But when I didn’t believe her, my grandmother launched into this story about my past. She said my parents were married for years without having a child and my dad nearly divorced my mom because he thought she couldn’t conceive. After they went to the hospital, though, they found out the issue was with my dad. To smooth things over between them, my grandmother supposedly picked me up from the hospital and handed me over to my parents. Later, with some treatment, my mom got pregnant and had my brother.
I still couldn’t believe what she was saying, so I decided I needed to go home and talk to my parents directly. But as I was getting ready to leave, my aunt stepped in, asking me not to rush off. She reminded me that I rarely come home and should stay the night with them, especially since I usually only visit during Christmas.
I figured she was right, so I agreed to stay until tomorrow.
When my uncle built his house, he made sure to save a room just for me. It always gave me a sense of belonging whenever I stayed over.
But tonight, everything took a terrifying turn. I was sound asleep when suddenly, a strong hand clamped over my mouth. I jolted awake to see my cousin, Kennith, standing over me.
I tried to scream, but no sound came out. I struggled to break free, but he pinned me down with his entire body. Tears started streaming down my face. My attempts to fight back felt so weak against his strength.
It didn’t take long before my resistance faded completely. That was when he started tearing at my clothes, his face twisted into a cruel, leering grin.
"Carrie, just go along with this and I'll take care of you for the rest of your life," he murmured.
But I wasn’t about to just give in. Desperately, I bit down on the hand covering my mouth. He yelped in pain and pulled back, cursing at me.
"You little bitch, you’ll pay for that!" he snarled.
I didn’t hesitate—I rolled off the bed and dashed for the door. But as I reached for the handle, panic set in. The door was locked.
It was clear I had been set up. The whole reason they insisted I stay overnight was to let Kennith get to me. Before I could fully process what was happening, Kennith yanked my hair from behind and threw me onto the bed. The pain shot through my scalp, like he had ripped it right off.
“Where do you think you’re going? I’m telling you, tonight, you’re mine,” he sneered, moving closer.