Chapter 2 ; Sally's Misfortune 2
Returning to her aunt's home, she found a place that had once been a refuge now felt like a prison, its walls closing in on her, its atmosphere thick with hostility. Her aunt, her cousin, and her uncle treated her with open contempt, their sneering whispers of "waste of food" a constant, agonizing torment. She attempted to return to work, but when they saw her face, the boss immediately kicked her out, his eyes filled with disgust.
She searched for food in her aunt's house, but found nothing. Hunger gnawed at her relentlessly, her suffering intensified with each passing day, until finally, she was cast out onto the unforgiving streets. She was left with nothing but the clothes on her back and a heart heavy with despair.
She sought work, applying for any position she could find—even as a dishwasher—but was consistently rejected, her disfigured face proving an insurmountable obstacle. The world seemed to have turned its back on her, leaving her alone and lost in the vastness of her misery.
Winter descended, its icy fingers wrapping around her, amplifying her suffering. Sleepless nights on the cold pavement were punctuated by the ever-present gnawing hunger. The bitter wind howled through the streets, a constant reminder of her isolation and the harsh reality of her situation.
Her meager funds, the last vestiges of her savings, dwindled with each passing day. Then, in a cruel twist of fate, a gang of thugs, their faces shadowed in the darkness, robbed and beat her. Their contempt for her disfigured face was palpable, their violence a cruel reflection of the world's indifference. The casual cruelty of strangers—disdainful glances, thrown stones—became a constant, every time someone saw her. Rumors spread throughout the city, whispers of an "ugly woman, like a monster" covering her face.
She sighed, a sound heavy with despair and loss, as she walked alone on the cold street, trying to find shelter from the biting wind. But no one, no one ever helped her. The city, once a place of hope, had become cold.
As Sally walked down the street, a woman's voice, laced with mocking laughter, pierced the air. "Is that your ex-girlfriend?" she sneered, her words dripping with cruelty. Before Sally could react, the woman roughly pulled away the scarf she'd been using to shield her face, revealing the raw, scarred landscape that was once her beauty.
"Look at her," the woman sneered, her eyes gleaming with malicious amusement, "so ugly, like a monster." A man stood beside the woman, his face twisted in a familiar smirk. It was Daniel, her boyfriend.
Sally's heart pounded, a mixture of hope and dread coursing through her veins. She stumbled towards him, her voice hoarse and desperate. "Daniel," she whispered, "you're finally here."
Daniel, his eyes cold and uncaring, pulled the woman close, his arm encircling her waist. "To tell you the truth," he said, his voice laced with a chilling indifference, "I wanted to tell you that day. I don't love you anymore. I love Ashley." His gaze, devoid of any affection, swept over her disfigured face. "As for you, I never loved you, not even from the beginning. Do you think I would care about you if not for your beauty? Now that you look so ugly, it makes me vomit when I look at you." His words, sharp and cutting, sliced through her already wounded heart, leaving her reeling in pain and disbelief.
Story continues...