I Was Punished for Flunking

Belle’s college send-off party brimmed with excitement and celebration.My mother kept piling food onto Belle’s plate. I never received such a loving, proud smile on her face before.“Look at Belle. She’s actually going somewhere. That’s how a kid should turn out!”My father sat nearby. He ate mechanically without any appetite.From time to time, his gaze kept wandering to the pitch-black window.When he found the right opportunity, he said to my mother, “I wonder if Tristy has gotten out of that pond yet. I’m a little worried about her.”My mother’s expression darkened when she heard this.“Forget about her. She needs to learn this the hard way, or she’ll never learn. Without good education, she’ll never succeed in life.”My father frowned and fell silent, but he was still worried. He made an excuse to step out to the balcony for a cigarette, then quietly pulled out his phone and looked for Zoey’s number.“Zoey, is Tristy—”Before he could finish, my mother appeared behi

After I was missing for two days, my homeroom teacher, Mr. Read, called. My mother answered the phone agitatedly.“She flunked her test, so I gave her a piece of my mind. She threw a fit and ran off. I was actually about to ask you which boys in her class she’s close with? Do you think she crashed at one of their houses?”On the other end of the line, Mr. Read briefly paused in surprise.“Mrs. Cardenas, all the other students are here in class today, and no one knows anything about Tristy’s situation. Right now, the priority is bringing her home safely.”My mother grew displeased. She raised her voice and said irritably, “I’ll tell you what I want to know! Why didn’t you warn me her grades were dropping? Now, you’re deflecting my questions about who she’s hanging out with. Are you intentionally out to get Tristy?”Mr. Read was momentarily taken aback. After he pondered for a few seconds, he responded in a cool, firm tone, “Mrs. Cardenas, I get that you’re worried sick about Tris

My father rushed forward in a fit of rage and used all his strength to pull my mother away.“She’s dead! Just leave her alone already, will you?!”His eyes were red with anger. Even the veins on his forehead were visibly bulging.“It’s you, you killed her! You shoved her into that pond. You tied her hands so she couldn’t climb back out. You knew she couldn’t swim. How could you be so heartless?”My mother was stunned by his unprecedented fury. She instinctively crouched down, trembling as she reached out her hand toward my nostrils to check for my breathing.There was none.She frantically pressed her fingers against my neck to check for my pulse. My neck was ice-cold, and there was no pulse.“Ah!!” She pulled her hand back with a short, terrified shriek.“How could this be...? How could this happen...?”She murmured to herself in a daze, as if she could not comprehend the reality before her.Then, she began to ramble defensively, “Felix, I didn’t mean to do this! Believe me,

My mother was eventually handcuffed. Her body trembled violently as she said repeatedly, “I only wanted to frighten her. I never meant for her to die. I swear it wasn’t intentional!”Her eyes were vacant with fear and despair.My father stood not far away, watching everything indifferently.Not long after she was taken away, he had a lawyer deliver divorce papers.Soon after, something inside my mother finally snapped.Whether it was because of the heart-wrenching betrayal from her most beloved niece, or because she could no longer bear the guilt of having caused her own daughter’s death deep down, she was diagnosed with a mental condition and sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment.At times, she would curl up in a corner and murmur, “Sweetie, be careful. There’s water over there. Don’t go near it. It’s dangerous...”At other times, she would grab her own hair and shriek, her face contorted with rage.“How did you not pass? How?! I’ll sign you up for the best tutoring cla