My Abusive Father Will Regret Underestimating Me

When the footsteps outside finally faded away, I let out a breath of relief and began to think back on the events of 2002.

Lena, my father's mistress. You might wonder how I found out.

My mother told me, just before she passed away. She grabbed my hand and said, "Clara, I'm so tired. I might just fall asleep and never wake up. Your father has someone else, a woman named Lena. I don’t know how long they’ve been together, but she’s pregnant now. Your father plans to marry her. I’m scared they’ll hurt you. I’m so sorry for what I've put you through. Please, make sure you live well, okay? Mommy loves…"

Before she could finish the last word, her heartbeat flatlined. After that, all I heard was the beeping sound of the machines and a flurry of doctors rushing in to try to save her.

When I got the death certificate, I completely broke down. From that moment on, I would never have a mother again.

Even when my mother was laid to rest, that bastard, Silas, didn’t show up.

To this day, I can’t bring myself to remember the image of my mother crying as she spoke to me. Her hot tears fell onto my hand, and the pain felt like someone had taken a knife and ripped open my heart.

I knew she wasn’t ready to let go, and neither was I.

Maybe it was pity from fate for my mother that gave me this chance.

I would hold onto this opportunity with everything I had, ensuring that the abusive bastard would never stand again.

My thoughts snapped back from the past as I looked at my bruised arms and the scars crisscrossing my legs. Tears involuntarily streamed down my face. The countless marks on my skin told me that Silas had been hurting my mother for a long time.

"Mom, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were suffering like this. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure I take back every ounce of pain you endured," I said, lifting my head, hoping she could hear me.

I leaned against the wall, struggling to stand. The discomfort from my head and neck shot through me, making my heart race.

Slowly, I moved toward the bathroom.

Standing before the mirror, I stared at the face I hadn’t seen in a while. My nose tingled, and once again, the tears fell.

The red marks from being choked were still visible on my neck, my face was ashen, and my hair was a mess.

But my mother wasn’t like this before I left. She always had a smile on her face back then.

I reached up and touched the spot on my face where my mother’s smile used to be. I silently vowed to destroy that abusive man.

After a quick wash, I went to my room and flipped through the calendar.

December 1st, 2002.

At that point, I was already in school. My third year of high school had kept me so busy that I rarely came home, but I knew everything that was happening at home, and I made sure to call my mom every day.

Looking at the timeline, I knew what would come next.

Soon, Silas would try to steal my mother’s dowry to invest in a game hall in town. Naturally, he would lose it all and even owe tens of thousands of dollars. When my mother found out, she had a heart attack and ended up in the hospital. Even then, Silas didn’t give up; his addiction to gambling was insatiable, and he borrowed hundreds of thousands in high-interest loans.

The only way to deal with such a scumbag was to deliver a crushing blow right when he thought everything was going well, making sure he could never recover.

My mother was a proud woman, so even when Silas hit her, she would silently endure, never willing to show weakness.

But that wouldn’t work. If I kept being stubborn, my plans would fall apart. I would have to swallow my pride for now.

I knew Silas only respected weakness, so if that was what he wanted, I would give it to him in full.