5 YEARS AGO
****
Mei's father was livid. His rage turned him into something terrifying, his voice booming through the room as he hurled golf balls at her with alarming precision. He wielded a golf club in one hand, the sharp metallic ping of it striking the floor, making her flinch.
Mei screamed, scrambling around the room, her heart pounding in terror. The door rattled violently as her mother pounded on it from the other side, her voice frantic and high-pitched. "Don't kill her! Please don't kill her!" she begged, but her cries only fueled his anger.
Mei's face was a mess. A cut on her temple trickled blood, and her lip stung from where he'd already struck her. She was sobbing uncontrollably, pleading for mercy.
"A girl!" her father bellowed, his face red and twisted with disgust. "I always knew you'd bring me shame! How dare you?!"