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My Mother's Choice
My Mother's Choice
Nameless

Chapter 1

Nameless
Without saying a word, I carried the old, heavy laptop back to my room. Behind me, I heard my mother, Judith Hawkins, laugh with satisfaction.

"I told you Sunny was the sensible one. She's never fought with the family over anything, not since she was little."

In the weeks leading up to graduate school interviews, my older sister, Fiona Charlton, spent every day hanging out with college friends and shopping for new clothes.

Meanwhile, I locked myself in my room and pulled three all-nighters in a row.

Professor Wilson from our department had one recommendation slot that guaranteed admission into one of the university's premier research labs. Anyone who earned that spot would also receive early access to the school's most prestigious research projects.

I spent three full days researching and writing a detailed proposal. After a rigorous review, it was finally approved.

Not long afterward, Professor Wilson's lab sent me a confirmation email.

[Because this project requires a significant time commitment, including some weekends and holidays, a parent or legal guardian must sign the attached consent form acknowledging these arrangements.]

After dinner, I handed the printed consent form to Mom. She skimmed through it, her brows furrowing slightly.

"So, you'd be joining the advanced research lab? And you'd have to work weekends and holidays too? That sounds exhausting. You're about to start graduate school. There's no reason to push yourself this hard."

"I don't mind working hard. And this opportunity is incredibly rare. It'll help a lot when I apply for a Ph.D. and when I start looking for a job." I answered simply.

Mom nodded, folded the form, and slipped it into her pocket. "All right. I'll read it carefully tonight and sign it for you tomorrow."

I believed her.

Three days later, the thing I received was not my signed consent form. Instead, I saw Fiona's name on the list of students accepted into Professor Wilson's research lab on the department's website.

I stared at the screen for three long seconds before getting up and pushing open the door to Mom's bedroom. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, helping Fiona pick out a dress for graduate school orientation. The two of them were chatting and laughing together.

"Why did Professor Wilson's lab position become Fiona's?" I looked straight into Judith's eyes. My voice was so calm that even I was surprised.

Mom froze, her hand still holding the dress.

Fiona immediately stood up, looking awkward as she avoided my gaze.

"Sunny... I didn't know… Mom told me Professor Wilson offered me the position himself—"

"Go try on this dress first," Judith interrupted, patting Fiona on the back. "Check yourself in the mirror in the living room."

Fiona hesitated for a moment before leaving.

As soon as the door closed, Mom let out a long sigh. She walked over to me, her face filled with what looked like both love and helplessness.

"Sunny, don't blame me for making the decision without asking you." She reached for my hand. "I contacted Professor Wilson myself. I had your research proposal replaced with Fiona's. After looking through Fiona's undergraduate record, he reluctantly agreed to accept her into the graduate program."

I slowly pulled my hand away and stared at her.

"That was my spot. I stayed awake for three straight nights researching and writing that proposal just to pass the first round. What gave you the right to hand it to her?"

"I know you're upset!" Mom said quickly, trying to calm me down. Her voice softened into the patient tone adults always used when they thought they knew better.

"But Sunny, you've always been the smart one. You've always been exceptional. Even if you don't get into this lab, you'll still have plenty of chances. Whether it's for another graduate program, a PhD, or overseas studies, you'll earn scholarships. You'll have a bright future no matter what.

"However, Fiona is different."

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  • My Mother's Choice   Chapter 11

    Mom's lower back slammed into the rusted metal corner of the iron bedframe in her tiny apartment. History repeated itself in the cruelest, most ironic way. She writhed on the floor in unbearable pain.Fiona panicked. However, instead of calling an ambulance, she took the opportunity to steal the last few dollars from Mom's pocket. That very night, she bought the cheapest bus ticket she could find, fled the city, and never came back.Three days later, the landlord noticed a foul smell coming from the apartment and forced the door open.By the time Mom reached the hospital, she had completely lost all feeling in her legs. She had already suffered from severe chronic lower back injuries.Years earlier, I had lived as frugally as possible. I used the money I had earned through my hard work to prepay for a full year of rehabilitation therapy for Mom at a clinic downtown.It should have been the care that allowed her to enjoy a peaceful old age. Instead, she drove me away with her own h

