The Five-Year Scam

For the next several days, I was forced to serve them closely. I would trail behind them at their beck and call as they wandered the estate, and stand guard outside their door whenever they grew intimate.

Every soft moan Melissa made in Connor's arms cut through me like a blade reopening an old wound. When I wasn't needed, they would send me to keep the young heir company. He was mischievous, but at least he didn't command servants to beat me, so I could occasionally find some relief and breathe in his presence.

One afternoon, he climbed a tree and nearly fell. When I caught him, his shirt lifted, revealing a tiny, red birthmark on his lower back. It was the one my son, Aiden, was born with.

For five years, I had believed I'd transmigrated to another era and I trusted that Melissa in the modern world was caring for our child… How could I know he'd been beside me this whole time and raised to call another man "father"? All happened under my eyes while I was treated like a dog.

Grief and rage tore through me, but I forced myself to remain calm. I knew I couldn't risk anything before I escaped. So I pretended I knew nothing and stayed gentle with him. When I watched my own son laugh beside me, it was the only warmth my hollow chest had felt in years.

One day, Connor arrived with Melissa as Aiden was playing with a slingshot. His aim slipped when he spotted them, and a pebble struck Connor's temple, leaving it red and swollen. His expression darkened. "You little brat! You did that on purpose, didn't you?" he grabbed Aiden by the ear and raised his hand to strike.

"Father, I didn't mean to…" Aiden burst into terrified sobs as I rushed forward. "It's my fault," I pleaded. "I didn't watch him carefully…" Connor paused, a sinister idea sparking in his eyes. "This boy has gone wild," he said softly. "Why don't you discipline him for me?"

A servant shoved a whip into my hand while others pinned Aiden to a bench. "Go on! Stop only when he's learned his lesson." My fingers trembled. "He didn't mean it… it was an accident… he's just a child…How could we use a whip…" My desperate gaze landed on Melissa, hoping she'd speak up for her own son.

"Do it," she said coldly. I froze, unable to lift my arm because he was our child… her own child…

"Since when does a servant question our master's orders?" she frowned. "Do it!"

Connor scoffed and snatched the whip from me. He shoved it into Aiden's hands instead. "This mutt never learns. If you help me punish him, you'll be spared today."

My breath caught, eyes widened in disbelief. Aiden, terrified of being hit himself, didn't hesitate and swung the whip at me with all the strength in his small body. "Filthy servant! That's for defying Father! You deserve to die!" Stroke after stroke landed.

I'd been beaten countless times, but it felt different this time. Each blow burned not only on my flesh but behind my eyes. Tears fell, my heart broke again and again even though it had shattered thousands of times. He kept beating me until he was exhausted, then he ran back to Connor, looking eager for praise. "Father, if he ever upsets you again, I'll punish him for you!"

"Good boy," Connor said, smirking as he left with Melissa and the child.

I watched them disappear in the courtyard, leaving me trembling in red. Something tightened inside my chest. I knew I had to move soon. I couldn't bear to look at their faces for even one more second.