After I Fell In Love With My Non-blood-related Brother

Dean Ward, noticing that I didn't respond, bit down hard on my chest, right where my "bitch" tattoo was.

"Are you deaf or mute?"

The flickering cigarette butt pressed painfully against my skin, and I finally cried out in agony.

"I'm a bitch; I don't deserve to want Mr. Shaw!"

When he heard my words, Dean Ward let out a satisfied grunt.

A foul liquid trickled down from the corner of my eye, pooling at the edge of my mouth.

I knelt there, dazed, too scared to wipe it away, fearing it would only provoke more abuse.

"Jade Taylor, remember how you feel today!"

"You should know what to say and what not to say!"

"If you say anything you shouldn't, I can just call Mr. Shaw and have him deliver you to me personally, understand?"

"I have plenty of new tricks waiting for you; remember that!"

He slapped my face twice, then sneered at the flickering red light off to the side.

After changing my clothes and shouldering my bag, I slowly walked out of the training camp's gates.

I should have felt relieved to escape this hell, but instead, I was filled with anxiety.

The Shaw family taking me in might only be temporary, and they could easily send me back later.

Having hope only to have it ruthlessly crushed is the most despairing feeling of all.

I never expected Xander Shaw to come in person. He stood by the car, looking down at his toes.

It had been a year since I last saw him, and he seemed even more mature, radiating an invisible pressure.

I stopped in my tracks, fidgeting with my hands as beads of sweat formed on my forehead.

Just seeing him brought back memories of that hellish experience and the endless pain I had endured.

I couldn't bring myself to look at him or get any closer.

"Jade?"

He turned to me, momentarily stunned, hesitating before speaking.

I lowered my head, clenched my fists, and summoned all the courage I could muster.

"Yes!"

"Are you really just going to stand there, or are you waiting for me to greet you?"

Xander frowned deeply, seeming a bit impatient.

Dean Ward had called me a disgusting, lowly person who didn't deserve to want Xander, warning that if I didn't obey, he would call a bunch of coaches to teach me a lesson.

The repeated beatings, the burning cigarette butts, the crisscrossing whip marks on my back, and the pepper spray...

I felt as if my consciousness was being controlled, and my body trembled uncontrollably.

"No, please don't!"

Xander finally lost his patience and strode over, grabbing me as if I were a small chick.

I shut my eyes and struggled wildly.

"Don't touch me, don't touch me!"

He shoved me into the car and then sat down beside me.

"Jade, what game are you playing now?"

"Acting weak, playing the victim, trying to lure me in? Such a low-class trick, and you dare to perform it in front of me?"

I didn't dare to retort; instead, I curled up, pressing myself against the far side of the car as much as I could.

Xander looked at me coldly, his eyes filled with mockery and disdain.

"You look so pathetic; it's really nauseating! Stop pretending!"

I slid off the seat and knelt on the narrow car floor, bowing my head and repeatedly apologizing.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"