Chapter 1

While I was at work, my team leader, Rick Ziegler, asked if I'd picked the material for my next microbiology research project.

I nodded and said, "A friend brought me a container of water from the Gorga River in Esithra. I heard that some locals bathed in it, some used it as a toilet, and some even immersed corpses in it.

"It has E. coli, V. cholerae, S. typhi… All kinds of parasite eggs—you name it. It's practically a miniature toxic ecosystem. I think it's more than enough for research."

Rick praised me for preparing such good research material. He told me to bring the water to the lab in a couple of days.

But when I got home, I searched through every cabinet and drawer. Yet, I couldn't find it anywhere.

I knew that my mom, Miranda Turner, must've taken it. For the past six months, every time she came to my place to help clean, something always went missing.

At first, I thought it was just a coincidence.

Until one time, the premium apples I'd left in the refrigerator disappeared. On that same day, my younger sister, Sheryl Colson, uploaded a post on Instagram.

Her photo showed the exact same purple star apples I'd bought. There were exactly eight of them.

That was when I realized something was off and decided to ask Mom about it.

Mom reacted strongly, as if she were deeply wronged. She locked herself in her room and refused to eat or drink. She even threatened to jump off the building and kill herself. She said she might as well die.

Then, she said that if anyone asked, they would find out she'd been falsely accused of stealing by her own daughter and driven to suicide. People would rip me apart.

I had no choice. I stood outside her door comforting her the entire night. In the end, I had to give her another two thousand dollars before she finally calmed down.

After that incident, whenever something went missing, I just turned a blind eye. I told myself it was for the sake of keeping peace in our family.

But I never expected her to take the water that was meant to be used for research experiments.

Afraid something might go awry, I immediately called Mom and told her to return it.

However, she refused to admit she'd taken anything.

"What water? I don't know what you're talking about. I worked so hard to clean your place. My back's so sore that it could snap every day. What exactly am I doing this for?

"And this is how you repay me? You're accusing me without any proof! Last time, you said I stole your apples. Now, you're saying I stole your water. What kind of person do you take me for? Is this how a daughter treats her mother?"

I was extremely frantic.

"Mom, that was water from the Gorga River! It was for laboratory research. It's extremely toxic! You absolutely cannot drink it! If there's something you want, I'll buy it for you. No matter what, you have to return that water. If you still won't give it back, I'll call the police and have them investigate.

"Over the years, so many things have gone missing from my home. Altogether, the value is close to ten thousand dollars. That's enough to open a criminal case. If they find out it was you, you'll be looking at least three years in prison."

The moment Mom heard that, she was obviously rattled. She stammered incoherently for several seconds.

Finally, she stopped pretending and reluctantly owned up. "Andrea Colson, do you have to go this far? Fine! I took it, okay? If you've got the guts, then call the police and have them arrest me! Have me thrown into prison! Everyone will talk about what a terrible daughter you are!

"I just can't stand seeing you living better than Sher. You drink imported bottled water whenever you feel like it, but Sher's never even had any. What makes you think you deserve such good things?"

Mom's tone was icy and unrelenting. It was as if I weren't her daughter but some unforgivable criminal.

I'd never understood why she was so harsh to me.

I'd always gone out of my way to be nice to both her and Sheryl. Every payday, the first thing I did was either buy gifts for both of them or take them to an upscale restaurant for a nice meal.