Chapter 397: When It Rains, It Pours

While Zeke Walton was busy with blind dates and drinking, Amina was busy getting her grandmother settled in.

Now that she had left Zeke, she needed to get back to work. Her grandmother would be home alone and needed food and water, so Amina had to make sure she memorized the way to the local market.

Fortunately, Amina had always been very frugal. Even though she’d moved into Zeke’s large house, she hadn’t been willing to throw away the old kitchenware from her rental, so she didn’t need to spend extra money now.

After unpacking everything, she took her grandmother on several walks around the neighborhood to make sure she was familiar with the area. The two of them had a simple dinner and then lay in bed, chatting.

Her grandmother asked Amina what she planned to do now. Amina didn’t know either; she felt completely lost about the future, but she was certain of one thing.

She would never go back to her village.

Never mind all the terrible things her cousin-uncle had said about her or how poorly everyone thought of her now. The vicious insults from her two brothers alone were enough to ensure she would never return.

Perhaps because she knew how much Amina had suffered and that no good would come of her returning, her grandmother was very supportive of her staying.

"But how will you manage on your own? You’ll get lonely as you grow older. It’s fine for you to stay here, but you still need to find a suitable partner someday. Just not someone like Zeke again. To be honest, when you brought him home, I knew right away you two weren’t a good match. I know our family’s situation perfectly well. Forget his family being so rich—with your background, you might not even be considered good enough for a family in our own town."

Amina was relieved that her grandmother didn’t resent Zeke and could look at the situation objectively.

This way, aside from dealing with her own heartbreak, she wouldn’t have to comfort someone else too.

"Grandma, I’m only twenty. People in the city don’t get married until they’re in their thirties these days. Let’s just worry about finding a partner later. I’m not lonely. If you’re really that worried about me being lonely, then take good care of yourself, live a few more years, and keep me company."

「The next day」

Amina was back to delivering food.

She didn’t know if it was just terrible luck or if someone had planned it, but she hadn’t run into her cousin-uncle once since moving out of his place with Zeke. Yet, the moment she and Zeke split up, she saw him.

Their last encounter had been incredibly ugly. When Amina heard someone call her name and turned to see it was her cousin-uncle, her immediate instinct was to flee.

But he caught up to her.

Right there in public, her cousin-uncle yanked her off her electric scooter.

Amina’s face flushed with humiliation. "Uncle, what are you trying to do?"

"What am I trying to do? I should be asking you what you’re doing! Amina, you ungrateful wretch! Have you forgotten what your life was like back home? How dirt-poor your family was? If I hadn’t brought you here out of the kindness of my heart and found you a job, would you be earning so much every month? Huh? I’m not even asking you to repay me, but you could at least not be so heartless! You think you’re so independent now, so you frame me? And run off with some man! You’re just like your mother—a natural-born slut!"

Amina knew that if she ever ran into him again, this was exactly what he would say. She was prepared for it.

Although it was humiliating to be watched by the bustling crowd, she wasn’t sad.

’Let him curse,’ she thought. ’Once he’s finished and has vented all his anger, the score between us can finally be settled.’

But her cousin-uncle spewed one wave of insults after another, and when he saw she wasn’t responding, he became even more relentless.

"I’m talking to you! Are you deaf or dumb? Your brother told me that man drove you back to the village in a luxury car and even picked up your grandmother. With him to support you, why are you still out here working? And doing this job, of all things? What’s wrong? Did he get tired of playing with you? Did he dump you?"

Her gaze drifted elsewhere. Her cousin-uncle couldn’t tell if she was even listening. After ranting for a while longer and seeing the same blank expression on her face, he suddenly slapped her hard across the cheek.

"You shameless bitch! Don’t know what’s good for you! Ignoring me? Playing tough, are you? Fine, I’ll give you something to be tough about!"

As he spoke, he grabbed her arm and started dragging her forward. Amina was terrified and finally cried out.

"What are you doing? Where are you taking me? Let go of me! I’m not going with you!"

"It’s not your call!" her uncle sneered. "You think you’re still some innocent little virgin? Playing prim and proper with me before was one thing, but now? Hmph! You should be grateful I still want you! Come with me, or I’ll make you regret it today!"

’He was so brazen! In broad daylight, he... And this was her own cousin-uncle!’

Amina was no longer the foolish, weak girl she used to be, who would just let him bully her.

She refused to go, struggling with all her might. When she couldn’t break free, she started shouting to the passersby.

"Help! Help me! This man is trying to assault me! Can someone please help me call the police?"

Her cousin-uncle hadn’t expected her to grow a spine in just a few months. The fact that she dared to scream for help and ask someone to call the police startled him, and he immediately let go.

Young men and women in the crowd turned to look at them with questioning glances. He quickly forced a smile and explained.

"This is my daughter. She’s being disobedient, so I’m just taking her home. Heh, please, don’t mind us." He turned to her, his voice a low growl. "You damn girl, you’d dare call the cops on your old man? Are you itching for a beating? I was too good to you before, and look how spoiled you’ve become!"

The onlookers saw that their ages made them look like a father and daughter, and since they were both wearing delivery uniforms, they assumed it was just a family squabble, glanced over, and moved on.

Amina seized the opportunity while he was busy explaining to the crowd and made a break for it. But as soon as her cousin-uncle saw the onlookers disperse, he grabbed her again.

"Where do you think you’re going? You little slut, you almost made me lose face out here, and you’re still trying to run? Just wait and see how I deal with you! Let’s go!"

Amina knew she was done for if he managed to drag her away today. ’Since I can’t count on anyone else,’ she thought, ’I’ll have to rely on myself.’

She remembered something Zeke had taught her when they were play-fighting in bed—a man’s most vulnerable spot. Gritting her teeth, she bent her knee and slammed it hard into her cousin-uncle’s groin.

Her cousin-uncle let out a pained "ARGH!" and his grip on her loosened instantly.

But he was still determined. He used one hand to clutch himself while the other still held onto her.

"You fucking... ARGH, that hurts like hell... If you’ve crippled me, you’re not getting out of this alive! Don’t you dare run!"

Amina felt she could overpower him in his weakened state. She grabbed his wrist with both hands and pushed with all her might. But to her shock, the shameless bastard reached out with his free hand and grabbed her by the hair.

Amina had no choice but to bite his wrist. She bit down hard, desperately, not letting up until she tasted blood. Only then did he finally, reluctantly, let go.

They scuffled for a moment longer before an opening appeared, and Amina broke free.

He shouted a stream of curses after her, but Amina didn’t hear a word. She scrambled onto her electric scooter and fled the scene in a panic.

Her cousin-uncle had pulled with so much force that he’d torn out a chunk of her hair. Her scalp throbbed with a fiery pain.

After fleeing for several blocks, Amina felt something sticky on her neck. She took off her helmet, reached up to touch the spot, and realized she was bleeding.