Penelope's Home Life

Prolouge

Penelope's POV

Growing up, I always knew that my step-mom, Karen, didn't like me. She would always give me dirty looks and whisper things behind my back. But I never understood why. Was it because I look too much like my mom? Or is it because I'm a lesbian? Whatever the case, Karen hated me and it was evident in the way she treated me.

I remember the first time she physically abused me. I was only 10 years old and had accidentally spilled juice on her new dress. She had screamed at me, calling me names and pushing me to the ground. I was in shock and couldn't understand why she was so angry. I ran to my room and cried, wondering what I had done to deserve such treatment.

As I got older, the abuse only got worse. Karen would find every opportunity to make my life miserable. She would yell at me and even hit me. I tried to tell my dad, but he would just brush it off and say that Karen was going through a tough time. I couldn't understand why he couldn't see the truth. Or maybe he just chose to ignore it. But soon, I found out the truth. My dad did see the truth. But he chose to ignore it because if he tried to divorce or arrest Karen, she  would make up a sob story and my dad would be fired or worse, the judge would take her side and I'd be taken from my dad. Living with Karen would already be terrible enough, but I knew it'd be worse for dad. Between his neglectful father, abusive mother and annoying brother my dad has made it very clear that I'm the only family he had left.

I often wondered if Karen's hatred towards me was because I looked so much like my mom. My mom had left us when I was still a baby, and my dad never talked about her. Maybe Karen saw my mom in me and couldn't handle it. But that didn't explain why she would hate me for being a lesbian.

I felt alone and trapped as well. I had no one to turn to, no one to protect me. Karen's abuse had taken a toll on my mental health, and I was constantly living in fear. 

Just so you know, I don't hate Karen, but I've overdone the "Abusive Debra" HC and I wanted to spice things up.