Chapter 01: Mistreated.

Annalise's POV

"Annalise!"

I heard my name from the living room and rushed there. It was my mother-in-law calling. With her were three visitors. I never knew she was expecting visitors.

"Ma," I answered the minute I got there but a dirty slap landed on my cheeks causing my face to turn from one side to the other. I couldn't hear a thing because my ears kept ringing, and my hands covered my cheek as I stared at the woman before me.

"Didn't you hear me call for you ever since? Do I have to scream and lose my voice before you come running down?"

She raised her hand again and I staggered back, not wanting to be slapped again.

"Get the hell out of my face and get my guests some wine and cookies"

I didn't bother to argue and turned on my heels as tears rolled down my eyes. Before I knew it, I felt a strong pull by my hair causing me to follow the hand that pulled it,

"Argghhh…!" I whined in pain, "Mother, please stop!"

*SLAP”

"Who's your mother?" She asked with anger in her eyes as she slapped me again, "Who the hell is your mother? I can never give birth to such a thing!" She yelled before pushing my head away. I forced myself to stand and not fall to the ground

"You came here and cannot apologize for coming late!" She yelled and I quickly fell to my knees,

"I'm sorry," I cried, holding the clouds of tears that were about to stream down my cheeks.

"Get lost" she hissed as she waved her hand at me. I sniffed before standing to my feet and hastened into the kitchen.

Definitely, she won't listen if I explain to her that I was in the laundry room and didn't hear her call, she will still do whatever she wants to. Especially when that girl was around, I have noticed I get punished some more when the lady is in the house.

I didn't waste time as I took four glasses and a bottle of wine. I made my way to the living room but I made sure to wipe my tears first. When I got there, Mother and her guests were speaking about me

"Are you serious? She trapped your son into marrying her?" One of the women asked and mother scoffed at me.

"That's what poor ladies do nowadays," Another said, "To get into the family, they'd trap the rich men into marrying them. Do you know that some of them aren't even the fathers of the unborn child?"

"This loser was actually carrying my son's boy. We had done a DNA test" Mother announced to the woman.

Although I could hear all that they were saying. I dared not speak, I continued to pour them their drinks only for Mother to push my head forcefully down the table causing my head to hit one of the glasses of wine, and it spilled on the table.

"You fool!" She yelled,

"Mother, I didn't mean—"

*SLAP!*

I didn't know what to do and why I was being beaten again. I was doing everything right. What did I do wrong?

"You whore. You swine!" Mother continued to throw insults at me. I swear I didn't know what I did wrong,

“Mother, please…” I sobbed as I stood up so she wouldn't rain more slaps on me, it looked like it was raining slaps today.

"Who is your mother?!? Don't you ever call me mother again? If you do want your mother, go and meet your silly mother and leave my son alone!" She yelled. Her index finger pointing at me, she added, "And how dare you let your sick tears drop in the glass of wine! You want my visitors to fall sick?"

Tears rolled down my cheeks, I wondered what exactly I did to deserve such a treatment from her. I don't deserve this at all. All I came to do was serve them. I was still washing when she called so I still had a lot of work to do.

"I'm sorry," I quickly apologized taking a slight step backward as Mother got up from her seat, walking towards me in anger, I took steps backward again. Her hand met my head and she pushed me down to the ground,

"When you're apologizing, do it right!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I cried, dropping to my knees, my head bowed as I kept murmuring apologies to her.

"What do we do with the drink you had spilled on the table now? If you use your entire life to work, you still won't be able to get this expensive wine yet you spill it all away"

I dare not say she was the cause, I dare not utter such words. I remained on my knees as I cried.

"Get the hell up and do something about this mess you caused!" She hissed before walking back to the chair. I nodded and hurried out of the living room to get a mob and rag to clean the place up.

"Idiot! Get our drinks first!" The girl who was always around my mother-in-law shouted at me when she saw me coming with a mob stick and a rag.

My jaws clenched and my fingers clutched, tightening their grip on the mob stick. If eyes could kill, she would be vomiting blood by now but I couldn't do a thing. Not when my mother-in-law was there.

"She is a clown like you said. One has to instruct her before she knows what to do"

I gulped down the bitter taste in my mouth before making my way back into the kitchen. I was coming back with another bottle of wine and some glasses when I heard a maid reporting to my mother-in-law,

"Derek has been taken to the hospital from school. According to the teacher, he just collapsed in class and was rushed to the hospital."

The bottle and glasses fell off my hand when I heard those words. My son collapsed and is now in the hospital.

The next thing that brought me back to reality was a heavy slap that made me slump to the ground.

"You will pay for all this wastage of wine!" Mother yelled,

"I give you three minutes to clean this mess"

I didn't care about the mess or the slap, instead, I cried, "Mother, Derek…"

Another slap and another landed on me, and soon she was using both her legs and hands. All I wanted to do was go and be with my son in the hospital.

I just want my son, please.