If I didn’t get up, he would continue to hit me. I knew that.

I got up.

"I think the water has gotten a bit too hot."

After I said that, he started laughing. I was just looking at the floor. My right foot was burning intensely. I was definitely going to get into the tub, but the later I got in, the better. Maybe the water could cool down a bit. I needed to buy some time. I gathered my courage and asked my question while still looking at the floor.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

The woman stopped laughing. I couldn't see her face, so I couldn't say anything, but I'm sure she was angry.

"Why are we doing this? Because you're scum. You shouldn't exist. You have no one. You have no relatives; no one will call you if you die. You're our stress ball. Why are we doing this? Because we can. Because you're weak."

She started laughing again. I continued to look at the floor. It didn't matter what kind of answer she gave. The longer she talked, the better for me. But even her laughter was very frightening to me. I didn't think a single word would come out of my mouth anymore. And as I expected, it didn't. I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

"That's enough!" She shouted.

"Get into the damn tub already!"

There was nothing I could do. I had to get into the tub. Fearfully, hoping the water had cooled down a bit, I put my left foot into the tub. It was still very hot, but a little cooler than before. I put my right foot in too and sat down in the tub. My back hurt when I sat down, but I didn't show it. If she noticed, she could beat me again. My nose was still running, and the blood was dripping into the water in the tub.

"Take this sponge and shampoo and clean yourself up."

Why do they want to see me clean? I don't understand. I lathered my hair and started cleaning my body with the sponge she gave me. She was standing over me the whole time, never taking her eyes off me. I was very afraid that water would splash out of the tub by accident. At that moment, I heard music from outside. The woman said, "Who is calling now?" and turned to me, saying, "If you make a wrong move, you'll pay for it," and walked away. I felt a little relieved when she left. My whole body was in pain, but the hot water relieved all the discomfort. It felt really good. It was the first time in my life that I was bathing with hot water in a tub. After cleaning up a bit more, the woman came back.

"Get out of the water, I'll bandage your wounds."

I don't know why she's helping me, but I'm very curious.

"Go up on the stool in front of the mirror and sit."

I did as she said and sat on the stool. When I looked in front of me, I felt very strange. In front of me was a person with skin and bones, visible ribs, dark circles under their eyes, and cuts and wounds all over their body. It was me. For the first time, I had the opportunity to examine myself in such detail.

The woman took the mirror I was looking at and opened it. She took out cotton, bandages, and a liquid, then closed it again.

"Extend your left arm."

I just looked at her face. I didn't know which of my arms was left and which was right. The woman moved to my side in an irritated manner, grabbed my arm, and squeezed it hard. It hurt a lot.

"This arm I'm holding is your left arm; the other arm is your right!"

She let go of my arm and went back to her place, saying, "Extend your left arm" again.

I extended my arm as she said. She poured some of the liquid onto the cotton and started pressing it on my wounds. The previous wounds didn't hurt, but the new cuts burned. She applied the liquid to all my wounds and started bandaging them. I had a lot of questions in my mind. Why did she suddenly start treating me nicely? I'm really curious about what's behind all this. While she was bandaging my arm, I was focused on the small drops trickling from the faucet. They were falling one by one. Then they disappeared between the small holes. If they were alive, they could go wherever they wanted, unlike me. The woman finished bandaging my arm and moved to the other side.

"Extend your right arm."

She did the same thing to my right arm.

"Wait here for a while, don't move."

She left the room, this time without any music playing. But it didn't matter why she left anyway. I feel much safer when I'm alone. I wanted to explore a bit inside, but I didn't move from my place. I could imagine what would happen if she came back and I wasn't sitting here. I noticed from the footsteps. She was coming back. When she opened the door, I turned towards her reflexively. I couldn't believe my eyes. In her hands were clothes that were just right for me. The sweater and pants she brought had small cute animal figures on them. The sweater had tiny black buttons. I guess the sweater and pants were a set. She had also brought an undershirt and boxers. I was already starting to feel cold. I had been sitting naked for minutes. The water droplets on me were making me even colder.

"Quick, put these on."

I started getting dressed without a word. As I was trying to put on the boxer shorts, the woman started talking.

"You're probably wondering why they're treating me well, buying me new clothes, cleaning me up, and bandaging my wounds. Actually, the reason is very simple. Our neighbors are coming over for dinner tonight, and we're going to give them the impression of a happy family. Your father, me, and you. Our one and only son, Taşkın."

I was frozen as I tried to put my head through the sweater. What did she say!? S-son!? Am I their child!? What is happening now? Should I say something? But what would I say? I continued to dress slowly. It was getting dark. She took me down to the living room with the television and made me sit on the couch.

"My husband will be here soon, and then most likely the guests will come. You're lucky today; you'll have a full stomach, but I'll hold you responsible for the meals you eat."

My eyes were filled with tears. My feet weren't touching the ground, and I had both of my hands on my knees, looking down. After a while, the door opened, and the man came in. He came to the room where I was and saw me.

"Taşkın, you look even better today. I want to lay you down right away and tear off your clothes."

As he said this, he touched my legs with his right hand and kissed my neck. Disgusting! I want to vomit. I want to disappear! I don't want to live!