Chapter 4: Grandpa's Promise

Just after I finished treating my wounds, Grandpa suddenly showed up. He had cut ties with Dad long ago. He went straight to my room and froze when he saw my battered body.

He turned back around and slapped Dad across the face.

"Are you even human? How can you treat your son like this? You'd better give me an explanation today, or I swear I won't let this go!"

Dad tried to explain, but I couldn't let Grandpa hear him. I hurriedly grabbed Grandpa's hand.

"Grandpa, I know you're only trying to protect me, but please promise me you won't go into the chapel, okay?"

"I promise you. Don't worry," he said, squeezing my hand. "I don't care about the chapel. I only care about your safety."

He sighed as tears streamed down his weathered face.

"I failed to raise my son right. I ended up raising a monster. Don't worry. Tomorrow, I'll get you out of here."

I buried my face in Grandpa's arms and cried my heart out.

"Grandpa, whatever you do, don't go into the chapel…"

He swore.

"I promise you I won't."

Grandpa had always been a man of his word, so his promise let me breathe a little easier.

I fell asleep holding his calloused hand.

The next morning, when I woke up, I instantly knew something was off.

The house was unnaturally quiet—not the peaceful kind, but the kind that felt dead.

I felt my way out of my room. Everyone in the family was sitting in the living room, their faces grim.

The moment they heard me, they all turned toward me.

Grandpa, who had stayed by my side the night before, was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Grandpa?" I asked. "Why isn't he here?"

Dad shot me a cold glare.

"You little bastard. You've learned to tattle now, huh?"

Bryan's wife looked me up and down with contempt.

"You clean yourself up and pretend to be a decent person, but deep down, you're rotten and wicked. No wonder every woman who found out the truth refused to marry you. If I were them, I'd be disgusted, too."

Claude's wife went even further. She spat right in my face.

"Scram. I don't want to see you. If I'd known I was marrying into a family with a brother like you, I never would've married Claude. I'd be ashamed to tell anyone."

At that, Claude flew into a rage.

He grabbed me by the head and slammed me against the wall.

"This is all your fault! You almost got me divorced from Hailey!"

I tried to break free, but Bryan came over and held me down.

After beating me bloody, they finally stopped, looked at the blood pooling beneath me, and smiled.

"Dad, what should we do with him?"

I fought desperately against their grip and dragged myself toward the door.

From the way they had reacted, I knew they were going to kill me for real this time.

If I didn't escape now, it would be over.

I had just crawled to the door when Grandpa came back.

Like a drowning man grabbing onto the last piece of driftwood, I wrapped both arms around his leg.

"Grandpa, help! They're going to kill me!"

The old man, who was so gentle with me the night before, now shoved me away.

He even dusted off the places I had touched, as though I disgusted him.

"Serves you right."

I froze.

My bloodshot eyes were trained on him.

"Grandpa, did you go into the chapel?"

He looked at me with ice-cold eyes.

"How else would I have known what kind of scumbag you really are?"

"But you promised me you wouldn't go there," I said, whimpering. "You said you loved me the most. Why did you lie to me?"

Just like that, I knew the last bit of hope I had was gone.

I scrambled to my feet and turned to the others behind me, questioning them like a madman.

"Even if you hate me and want me dead, at least let me die knowing why! I want to go into the chapel! If I'm going to die, I want to know the truth first!"

They exchanged glances.

In the end, Grandpa nodded.

At dusk, Dad took me into the chapel, then its vestry.

It was pitch-black, with no lights inside.

I stared at what was in front of me and froze.

"So, that's why none of them wanted to marry me… I see it now."