Sacrificed 2

There, locked in a massive dog cage, was my five-year-old daughter, Noreen Gildon, clutching a photograph of me tightly in her arms. Crouched beside her was a wolfhound that stood nearly half the height of a grown man.

The happy, carefree child I had cared for was gone.

In her place sat a stranger with dirty clothes, a face frozen in horror, and eyes that were hauntingly hollow.

Next to her, the wolfhound slept soundly, its fangs glistening in the light.

My sweet Noreen, who had always been loved and pampered, didn’t have a single tear on her face. Starving, she shot a fearful glance at the slumbering beast before carefully crawling to a plate and gulping down the food.

The image of the chubby, tender baby boy nestled in Vanessa’s arms flashed in my mind, and I was instantly seething with rage and hatred.

How dare you, Elliott!

I called out, my voice trembling violently, “Noreen?”

Noreen paused before slowly looking up at me. After being frozen for quite a while, she widened her eyes in disbelief.

“Mommy, you’re back?”

Almost in the blink of an eye, she burst into tears, finally having someone to lean on.

“Mommy, Vanessa locks me in here. She gives me just enough food to stay hungry. And Daddy doesn’t care about me. I’m so scared… That dog almost bit me. Mommy, get me out!”

Her tone was dripping with grievances, and her pitiful call “Mommy” broke my heart. But now wasn’t the time to comfort her—the wolfhound had been woken up and was now staring fiercely at Noreen.

I snatched up an axe from the corner. Aaron walked over to stop me, but I ignored him and smashed the iron lock on the cage.

I quickly gathered Noreen into my arms, then turned and raised the axe again, this time aiming its blade directly at the wolfhound.

“Mrs. Gildon, please, don’t be impulsive,” Aaron pleaded. “That’s Mrs. Vanessa Gildon’s favorite pet. It’s a gift from Mr. Elliott Gildon. If you harm it, she’ll be upset, and he’ll be furious…”

I let out a cold scoff. Did Elliott gift this beast to Vanessa just so it could scare his own daughter?

Ignoring Aaron’s persuasion, I chopped off the wolfhound’s head the moment it lunged at me.

But it wasn’t enough. I was still seething with rage. So, I turned the axe on the cage itself, swinging it until the cage became broken pieces.

The commotion reached Elliott, who came rushing over. His eyes fell on the scene, and he immediately laid into me. “Rosa, what’s this about? You’ve been home for five minutes, and you’re already causing a scene? Is this some pathetic attempt to tell the guests who you really are? You’ve terrified Bobby—he hasn’t stopped crying. It’s already a long day for Vani, and now she has to soothe him because of you. Just cut it out already, OK?

“I know the past year has been a torment to you. I promise I’ll explain everything to you later. But, the bottom line is, Vani’s reputation can’t be tainted whatsoever.”

How ironic. Bobby? As in Baby?

What did that make me and Noreen?

I hissed, “Your heart shatters so easily at the sound of Vanessa’s son crying, Elliott. But have you forgotten? Noreen is your daughter, too. How could you just stand by and watch that woman lock her in a cage, let a dog terrorize her, and starve her? You’re being so unfair!”

Elliott seemed baffled, as if he had just noticed how Noreen looked. “What are you talking about? Noreen is my daughter. Why on earth would I ever allow that to happen to her?”

His response left me stunned. Could it be… he truly didn’t know any of this?

Frowning, he ordered Aaron to summon Vanessa. The moment she stepped into the backyard, she burst into tears. “Elliott, Rosa has completely misunderstood me. Noreen is such a sweet girl. I’d never, ever do something like this to her.

“You know how much Noreen loves playing hide and seek, don’t you? She was pestering me to play with her earlier, but I was so busy with the guests. Before I could even find a moment to look for her, she locked herself in the dog cage. I had no idea she was so bold…”

Anxious, Noreen looked at me. “Mommy, I didn’t…”

Vanessa continued, “Noreen, I know you hate me for taking Rosa’s place. But you shouldn’t tell such lies together with her.” She paused, her gaze falling upon the dead dog on the ground. “And you actually killed Rocky? That was a gift from Elliott. How could you be so cruel? Do you really hate me that much?”

Hearing this, Elliott immediately slapped Noreen hard across the face, his expression dark and grim. “How dare you slander Vani! Since you’ve learned to lie at such a young age, who knows what you’ll become? As your father, I will teach you a lesson today.”

His violence left Noreen frozen in place. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

The sight shattered my heart, and I shoved Elliott away with all my strength. “How dare you slap her! You don’t deserve to be her father!

“You know perfectly well that Noreen is terrified of dogs. Why would she ever hide in a dog cage? And look at her! She’s all skin and bones. Do you honestly believe she could lift that heavy lock by herself?”

A flicker of hesitation flashed in Elliott’s eyes, while Vanessa cried even harder. “Forget it. I know I’m unwanted in this family. Blame it all on me, alright? I’ll leave. I’ll take Bobby and go be with Ralph right now!”

With that, she turned as if to run out.

Elliott watched her retreat, his face etched with worry. Then he shot me a fierce glare. “Rosalind, good job on raising such a great girl—a liar and a bully. I won’t be surprised if she starts picking on Bobby next.

“Ralph died young, and I’m the only one Vani has to rely on. And you can’t even find it in your heart to tolerate her? I never knew you could be so cruel and unreasonable.”

With that, he immediately chased after Vanessa, leaving me and Noreen behind.

Noreen stared at his retreating figure motionlessly, her eyes tinged with reluctance and sadness. “Mommy, is it because I’m a girl? Is that why Daddy likes Bobby and Vanessa instead of us? I’m sorry, Mommy. It’s all my fault.”

After Elliott slapped her, she didn’t harbor any resentment at all. Instead, she blamed it all on herself.

With tears in my eyes, I held her in my arms. “It’s not that. Noreen, you’re the sweetest kid in the world. This has nothing to do with you.

“We’re leaving, sweetheart,” I whispered. “He never deserves to be your father.”