her away.

Humiliated, Jack looked at my filthy state and, furious, he forced himself on me again. I know that if I ever see my sister again, I won’t be able to face myself.