Chapter 3

I hit the answer button, and Evelyn's desperate sobs filled my ear.

"Mom, why are you doing this to me? I'm your daughter, not your enemy! You're pushing me to the edge..."

I cut her off, ending the call, and pulled out a bag of imported beef jerky for my pet dog.

Just then, a nurse came by carrying a bottle with a bold label. "Ms. Smith, this is your dog's iron supplement. Give two milliliters once a day. This imported brand works better because it's absorbed more easily."

My little Westie had been battling iron-deficiency anemia for the past week, and we had been coming to that pet hospital daily. Today marked the end of the treatments.

I headed to the cashier to settle the bill.

The cashier handed me the receipt. "That'll be nine hundred sixty bucks total."

The comment section exploded with the fury of social media users.

[$960?! Did I do the math right? That's like 12 times $80! She's spending enough on her dog's treatments to keep her daughter afloat for a whole year!]

[I used to think Evelyn was just scrimping by, sipping water to stave off hunger, like her family was broke. Turns out, she's the only one in her family living like she's penniless.]

[Anyone who brings a child into this world and doesn't care for them is lower than an animal. People like that shouldn't even be parents. They're just wasting air alive, and taking up space dead.]

[How can a mom refuse to feed her own kid, but spoil a pet dog with fancy imported treats? She deserves to be struck down for that!]

[We need to expose her! Let's dig up her ID, her address, everything. Make her feel what it's like to be cornered and harassed, to have no peace.]

It was not long before I got a text from an unknown number.

[Just you wait: I'm on my way to your place right now. You're going to pay for being such trash!]

The manager of my early learning center called me in tears, "Ms. Smith! It's chaos out here! There's a crowd at the shop's door, waving signs calling you a 'Heartless Mother', and they're even splashing paint on the doors! Parents are demanding refunds in the chat..."

That was when Jessica came charging in, gripping my wrist tight. "The Internet has your number now. They've got all your info, and some are saying they'll come to your place to set you straight. Others are threatening your dog's life! Don't you get it? You're in danger!"

However, I just stood there, unfazed by the storm swirling around me.

"Will you say something?" Jessica was frantic, her anger boiling over. "You're not hurting for cash. You could give her a decent life so easily. Why be so heartless? You've made yourself public enemy number one online! Everyone's wishing you'd just drop dead. Doesn't that scare you?"

She was cut off by the relentless buzzing of her phone.

Picking up, her voice shook as she spoke, "Hello… What? Overdosed on sleeping pills? Which hospital?"

Jessica's eyes were locked on mine in panic, and she did not even breathe.

"Evelyn... Evelyn tried to end her life in her dorm room... They're trying to save her now... The doctor said... it might be too late..."

The live stream was in chaos, the screen swarmed with messages.

[Monster of a mother, just die! Go join Evelyn!]

Social media users kept pouring into the stream, the video glitching and flickering, the whole room nearly buckling under the weight of their fury.

Jessica charged at me, yanking at my collar, her voice thunderous. "Tell me! What's this seven-day secret you're keeping? She's slipping away! What did she ever do to deserve this from you?!"

However, I stepped back, the picture of serenity, and gently set my pet dog down on the counter, my voice polite as ever. "Could you watch him for just a bit, maybe an hour? I'll be right back for him."