Matthew Xi stared at her, slowly scrutinizing her side profile as his jaw tightened. His heart pounded, slow yet loud to the point that it's painful.
"My mother used to beat me up while my father was too busy gambling. He couldn't care less if his only child died in the hands of his wife." Exhaling a ridiculing breath, Zoey gaped open as the tip of her tongue habitually touched her side tooth.
Swirling the glass of wine, Zoey watched its reflection distorted along with it. "But that's not what I'm frustrated about; it's the fact that I hoped everything will change one day; that if I listened to them, be the good girl who wouldn't cry over a simple wound, never throw a tantrum, wouldn't complain if she's starving... I hoped they would eventually acknowledge me." Zoey paused as she downed the glass of wine.
Matthew Xi's eyes softened as a tornado of emotion swirled around in his heart. Every word she said caused a pang in his heart.
