The other two men fled. The bald one wanted to, but he was too terrified to move.
I pointed to my bleeding shoulder. “You tried to kill me, and I fought back. I think we should call the police.
”
“Don’t!” He was petrified now, and he knew what was coming next. “I’ll give you money. Ten thousand, is that enough?”
“Add a zero.”
The bald man didn’t hesitate. He pulled out his phone and transferred the money. At my request, he added a note to the transaction: Medical Exp-
enses.
Through it all, my mother just watched with a grin, not saying a word.
5 F 2 2 3 3
After the man had scrambled away, she held out her hand to me,” brought him here. Give me the money.
”
I pointed to my bleeding shoulder. “I earned this money with this knife wound. You want it? Go get one of your own.
L
My mother rolled her eyes, grabbed her purse, and headed for the door. She was still in her pajamas, her hair unwashed, her face uncleaned. She was going out drinking. If things went as they usually did, she’d get blackout drunk and end up passed out in some alley, maybe to be picked up by some random man. It wouldn’t be the first time.
I sat down, ripped off my shirt, and began to bandage my own wound. Then I leaned back, lit a cigarette, and took a long, hard drag, hovering bet ween the urge to cry and the urge to laugh.
Maybe it was time. Time to leave this city.
Go somewhere Sofia could never find me.
The
Chapter 2
21.04
Go somewhere Sofia could never find me.
Before seeing her again, I thought about her day and night. But I never wanted to see her. I knew she was a millionaire now. I knew if we met
again, she would humiliate me, trample all over me.
But now that I’ve seen her, I can’t stop thinking about her. The desire to leave is at war with the overwhelming urge to stay.
Just then, the door opened.
I didn’t look back. It had to be my mother, forgetting something.
“Don’t piss me off today,” I warned, “or else I’ll…”
“Or else you’ll what?”
Sofia’s voice.
I froze. I scrambled to pull on the shirt I’d tossed aside, a picture of pure patheticness. When I finally turned around, she was leaning against the doorframe, her head tilted as she studied me.
What happened to you?” she asked.
I hesitated. “Just dealt with an old creep.”
“I’m talking about the other scars,” she said, her beautiful brow furrowed. “I know how many you used to have. You told me they were from your mother. What about these new ones?”
looked down, unwilling to answer.
Sofia walked over to me, grabbed my shirt, and ripped it open. She stared at my torso, a tapestry of scars, and her eyes turned red.
“Tell me,” she demanded, pushing me, forcing me to turn around. “How did you get these?”
My back was just as bad.
She was silent for a long moment. Then, she unbuckled my belt. She gasped, stumbling backward, tears finally streaming down her face.
Because except for my face, every inch of my body was covered in scars. Some were from my mother’s beatings. But the rest… the rest were thin, neat, parallel lines.
They had been carved into my skin with a blade.
