Escaping the Cycle of Abuse novel Chapter 4

The next day, I packed my bags and returned home. The living room was a disaster, littered with broken teacups.

Erica emerged from the bedroom, her hair unevenly chopped by Bobby, hanging messily on her shoulders. "Are you happy seeing me get beaten by your dad?"

I shook my head. "Not enough."

In a sudden rage, Erica lunged at me, and I quickly retreated to my bedroom and locked the door.

Erica grabbed a chair and smashed it against the door, hurling insults at me.

I remained unfazed.

When Bobby returned, Erica started crying and complaining about me.

But Bobby ignored Erica and turned to me. "Is it true you won a prize in the competition? Did you get any money?"

I shook my head. "Not yet. It's not the final round."

"That's fine. You'll do great. Your teacher says you're talented," Bobby replied, more interested in the potential money than my achievements.

Erica tugged at Bobby's sleeve. "Raya said she doesn't mind you hitting me harder."

I interjected, "Mom, you've misunderstood. I'm not happy about you and my dad always fighting. He works hard to provide for us, yet you just complain instead of cooking."

My words struck a chord with Bobby. Though he hadn't been out earning money, he felt frustrated by his gambling losses.

"Don't complain about my daughter to me," Bobby said to Erica. "She could make money for us. Enough of this. Go cook."

Bobby fantasized about the wealth he believed I would bring him, recalling Tanner's praise of my talent.

Reluctantly, Erica went to the kitchen to start cooking.

I took out my phone, registered a new account, and added Erica as a friend.

After Erica prepared the meal, Bobby lost his temper again. "Damn it! I'm not a vegetarian! At least cook some meat!"

He flipped the table, sending vegetable soup splattering all over Erica.

I sat calmly on the sofa, watching the chaos unfold.

Erica snapped back, "You think I don't want to cook meat? How can I afford it with the little money you give me?"

Bobby scoffed. "So now you're blaming me? Do you know how hard it is to support this family? Can't you just make some money for this family?"

Erica rolled her eyes. "That's because you're useless! All you do is hit me and our daughter!"

Sure enough, within minutes, Erica messaged "Kingsley" again, this time more directly. "Kingsley, your wife has been gone for years. Have you thought about remarrying? Don't you want to find someone else?"

Kingsley, a retired man in his sixties, was quite the catch in the neighborhood. With his wife long gone and his children working abroad, he received a generous monthly allowance of $20,000.

Moreover, Kingsley had a great sense of humor and maintained his figure well, lacking the spare tire common among his peers. His dancing skills added to his appeal.

Given the daily abuse from Bobby, it was no surprise that Erica found herself drawn to Kingsley, who "expressed" concern for her online.

To entice Erica without raising her suspicion, I chose my words carefully in my replies. "Erica, it's not that I don't want to remarry. It's just that the woman I love is still married."

I activated the living room surveillance camera and saw Erica holding her phone with a shy smile, clearly smitten.

To further lure Erica in her trap, I typed. "I love that woman, and I want to save her. I wonder if she would leave her husband for me."

As expected, Erica interpreted this as a confession. She jumped up in excitement, her fingers hovering over her phone as she typed and deleted several messages, seemingly unsatisfied with her words.

Finally, Erica's response came. "I think she would be willing."

I put my phone away, satisfied with my progress. From that day on, I continued chatting with Erica pretending to be Kingsley, charming her with gifts.

It didn't take long for Erica to become fully convinced that Kingsley was serious about her.