*Squeak*

I hear the front door open, it's 2 am.

I couldn't sleep because I was worried that Ariel wasn't eating enough, I hadn't given her much these last days.

I hear quiet voices coming from downstairs, to be more exact the lobby.

I was curious, so I carefully opened the door, there was father and a person I hadn't seen before, I assumed it was a man because he was built like a warrior.

He was wearing a dark hood, I couldn't see his face because it was already so dark in the house and the hood made it even harder for me.

I still couldn't hear them well enough so I slowly started walking towards the staircase.

"When can I sell her?, why is it taking this long", I hear my father say in a fuming voice.

"W-well like I said earlier it can take weeks even months for her to be sold, because the slave markets are being taken down one after another".

"You better hurry this up, I don't want that filth anywhere near my family anymore".

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"Yes with certainty, we will act as fast as we can".

The unknown man leaves. I quickly hurry up inside my room and closed the door.

I could hear my heart beating faster as I rethought those words my father said "I don't want that filth anywhere near my family anymore".

Why, why, why.

Why is this happening now, I had been worried after the maids came back that he didn't need Ariel anymore.

Or is it because of the influence of that woman, she always hated me, she saw how I always visited her, she saw how precious she was to me.

I was furious, unable to think straight.

I slowly opened the door to my bedroom, I peaked with one eye to see if father was still up, I stood still for good three minutes, No sounds, No one to be seen.

I quickly but carefully walked down the stairs, I didn't want father nor that devilish woman to know that I was awake.

As I opened the door to my basement, I could hear the sound of a beating going, I soon realized that someone was beating Ariel.

I slowly closed the basement door and continued inside.

As I peaked at what was going on, I could hear Ariel moan in suffering after every hit she took.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

There she was that woman beating Ariel.

I was engulfed in rage.

I could feel my blood heat up and the adrenaline kick in.

Nothing could stop me.

I lost control of my body and decided to run at the woman I loathed.

She heard me running towards her and turned around, I hit her in the face as hard as I could. She went down, I couldn't stop hitting her in the face.

My hands won't stop.

Ariel was screaming at me. I can't hear what she's trying to say, everything is blurred.

Before I knew my stepmother stopped making noise. I could hear Ariel crying.

I looked at my hands.

They were covered in red.