Dad's Bizarre Study

My younger sister, Angela Schrute, got married at 20. By 21, she already had a child.

I'm Elizabeth Schrute, 27 years old, and still unmarried.

Over the years, I've brought home a few boyfriends. But every time the subject of marriage comes up, my father, Michael Scrute, will take them into his study.

I don't know what he said to them. But whenever they come out of that room, they will turn cold and frightening. It's like their hands are itching to wrap around my throat and squeeze the life out of me.

My latest boyfriend thinks Dad is being unreasonable… until he follows him into the study.

When he emerges, his eyes burn with rage. He breaks up with me on the spot and slaps me. Twice.

I still can't figure it out. What is it that drives each of them away? And what secret is hiding in Dad's study?

"You really are a bitch, aren't you? Aren't you disgusted with yourself? Next time, I should just let one of your boyfriends kill you. Maybe then you'll finally learn your lesson."

After my boyfriend stormed off, Dad glared at me menacingly and began cursing.

The truth was, over the years, I had five boyfriends. Without exception, every single relationship had ended in an ugly breakup.

Before they turned cruel and violent toward me, every one of them had stepped into Dad's study. As much as I didn't want to believe that people could change so quickly, the facts spoke for themselves.

I frowned at Dad, hoping to hear even a single word of apology. But instead, he looked at me as if he wished he could tear me apart.

He even regretted that my boyfriend had spared me instead of strangling me to death.

Dad had always favored my younger sister, Angela, and never seemed to care about me.

When I was young and wanted to date, he had forced me to break up immediately. But when Angela turned the legal age for marriage, he let her plan her wedding right away.

Why was it so different for us?

Angela's husband, Lawrence Earlhart, treated her with love and devotion. He did so every day after moving into our house following the wedding.

Watching their life together, I couldn't help but envy her for getting to stay with the man she loved.

But whenever Dad caught me staring at Lawrence, he would kick me to the ground and tell me to stop staring. He insisted that I should never even think about marriage.

When Angela and Lawrence left for their honeymoon abroad, Dad punished me by forcing me to kneel at home. He demanded I reflect on my so-called wrongdoings.

He even told Angela to convince me never to marry, warning that I would only ruin other people's lives.

I never imagined he would go to such extremes to destroy my chances at love. Sometimes, I even wondered if I was adopted.

But after hiring a private investigator, I learned that I truly was his biological child.

I couldn't make sense of it, so I vented online. Netizens began offering their theories.

"Maybe your dad had to give up on a huge deal on the day you were born. Your birth might have cost him that opportunity and set him on a difficult path. His resentment toward you could stem from that loss."

"Or maybe you look like his mistress. Your mom could have despised you for it, and your dad just went along."

So I started investigating in secret, but nothing added up.

Dad was a teacher. He had no business experience at all. He had always been upright and principled, and he had never had an affair.

I truly didn't understand why he was so determined to keep me from dating or getting married.

The irony was that I was beautiful and admired everywhere. Often, I seemed to find true love, yet it never lasted.

Dad destroyed every relationship. When I couldn't take it anymore, I turned to my uncle, David Schrute.

I asked him to talk some sense into Dad. Uncle David also thought that he had gone too far.

Who in their right mind would want their own daughter to end up alone? He went to our house and confronted Dad.

"You should be supporting your daughter since she's found someone she loves! What kind of parent tries to talk their child out of dating? Have you lost your mind?"

Dad only stared at him in silence. Then, he grabbed Uncle David's hand and led him into the study.