I Thought 'Home' Meant Warmth Nope, Just a Doghouse... Till I'm the HEIR, And It's novel Chapter 19

Chapter 1

We have a square iron cage at home that’s my room

Daddy brings me food a lot. Sometimes he cleans up for me too. Mommy though… I can’t remember the last time I saw her.

Maybe when I was seven? I don’t really remember-One day Mommy came home.

And she even opened my cage!

“Mommy…”

But I couldn’t finish because her hands squeezed my neck really tight.

Her face looked scary and mad: “Why are you still alive?!”

I couldn’t breathe. I tried to get away. My feet kicked the cage and it made loud noises.

Daddy ran in and kicked me down hard:

“I told you to stay away from your mother! Look what you did!”

You already hurt Mommy so bad before! Wasn’t that enough?!”

He wiped Mommy’s tears really gently. Then he picked her up and left. He didn’t even look at me.

I sat by the cage holding my head. It was bleeding a lot.

I tried so hard to remember what I did before. But I couldn’t remember anything.

Then someone woke me up. They gave me two buttons.

fI push the red one, Mommy dies. But Daddy will love me.

fI push the green one, Daddy dies. But Mommy will love me.

looked at the buttons for a long time. I took them. I knew what I was going to do…

‘d just hidden the buttons away like treasure when Dad burst in with a bunch of men in black tactical gear.

it his signal, two of them zip-tied my wrists and shoved me roughly into a smaller cage.

he wound on my head split open again. Blood trickled down my cheek, itchy and warm.

ad glanced at me, voice flat: “Give her the clotting shot. Ro can’t handle any more stress.”

he needle pierced my skin. I thrashed violently.

was allergic to this stuff. It wouldn’t kill me, but it always made me feel like I was dying.

ut when I saw the disgust in Dad’s eyes, I froze.

he cage door slammed shut. They threw the whole thing into the back of a black SUV.

he road through the hills was brutal. My head kept smashing against the bars.

The clotting agent stopped the bleeding but couldn’t stop the cold sweat.

ted hives crawled across my skin. Breathing got harder. I couldn’t stop scratching at my neck.

Daddy… I don’t feel good…”

water bottle came flying at me:

Shut up! Look what you’ve done to your mother!”

“You won’t be happy until she’s dead, will your?!

“Just looking at you makes me sick! Be quiet”

I shook my head really fast. Tears and shot got all over my face but I didn’t make any more noise.

I didn’t get why they hated me so much. I didn’t do anything bad…

The driver-Dad’s head of security-glanced back: “Boss, if the kid stays like this much longer-”

“Just drive.” Dad cut him off.

The SUV stopped.

They dragged me out and dropped the cage on the gravel driveway of what looked like a smaller beach house-probably one of Dad’s properties up the coast.

Dad’s voice was ice-cold: “Clean her up. Take her to apologize to Ro.”

When they brought me to Mom, she looked calmer.

I walked over really carefully and pulled on her sleeve a tiny bit, trying to smile:

“Mommy, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to make you mad…”

The second my hand touched her clothes, her face changed.

She shoved me away hard, eyes full of hate:

‘Don’t call me that! You make me sick! Why won’t you just die?!”

Dad was coming down the stairs with Mom’s anxiety medication when he saw everything.

He rushed over and pulled Mom behind him, then slapped me without saying anything.

Then he turned and held her really gently, talking all soft:

It’s okay, Ro, don’t be scared. I’m here. I’ve got you.”

After Mom calmed down, he turned and stared at me:

Who said you could touch your mother with your disgusting hands?”

was on the floor and everything hurt. I hugged my knees and made myself really small.

heir words kept playing in my head.

Dad gets mad when he sees me… Mom gets sick when she sees me…

hey want me to die…

he clotting stuff must’ve stopped working-blood was coming out again.

used my shirt to wipe my head really fast, trying to cover it up. I was scared I’d get blood on the floor.

Dad hadn’t brought me to any of his houses in forever.

f I made a mess, I’d go back in the cage for sure.

That night, Dad let both me and Mom stay at the beach house.

I sat on the floor with my knees up, not knowing what to do. The security guys and housekeepers walked around me like I wasn’t there.

was getting really sleepy when I heard a soft voice: “Baby, come to Mommy.”

My heart jumped.