“Run? Where do you think you can run to? We’re your parents now!”

Seeing that the little boy wasn’t fooled, the man roared in anger.

“Hurry up, call us Mom and Dad!”

The man yanked the little boy roughly, causing him so much pain that he burst into tears, yet he stubbornly retorted, “You’re not my parents! I have my own mom and dad!”

Seeing that the boy refused to comply, the man’s temper flared, and he slapped him hard across the face.

The boy fell to the ground, his entire body aching unbearably. His delicate, sculpted little face swelled instantly, his head buzzing, and his ears ringing.

At that moment, the woman finally intervened, “Enough! We spent over ten grand on him. Don’t break him.”

“Lock him up first. Lock him up until he agrees to call us Mom and Dad.”

The boy, like a rag doll, was dragged and shoved into a small, dark storage room.

His face throbbed with pain, and his entire body felt uncomfortable.

He curled up in a corner, waiting for his real parents to come find him.

During this time, the couple kept coming in, asking him to call them Mom and Dad.

The boy was defiant and refused to give in, which only provoked another round of the man’s violent beatings.

When he still refused to comply, they denied him food.

At first, the boy held onto hope, believing his parents would come for him. But gradually, despair took hold.

Two days passed without food, and his stomach twisted in hunger, his mind growing foggy.

When he felt like he was on the brink of death, the couple finally came in and forced some food into his mouth.

Driven by a desperate will to survive, he devoured the food ravenously. His expensive brand-name clothes, unchanged for two days, were now wrinkled and stained with food.

The once-pampered boy, who had always been confident, now looked pale, defeated, and timid. The sparkle in his bright eyes had dulled completely.

Still, he refused to call them Mom and Dad.

Fearing the boy might starve to death, the couple eventually let him out of the storage room but didn’t allow him to leave the house, worried others would discover he had been bought.

Seeing how stubborn he was, the couple began to regret buying such a pretty and expensive boy, feeling they had wasted their money.

To recoup some of their losses, they began forcing the three-year-old boy to do household chores.

Despite his tiny frame, he was made to wash dishes, do laundry, and even cook, enduring all kinds of hardships.

The couple believed that if they kept him locked up, he would eventually recognize them as his parents.

What they didn’t know was that the boy was constantly planning his escape. He was determined to flee this hell.

Finally, one day, they forgot to lock the door, and the boy managed to run outside.

Having been confined for nearly a year, he was overwhelmed by the sight of the outside world. He felt as though he had finally glimpsed long-awaited light and hope.

Just as he was about to cry out for help, the man, who had noticed his escape, caught up to him. The man covered his mouth and carried him back like a helpless little chick.

Once again, he was thrown into the dark, narrow storage room.

This time, the beating and insults were several times worse than before.

Covered in bruises and injuries, the boy was left unfed for another two days.

This time, they chained his feet with iron shackles, ensuring he would never escape again.

The boy stopped speaking altogether.

He felt there was no hope left, as though he were trapped in an utterly dark and inescapable hell.

By the time he turned six, when the couple asked him again if he would call them Mom and Dad, they discovered he could barely speak anymore. His words were hesitant, stammered.

The once beautiful and dignified boy they had bought had become emaciated, his eyes lifeless, as if he wouldn’t survive much longer. For the first time, the couple began to feel fear.