Q'ling sat on the cold concrete floor with her bare knees as she curled into herself. The worn-out fabric, the single set of clothes she wore... the same outfit from that fateful day at the mall was still on her body, itching her skin.
The once-white blouse had been stained with dirt and tears.
It had been three weeks.
Three endless weeks of silence, and hunger. The growling in her stomach could be heard by the next prisoner and even outside the cell as she curled herself.
She had watched cellmates come and go while she remained, completely forgotten by her family, breathing in the stench of unwashed bodies as natural air.
Only the thick smell in there was enough to choke on.
Somewhere in the dark, a woman sobbed quietly, another prisoner coughed. They all looked frustrated. She was already used to the sounds of their breathing, and their exhausted groans so Q'ling didn't react.
She had long stopped counting the hours, the days as time kept running by.
Why bother? No one was coming for her.
Her father, the great and esteemed Gao Fanshao who could snap his fingers and have her released with his humongous influence didn't even react. He had refused to even acknowledge her as one of his own.
Not even her stepbrothers, who had at least pretended to tolerate her existence before.
And Shin Li, her who had framed her, hadn't even bothered to show up. They had just thrown her away like garbage and left her to rot in this hellhole for a crime she didn't even commit.
She was nothing to them... Less than nothing.
Q'ling clenched her fist as a humorless laugh escaped her cracked lips at her situation.
Of course.
This was her life... she was always the forgotten one, the unwanted burden. The shameless daughter of a dead woman and a stain on her father's pristine reputation.
"How pathetic". She scoffed, burying her face in between her legs.
In the next minute, the sound of heavy boots and footsteps echoed down the hallway, followed by the sharp jangle of keys.
Suddenly the detaining officer appeared in front of the cell door.
"Hey, girl! You have a visitor!" He announced, strolling away.
Q'ling's head snapped up so fast her neck protested.
A visitor?
Her heart raced in excitement, the thought of hope betraying her.
Was it Shin Li? After all this time?
Had she finally felt guilty?
Had she finally changed her mind and decided to bail her out?
For a fleeting, foolish moment, happiness flickered in her chest.
Wobbly as her legs could carry, she rushed towards the doors of the cell like a trapped mouse looking for a way out, stumbling forward with fingers brushing against the metallic bars trying to balance herself.
And Just as she stumbled forward, her heart skiped a beat, widening from shock, more of fear as she stared straight into his eyes.
The eyes of the one who gave her life.
His tall figure materialized in front of the cell with an aura that left everyone who watched behind Q'ling speechless.
He was dressed in a tailored suit that cost more than what most people made in a year, with a frown on his face as his cold eyes fell on her, filled with nothing but disgust.
Instantly, Q'ling bent her head to the floor. She held her breath not daring to breathe.
"F-father," She managed.
Gao Fanshao did not move an inch closer. He didn't even try to reach for her, instead, he just stared down at her like she was something foul stuck to the bottom of his shoe.
"You useless child." He seethed through his teeth. "Just like your shameless mother. You've tarnished my reputation with your disgraceful behavior." .
"Fa-father, I-I..." Q'ling gasped.
"Shut it, you disgraceful brat!" He cut her off, ignoring her attempt to speak as his frown deepened. "I provided you with everything!!"
"And yet after raising you when your leech of a mother chose death over you, this is how you repay me? Stealing? Humiliating your sister in public?"
"How can you be so ungrateful?"
Q'ling trembled to his hurtful words, biting back the warm tears that threatened to drop as she swallowed back the truth.
He didn't give her a chance to explain so how can he jump into conclusions based on what Shin Li had said?
The same shin Li who framed her?
He had never listened before.
It had always been like this... He had always seen her less than her other siblings. He had never taken her words seriously and had always ever favoured Shin Li.
Like always, Shin Li's words were gospel while her's were worthless.
She was already used to this, but why does it still hurt so much?
Why does his every word sting so damn much?
"Accepting you into my family was the biggest mistake of my life," Gao Fanshao continued without holding back. "Second to ever knowing your pathetic mother."
Q'ling shivered.
She had heard these words before... Every time he said this to her she was only ever angry, but this time, it felt different.
It felt heart wrecking.
Was family supposed to feel this way?
"And as of today," Her father said, straightening his cuffs so calmly, "I am renouncing you as a child of mine. You are no longer a part of my family" Gao Fanshao announced unremorsefully with no emotion in his eyes whatsoever.
He didn't mind that other people watched, and also didn't mind the soulless look in the eyes of his child he had completely shattered.
She looked so lifeless. He had shattered her only hope at life.
Q'ling felt her heart sink the moment he uttered those words. She clenched onto the bars of the doors as if her life depended on it.
Unable to hold back anything she felt, the tears dripped uncontrollably, pouring down her hollowed cheeks.
She didn't sob. Didn't beg. She just stood there, trembling like a lost child, as she watched her father turned on his back and walked away without a second glance.
What was this pain in her chest?
"I've packed your things," He spoke over his shoulder. "Once you're released, you'll be heading to your new home."
New home?
Was he abandoning her again?
The way he said it "home" made her blood run cold.
"Are you sending me away?"
When those words left her lips, she had no idea... Neither did she realize when she started sobbing like a child.
"I'M SORRY!.. I-I'M SORRY, P-PLEASE... HAH... FATHER PLEASE I H-HAVE NO ONE... I-I HAVE NO ONE... I'M SORRY, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME".
Her cries echoed throughout the halls but the heartless Gao Fanshao completely ignored her.
Without even responding to her, he vanished as though he was never there. As though he never came, turning a deaf ear to her pleas.
Just like that, he was gone, leaving Q'ling alone.
The other detainees behind watched in silence, some with pity, others with indifference.
One woman, an older inmate with weary eyes, sighed and muttered, "Rich men's children… always the first to be thrown away."
Causing Q'ling to cry even harder.
Had she ever even mattered to him?
She knew she didn't but why did it still hurt? Why was she feeling even lonelier than before?
She had always been lonely since the day she came into existence, So why did she feel abandoned all over again?
Oh... It was because she belonged nowhere now.
She had no money, no connections, no one left in the world who cared if she lived or died... But still she belonged somewhere. That was why she was able to live.
No matter how much they wanted her dead, Q'ling still loved them. Because they were her family. Because she belonged with them.
Not anymore though.