My Only Hope

Chapter 1

"Anna!" The loud call of her stepmother, Bianca woke the sleeping twenty three years old up. She jerked out of the bed, but soon staggered on her wobbling feet.

She glanced at her small clock on the old desk beside her mattress, and as usual, it was only a few minutes past 4 am. 

"Coming ma'am!" She responded as loud as she could. She hurriedly packed her long black hair into a messy bun before running out of her room.

It's a huge house, more like a mansion. It took Anna a few minutes to make it to her stepmother's bedroom.

Getting to the entrance of the room, she knocked on the door twice before standing properly.

"Come in." The woman sounded pissed, making Anna tremble in fear.

"Good morning ma'am." Anna greeted the moment she entered the room, but she got a slap on her left cheek in return with a glare from the woman.

Anna flinched at the sudden pain and her body began to react immediately. She slowly moved away from her stepmother and wrapped her shaking hands around her body. That's the only way she could protect herself, although she was already having a panic attack. The rate of her heartbeat was rapid, leading to heavy and painful pants.

Seeing the terrible situation Anna was in, Bianca smirked. That was exactly what she wanted and she has no plan of relenting. She stepped closer to Anna and raised her hand to hit her again, but the helpless girl was quick to fall to her knees.

"I'm sorry ma'am, please don't hit me." She pleaded. Hearing Anna pleads in pain was Bianca's favorite thing. The woman stopped, she glared at Anna for a while before stepping away from her.

"Let today be the first and the last time you wake up late. Now get lost and prepare my breakfast."

"Yes ma'am." Anna got up with great difficulty and made her way out of the room. She had tears in her eyes, but she wiped them off. It wasn't her first time getting hurt. She wasn't sad or crying because her stepmother had slapped her, no, that's not it.

What made her sad was the fact that she was helpless and weak because of her phobia. She has no say whatsoever, all she could do was to obey and keep leaving like a maid in her father's house for the rest of her life because she can't even live on her own or face the outside world.

She quickly brought out the necessary items needed to prepare the breakfast and she began her day.

Life hasn't been fair to Anna after the passing of her parents. Her mother passed away when she was still in high school due to cancer. Unable to bear the loneliness, her father got married to a widow who had a daughter from her previous marriage.

Things were going just fine until her father fell sick and also passed on. Anna was left with her stepmother and elder sister, but they suddenly changed. The love they once showed her while her father was still alive turned into hatred.

Bianca was indeed a devilish woman with high ambitions. She only got married to Anna's father because of the wealth he owned. She had pretended to love Anna like her very own, but when the man of the house became a victim to the cold hands of death, she let out her true self.

Every single day Bianca witnessed the pure love Anna had received from her father. He would always shower her with love, cherishing her like a diamond. He would always begin his day with his daughter and his actions greatly provoked Bianca and her daughter.

She hated Anna with every blood in her veins and when the man eventually passed on, she took out all her anger and vengeance on the poor innocent girl.

Anna was made a maid right after her father was put to rest. So much pain and suffering were inflicted on her physically, emotionally, and mentally. When she turned eighteen, she developed a phobia called haphephobia due to the intense suffering. She was always physically assaulted by her stepmother, stepsister, and uncle which had a terrible effect on her mental health.