Isabella Blackwood, the mob bosss daughter, took me in for five years. If I wanted the stars, shed give them; if I desired the moon, shed pluck it from the sky. She was grooming me as her successor.
But on the day of her engagement party, she caught me sniffing her lingerie and exploded in a fury, personally shipping me off to Devil's Island.
"So young, yet so twisted! You even dare to lust after me, your guardian!"
"Go rot in that hellhole. When you've purged those filthy thoughts, then you can come back!"
The next day, she broke my drawing hand and sent me to Devil's Island.
Devil's Island was where members who committed serious crimes were exiled. Nine out of ten never came back.
I wailed, begging for her forgiveness. Tears welled in her eyes, but she left without a backward glance.
The day after, someone showed up with the boss's signet ring, telling the warden not to worry about my status C just keep me alive.
First day, I was thrown into a rat cage, battling starved rats all night.
Second day, I was forced to clean the hallways with my tongue. My mouth was a mass of blisters; even breathing was agony. I developed a stutter.

A year later, Isabella Blackwood finally remembered me.
She was draped in black, sunglasses hiding her eyes, still every bit the unapproachable mob princess.
But behind her stood someone newher fianc, Sebastian Thorne.
"You must be Jacob, right? I'm Sebastian Thorne, Isabella's fianc. You left in such a hurry last year, you missed our engagement."
He finished speaking and raised a hand to pat my head. I flinched instinctively.
Then, trembling, I nudged my head closer, rubbing against his palm.
Isabella felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint what.
"Have you learned your lesson?"
My throat tightened, my whole body shaking as memories flooded back.
This past year of beatings, bloodlettings, and humiliation felt like a thousand needles, making each breath a searing pain.
I shrank back, head bowed, my voice barely a whisper:
"I've learned. I really have."
Isabella's breath hitched; a strange bitterness welled up inside her.
Last year, shed wished I were this docile.
Now that I truly was, it felt like a slap in the face.
"Good that you've learned. From now on, get rid of those improper thoughts."
She nodded curtly, bitterness in her expression, and boarded the helicopter first.
I followed, legs pressed tightly together, afraid to take wide steps.
The moment the chopper lifted off, I gripped the door, face pale, burying my head in my knees.
Memories of being thrown off cliffs into the sea, the impact jarring my organs, surged through me. My blood ran cold, and I shook like a leaf.
Isabella noticed something was wrong and was about to speak when Sebastian cut in:
"Jacob, I heard you used to love sky-high sports. Is it because you haven't tried in a year that you're so worked up?"
Sebastian feigned concern, draping an arm around my shoulders to calm me.
But the hand on my shoulder pressed down hard, and a newly healed wound felt like it was tearing open again.
I clutched my jacket tighter, terrified the smell of blood would leak out and Id be thrown into the dog kennels for their amusement again.
I nodded numbly. "Yes, just too excited."

Isabellas tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed, a hint of satisfaction on her face.
Back home, I habitually called out, "Mimi."
But the cat that used to leap into my arms was nowhere to be seen.
Sebastian looked apologetic. "Sorry, Jacob. After Isabella and I got engaged and moved in together, I developed a cat allergy, so we had Mimi rehomed."
"How about I get you another one?"
Isabella anxiously watched my expression. Given my old temper, if Sebastian had gotten rid of the cat my late father gave me, I would have raised hell.
But I just shook my head in fear, eyes wide with panic. "No need. You're the head of the house. You decide about pets."
Isabella let out a long sigh of relief and handed me a can of Coke.
"Good boy. Wasn't this your favorite drink? Drink up today."
I stood frozen, remembering being force-fed Coke until I choked, and hesitated to take it.
"Hmm? Don't like it?"
I flinched, snatched the Coke, and gulped it down, ignoring the bursting blisters in my throat, the searing pain.
Sebastian wrapped an arm around Isabella's slim waist. "Isabella, why be so harsh? Jacob is still just a nineteen-year-old kid."
Isabella glanced at me, a dark current in her eyes.
"You always spoil him."
She chuckled, leaning into Sebastian's embrace, but her eyes kept flicking towards me.
I kept my head down, not daring to look, just staring at the tips of my shoes.
Isabella hadn't expected me to change so drastically. Seeing her intimate with someone else, I no longer threw tantrums or tried to drive them away like before.
A faint sense of melancholy touched her heart, but she quickly hid it.
"Your old room is still there. Go on up."
The thought that just last year, I was thrown into that hellhole merely for indulging in the scent of her clothes made me shiver.
I stammered, "N-no... no need. I'm used to guest rooms now."
With that, I picked up my luggage and retreated to the guest room furthest from Isabella's.