Chapter 4 The Luo Sisters

Ivy Jackson's heart began to tremble. She suddenly felt a surge of terror. Her innocent, adorable, and kind-hearted younger sister... was so terrifying! The terror was so intense that it made her shudder involuntarily.

Without any questions asked, Blake Jackson strode in and landed a resounding slap on Wendy Jackson, sitting on the bed with a stunned expression. Ivy felt a thunderous 'boom' from the impact, and a constant buzzing in her head. She couldn't hear anything else... Why? Father, why did you hit me? Why are you looking at me with such hatred? Ivy couldn't figure it out. Ivy's heart was once again cruelly gouged open, leaving it to bleed… alone and ignored.

"She's your sister! How could you hit her!? I've never seen a sister as cruel as you!"

"Oh Wendy, let me see, oh my, it's swollen! My poor child..."

"Mother, Father, please don't be angry. It's all my fault. I said something wrong and upset my sister."

"Wendy, you can't always stand up for your sister! She carries a long face every day, as if everyone in this house owes her! She dares to hit you today, tomorrow, who knows if she'll ride roughshod over us, her parents!"

"Father, I beg you, please don't intervene…"

"Don't cry, Wendy, your face is swollen..."

Ivy turned her body sideways, remaining in the position her father had knocked her down, huddled on the bed. Gradually, she managed to hear their conversation. Hearing those words, more painful than the slap itself, she began to shrink in on herself, curling up smaller and smaller until she was a ball. Tears welled in her eyes as her trembling hand touched the fiery pain. Sensations were so intense they brought tears to her eyes, which she swallowed down as they came.

"Ivy, I'm so disappointed in you, I really wish...I didn't have a daughter like you!" It was her mother's voice.

"Ivy, I really don't know when you became so malevolent! You have...disappointed me greatly!" It was her father's voice.

"Sis...I'm sorry...please believe me…." It was Wendy's voice...then the door of the room was slammed shut.

Ivy clutched her stomach, where she was experiencing severe pains that came in intense spasms. Suddenly, unable to bear the pain, Ivy rolled over from the bed and raced barefoot to the restroom, vomiting violently into the toilet.

Gasping for breath, Ivy slowly looked at the 'filth' that she had thrown up. Then, her eyes widened in shock. It was a bright red... the liquid that dissolved into the water... was red.

Ivy gently touched her lips and noticed the red on her finger. Her face was so swollen that she could not even taste the sweet metallic flavor... Ivy's eyes were shrouded in mist, and her tears fell drop by drop into the pool of blood in the toilet.

Is this what they call... pouring one's heart and soul? It's not a pleasant feeling.

Gently, Ivy laid down on the cold restroom floor. Although it was icy, pressing her swollen cheek against it felt soothing. Uncontrollable tears rolled down her cheeks.

Her body slowly succumbed to fatigue, and eventually... she lost consciousness.

Finally, the day was over... She felt exhausted, and pained.

In her tilted field of view, there was the toilet, the partially-open blinds, the bathtub... and the cold floor parallel to her. When the sight in finally came into focus, Ivy gradually regained consciousness realizing she was still lying on the ground.

With some difficulty, she stood up, leaning on the toilet as she made her way to the wash basin. Seeing her reflection in the mirror, she was horrified by her pallor. Her pale lips were specked with blood, and only upon moving did she realize that her two lips were stuck together by dried blood. Ivy had never felt so ugly...

She removed her contacts, turned on the tap and listened to the rush of water as she forcefully washed her mouth. The pain of ripping her lips open was oddly satisfying. Yet, blood quickly began to drip from her torn lips. Ivy again looked at herself in the mirror and saw... a horrifying sight. Her right cheek was still swollen, bruised and purple... it looked terrible. To touch it was to feel a burning sensation... Although her father never treated her with the same affection as he did Wendy, this was the first time he hit her... that slap had shattered Ivy's heart.

Ivy washed her face with cold water, and soaked her hair in an attempt to clean up her disheveled appearance. Her reflection was still horrifying. She walked out of the bathroom barefoot, and when she returned to her room she saw someone standing there tidying her bed. It was the servant, Mrs. Tian, who cleaned her room every day.

"Miss!" Mrs. Tian was startled by Ivy's sudden emergence from the bathroom. She stepped back, looking at Ivy with suspicion and hesitantly asked, "You... haven't left the house today?"

Ivy looked at the time on the wall, it was half past nine.

Scratching her head listlessly, Ivy walked towards her bed and fell into it, burying her head into the pillow and murmuring, "I'm... not going to work today..."

Mrs. Tian was left with her mouth agape. In her more than two decades working in this house, this was the first time she had seen Ivy in her room at this time of day, and even going to sleep like this. Remembering the disheveled state Ivy was in earlier, she asked in a worried undertone, "Miss... is everything alright? Do you need any assistance? Should I inform Madam and Miss of your situation?"

"No need... Mrs. Tian, please don't tell them I'm still at home." Ivy suddenly lifted her head from the pillow and looked towards Mrs. Tian, a pleading look in her eyes. "Please don't tell them..." She didn't want to see any of them at the moment, and definitely did not want to talk.

"Well... alright. But you look..." Mrs. Tian was still not at ease, for Ivy looked not only distraught but utterly miserable. She seemed drained, as if she had just been through a disaster. Half her face was swollen and somewhat black and blue, and her face was very pale, terrifyingly so.

Actually, the previous night, Wendy's face was also somewhat swollen, but it wasn't as severe, and both their mother and father personally applied an ice pack and some ointment. Consequently, by the time Wendy woke up the following morning, her face looked normal.

Recognizing that she was merely a servant and shouldn't ask questions, Mrs. Tian couldn't help but understand the disparity within the family and felt a pang of pity for Ivy. However, being a mere servant, all she could do was to go downstairs and keep Ivy's secret that she was still home.