Chapter 4

Mom screamed, "Why should I tell you the password? If I told you, you're definitely going to change the applications back to those faraway colleges again, aren't you?

"Over my dead body! There's no way I'm ever going to tell you! If you dare to change your application again, don't you ever acknowledge me as your mother! I don't have a stubborn daughter like you!"

She had said this to me many times in the past. Last time, I would always cry and beg her to take that back, ultimately giving up on my choice.

But this time, I just stared at her for a few seconds before turning around, rushing toward the door, and running out.

"Suzanne Gibson! Where are you going! Come back at once!"

Her shouting was muffled as the door slammed shut behind me.

As soon as I ran out of the neighborhood, my phone started blowing up with calls and texts. The first one was a call from an aunt. I rejected the call. The second call was from an uncle. Then, one after another, all of my relatives began calling me up, and my text messages were flooded as well.

"Suzy! How could you do such a thing to your mom! Don't you know how hard it is for her to raise you on her own!"

"I heard that you're planning to enroll in a college far away? It's not good for a woman to leave her home. Listen to your mom and stay home with her."

Every single text message told me to listen to Mom.

I read the messages one by one and found them simply ridiculous.

My aunt, Hilary Mercer, used to have a daughter, Daisy Walters, and she had actually enrolled in the very same teaching college Mom was forcing me to go to. Aunt Hilary absolutely refused to let Daisy attend that college and even made a huge fuss about killing herself if Daisy went there.

She then forced Daisy to marry and settle down the following year, and Daisy was then tortured by her own in-laws for not being able to give birth to a son for years. Ultimately, she overdosed on drugs and died a while ago.

And yet, now, Aunt Hilary was telling me to compromise and go down the same path.

However, I knew that I couldn't afford to fight fire with fire this time.

I still had three days grace period before the application was closed. Even if I were to find a way to change my application back, Mom would definitely cause a scene once again.

I sat on the playground swing, scrolling through Instagram reels and feeling absolutely restless and frustrated.

Suddenly, I saw a photo of one of my seniors, Katie Boyle, at a hacking championship with a trophy in her hands. My spirits lifted at once. An idea had just popped into my head.

I'd only just finished texting Katie when my phone rang again. This time, it was from another aunt, Heidi Mercer.

I answered the call.

"Suzy! Where are you?"

She sounded urgent.

"Hurry up and come to the hospital now! Your mom just fainted!"

Mom was already awake by the time I got to the hospital. She leaned back in bed, her face pale, an IV drip in the back of her hand.

She scoffed when she was me walk in and turned her head to the side. "What are you still doing here? I don't have a disobedient daughter like you."

"What are you saying, Holly!" Aunt Heidi exclaimed, trying to calm her down. She then pulled me to sit. "Don't you know that Suzy immediately rushed over as soon as she knew that you'd fainted?

"Also, Suzy, you can't blame me for lecturing you, but your mom never ate or drank the entire day today because she was worried sick about your college application. That's why she fainted. She was simply too stressed out. Can't you just be a little more considerate?"

I'd heard these words too many times. I would always compromise under my relatives' pressure. And I knew that I had no choice but to continue compromising this time. I had to, for the sake of my future and to get Mom's guard down.

I lowered my head and dug my nails into my palms, speaking in a hoarse voice, "Okay."

It was deathly quiet in the ward for a few seconds.

Mom turned to look at me suspiciously.

"I know that I shouldn't have made you angry," I continued, sounding tired, helpless, and exhausted. "As for the college applications… I'll just do whatever you want."

Mom's eyes lit up immediately. "Really? You're willing to stay and enroll in a local college?"

I smiled bitterly. "What else can I do? You're already hospitalized from the stress, and you've changed the password on my account. What can I even do about it now?"

"See? That's the spirit!" Aunt Heidi said at once, clapping her hands in joy. "You're doing the right thing, Suzy. Your mom would never harm you on purpose. She's doing all this for your own good!"

Mom was beaming. She reached out to me and patted me on the back of my hand, speaking in an oddly gentle voice, "That's my good and obedient daughter. You're still young and think you want to explore the world on your own, but you'll understand why I'm doing this when you're older."