Chapter 4

My university admission had been stolen. The person who took my place was Julian.

I did not know how many times I called Victoria. There was no answer.

I finally told him what had happened when I looked into my father’s hopeful eyes. He held my hand and removed the bracelet from his wrist.

“Your mother gave this to me. Go find her.”

Hence, I did. However, the moment she saw the bracelet, her eyes were filled with annoyance. “With a father as stupid as yours, what prestigious university could you possibly get into? Stop lying. Doesn’t he just want you to go to college? Why does he insist on comparing you to Julian?”

She sneered, “You’ll be lucky if you get into a community college. Study hard and maybe one day, you can work as a receptionist at my company.”

I said nothing because I had just received a message from the hospital. Dad was being rushed into emergency treatment for a lung infection.

I clenched my fists hard and lowered my head before her. “I won’t go to college anymore. Will you give me the money instead?”

I traded away my chance at an education for my father’s medical bills.

Then, Damian showed up. He cornered me at the payment counter and snatched the supplementary bank card from my hand. His eyes were filled with madness.

“I’m telling you, you’re destined to spend the rest of your life beneath his feet for my son’s future. Everything that belongs to you belongs to my son now. Your family, your future, everything.

“I’ll spare your life this time. But if you dare complain again, I’ll have someone send you and your father to Morania!”

I completely broke down and shoved him to the ground. That was when Mom arrived without me noticing. I did not know who kicked me, but I was sent flying. My hand hit the ground hard. My wrist bent at an unnatural angle, and the pain was so unbearable that I rolled across the floor.

They did not even spare me a glance. All Mom cared about was whether Damian was hurt.

My eyes were fixed only on the bank card lying on the floor. I crawled toward it through the pain, trying to pick it up.

Mom kicked me away. “How could you be so vicious? And since you’re so greedy, I’ll never give you anything ever again! From now on, I’ll only wire enough money to keep you alive so you’ll remember this lesson. I won’t give you another cent even if you end up begging on the streets!”

Struggling to my feet, I cried as I begged her, “Mom, please don’t… Dad needs surgery right away. He’ll die without the money!”

The commotion grew so loud that Dad came over despite his condition. His face was deathly pale, but he still forced himself to plead with her.

“My life isn’t worth saving. Let our son go to college. Please!”

Mom looked at him with nothing but disappointment and disgust. “Look at what you’ve turned him into. I won’t come back unless both of you truly realize your mistakes and sincerely apologize to Damian.”

Then, she left with Damian. She never looked back.

Later, with the help of kind strangers, I bought a secondhand phone. I started livestreaming every day and kept posting videos online. Dad’s condition gradually improved with the help of charitable donations.

It was until…

As I recalled everything, my eyes burned with unshed tears as I looked at my mother.

“What will it take for you to finally leave us alone?”

Silence filled the air for a moment. Mom’s expression shifted repeatedly. After a long pause, she finally spoke with a strained voice. “Tell your father to come and see me. He needs to take responsibility for what you’ve done.”

I burst out laughing, tears welling up in the corners of my eyes. “You really don’t know, do you? He died a long time ago! He’s been dead for three years. By now, even his bones have rotted away!”

Her hand struck my face without warning. “What nonsense are you talking about? Do you really think a lie like that will keep me from finding him? And when I do find him, neither of you will ever know another peaceful day!”

I covered my burning cheek. My eyes were filled with hatred. “Fine. Go ahead. If you can find my father, you can do whatever you want to us.”

Mom glared at me. A few seconds later, she said in a cold voice, “Just you wait.”