Matilda was bored, holding her little brother and sitting on the sofa watching cartoons.
Dad hadn't come home for dinner; recently, she didn't know what he was busy with, but he often stayed out all night.
Although Matilda wasn't very old, she knew her father definitely wasn't a good person.
Because he was a gang member and had a record of being imprisoned for drug use.
But her mother had passed away too early, and her maternal grandparents didn't care for the father and daughter either.
So, even though her father was quite a jerk.
And not long after Matilda's mother passed away, he remarried a woman with a questionable private life.
Furthermore, that woman not only gave her father another son.
But also brought her own daughter, who was several years older than Matilda, to live with them after the marriage.
Matilda still couldn't resist or refuse, because she was only twelve years old now.
She didn't even have the ability to support herself, let alone escape this family and live independently.
Fortunately, life wasn't just about suffering.
At least her half-brother wasn't as hateful as her stepmother or the stepsister who shared no blood relation with Matilda.
He was well-behaved and always clung to Matilda.
If there was anything she cherished and couldn't bear to leave in this terrible family.
It was only her little brother!
Dad hadn't come back tonight, and Stepmother had stormed out earlier.
She had been gone for over two hours and still hadn't returned.
Matilda wasn't worried about her stepmother at all; instead, she was happy she had been gone for so long.
She also took the opportunity to watch cartoons with her Younger Brother for a while longer.
She was happily holding her brother, enjoying this rare moment of happiness together.
Suddenly, a flamboyant young woman's voice rang out.
It forcibly dragged Matilda out of her rare moment of joy.
"Matilda, it's time for you to go rest."
She didn't even need to turn around to know who the owner of that voice was.
It was none other than Matilda's stepsister, Liv—the daughter born out of wedlock to her promiscuous stepmother before she married Matilda's father.
Matilda always felt that perhaps even her stepmother, Maggie, didn't know who her daughter's biological father really was.
However, there were two things she was certain of.
That was that Liv's biological father must have been unattractive, and perhaps even a bit fat.
Otherwise, with Maggie's beauty...
...it would be impossible to give birth to such a fat and ugly daughter!
"Maggie said we could watch until she gets back!"
Matilda held her brother, still focused on the cartoons.
Liv seemed to have gotten a new boyfriend recently, and they were currently in the heat of their passion.
Before Maggie went out, Liv had been on the phone with her new boyfriend.
The two had been talking until just now when they finally finished.
Otherwise, Matilda knew Liv's personality all too well.
If she had finished the call with her new boyfriend earlier...
...she would have definitely come out long ago to drive her and her brother away, then hog the TV to watch her late-night dramas.
Liv wasn't actually ugly; after all, Maggie's genes were too good.
It was just that she looked much more plump than others her age, and her personality was something Matilda disliked, so the two often got into arguments.
*Click!*
The TV program changed, and immediately, several hippies appeared on the screen accompanied by the sound of heavy metal music.
Matilda spun around in anger and saw her older sister, Liv, standing not far behind her in her pajamas, holding the remote control.
Seeing Matilda glaring at her in anger, Liv looked like a victorious hen.
"Now, immediately, go to sleep."
She issued the command to Matilda condescendingly!
Just as Matilda was about to argue with her, she heard her brother in her arms whisper to her, "Sister, I'm sleepy."
Looking at her sleepy-eyed brother and his well-behaved manner...
...Matilda had no choice but to suppress the anger in her heart, giving Liv another glare.
Then she picked up her brother to take him to bed.
Seeing this, a smug, winner's smile immediately appeared on Liv's face.
The more Matilda looked, the angrier she got. Knowing full well she was no match for the sixteen-year-old Liv...
...she still gave Liv's fleshy buttocks—the part Liv cared about most—a hard slap as she walked past her.
"Ah!"
Liv took the slap, and her expression changed instantly.
"Matilda, I'm going to kill you."
Fuming, she turned around and grabbed Matilda just as she was about to flee.
Seeing things were going south, Matilda quickly set her brother down and told him to hurry back to his room.
As a result, just as Liv was preparing to teach her a lesson...
...the sound of the front door opening suddenly came from the entrance.
Then, the sound of high heels clicking on the floor followed.
Maggie, who had mysteriously disappeared for nearly three hours, was finally back.
"Mom, Matilda has been watching cartoons until now."
"I told her to go to sleep, and she even hit me."
Liv was Maggie's biological daughter and was usually more favored by her.
Therefore, seeing her mother return...
...she immediately acted on her malicious intent and complained first.
Matilda knew her stepmother favored her sister Liv, but she was naturally stubborn.
Hearing this, she glared at Liv in anger and then looked at Maggie, about to explain.
However, being observant, she immediately noticed something.
Maggie's clothes were somewhat wrinkled, and her hair was a mess.
She didn't know what she had been doing just now, but her face was covered in sweat.
A few strands of her blonde medium-length hair were stuck to her forehead.
Coupled with her noticeably flushed cheeks, visible exhaustion, and the lack of coordination in her legs as she walked...
...Matilda suddenly came to a conclusion: "Did Maggie just go for a run?"
She thought her stepmother looked exactly like she did after participating in a long-distance race at school.
Although she didn't understand why Maggie, who never had a habit of working out or exercising, would go for a run in the middle of the night...
...in that moment of distraction, Matilda actually forgot to defend herself.
"Liv, keep your voice down."
Maggie had just gone through an unprecedented experience, and because she was worried her husband would find out what she was doing if he returned and didn't see her...
...she had spent the entire time in a mix of worry and excitement, an indescribable thrill.
Moreover, she had obtained a long-awaited satisfaction.
Feeling as if she had discovered a new world, Maggie was in a very good mood right now.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and first gave her eldest daughter a reminder.
Then she looked at Matilda, the daughter of her husband and his ex-wife, and her young son.
In a great mood, Maggie rarely patted both of them on the head.
"Go to sleep, both of you. It looks like your father isn't coming back again tonight."
"So, goodnight."
After saying that, she actually seemed a bit weak as she walked, staggering toward her bedroom.
She left behind a bewildered Matilda and Liv, the two daughters staring at each other, wondering what on earth was wrong with her...
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