It was summer break. Jacob lounged in his room with his feet up, watching TV, while Rachel and my two younger sisters worked nonstop.
Rachel carried a hoe out to the fields.
Lily was at the well, washing the family’s laundry.
Sophie, the youngest, wasn’t idle either—Jacob kept ordering her around.
She brought him a cup of water. Jacob took a sip, glanced at her mischievously, and the next moment, splashed the scalding hot water right onto her face.
Sophie instinctively raised her hand to shield herself, accidentally shoving him.
He fell back and immediately began wailing on the floor.
Margaret rushed over at the sound and, without asking questions, slapped Sophie hard across the face.
"You worthless little thing! Were you trying to kill your brother? You black-hearted brat!"
Her face, already red from the burn, swelled even more from the slap.
But she didn’t dare fight back—instead, she kept begging Jacob to forgive her.
Even though she’d just been humiliated, while Margaret fussed over Jacob, Sophie slipped me a small ball of white rice.
It must have been saved from her own meal.
"Thank you," I whispered, my throat tight.
She didn’t respond, just hurried away.
Robert soon returned with the man. The moment his eyes landed on me, they lit up.
"Pretty girl—worth the price. Well? If you agree, I’ll take her with me now."
Margaret’s gaze locked on the money he held out.
"Deal!"
While they went inside to count the cash, Sarah came back.
She strode straight into the house.
"Dad, Mom, you can’t do something this heartless! Wasn’t selling me off enough? Why push Emily into the same pit?"
A loud, sharp slap rang out from inside.
Rachel arrived next, dropping her hoe and rushing in.
"Dad, Mom, don’t sell her. I’ll take her with me to work and earn you the money, okay?"
"Earn my ass!" Robert’s voice barked from inside.
"If she runs, are you going to pay me back?!"
While they argued, Lily and Sophie ran to me and began sawing at the rope around my wrists with a knife.
"Emily, run! Head straight east and you’ll hit the main road. Flag down a car and get out of here—don’t come back."
By then, tears were already streaming down my face. As soon as the rope was cut, I grabbed my phone and made a call while running.
But Robert and the man quickly caught up. I was dragged back into the house.
Lily and Sophie knelt in the doorway, while Margaret beat them with a wooden stick.