  • My Mother's Choice   Chapter 10

    Mom had forced me to eat roast beef covered in double the usual amount of sweet glaze. She believed I had run away from home only because I was protesting her favoritism.In her mind, she had finally found the key to earning my forgiveness.Three days later, on a stormy winter night, rain poured from the sky.I had just finished working late.The moment I stepped out of the company building, I saw Mom standing alone in the downpour, completely soaked. She had spent the last of her money renting someone else's kitchen. Then, she waited for me in the rain for six straight hours. Held tightly against her chest was a cheap insulated food container. The instant she saw me, it was as if she had found her last chance to survive. She stumbled toward me, her hands red and numb from the cold. Holding the container out with both hands, she looked more humble than I had ever seen her."Sunny... I didn't leave. I made soup for you." Mom shivered violently. "I simmered it for four whole hours

  • My Mother's Choice   Chapter 9

    Mom bought the cheapest long-distance bus ticket she could find. Crossing several states, she traveled to the city where I worked.Then, every day, she waited outside my office building for me to appear."Ms. Charlton, the car is ready."My assistant held open the company's glass doors. Surrounded by executives and security personnel, I walked down the front steps."Sunny! Sunny!"A hoarse voice suddenly cut through the crowd. An elderly woman in tattered clothes came rushing out of nowhere. She shoved past the outer ring of security guards and threw herself straight at me."Sunny! I've come to find you! I finally found you!"Mom collapsed at my feet. Clutching my leg tightly, she sobbed uncontrollably.The executives and security guards froze in shock.I looked down at the woman before me. Her face was covered in wrinkles. Tears and mucus streaked across her cheeks. There was nothing left of the woman I once knew. She kept talking about blood ties, about family, about how dee

  • My Mother's Choice   Chapter 8

    "I meant to hit you! Everything you have today was bought with Sunny's sacrifice! What right do you have to stand here and complain?"Mom grabbed Fiona by the collar of her designer dress. With one violent tug, she ripped it open. "Take it off! You don't deserve to wear this! It was bought with Sunny's blood, sweat, and tears!" Her eyes burned red as she frantically tried to tear the clothes off Fiona."Ah! You're crazy! Let go of me!" Fiona screamed and fought back. Her fingernails dug deep into Mom's arm, leaving long bloody scratches.Mom winced in pain but refused to let go. She grabbed the camera strap around Fiona's neck and yanked hard. The camera slipped free. Mom raised it high above her head and smashed it onto the floor with all her strength.The brand-new professional camera, worth thousands of dollars, shattered into pieces. The lens exploded across the floor."My camera!" Fiona let out a heart-wrenching scream. She collapsed beside the broken pieces, sobbing hyster

  • My Mother's Choice   Chapter 7

    "Gone...?"Mom's lips trembled uncontrollably. Her knees buckled, and she nearly collapsed onto the professor's office floor. She had always believed that when I left home, I did not have a penny to my name. She was convinced I would struggle to survive on my own.Sooner or later, I would have nowhere else to go and would come home to beg for forgiveness.Only then did Mom finally realize the truth. The daughter she had always been so proud of... was a fool. If Fiona had not stolen that opportunity... the one standing in the spotlight today, with an unlimited future ahead of her, would have been her younger daughter.However, before Mom could even process that cruel realization... another devastating blow landed. The laboratory's compensation bill was so enormous that it left her breathless.She walked out of the university campus in a daze. The cost of replacing the damaged research materials and equipment was staggering.She knew there was no way her family could afford it. The

  • My Mother's Choice   Chapter 6

    That night, Mom had decided to make it up to me for stealing my place in Professor Wilson's lab. She had cooked a roast beef dinner herself. However, instead of making it the way I liked it, she had seasoned it to suit her older daughter.I hated sweet things. In fact, anything too sweet made me nauseous. Even so, I had sat there quietly without saying a word."Is it good?" Mom had asked with an eager smile."It's good."The memory hit Mom like a bolt of lightning. Her heart suddenly pounded out of control, and cold sweat soaked through her back.She ignored Fiona's complaints. Setting the plate down with a loud clatter, she turned and ran into the storage room. Like she had been possessed, she ripped open the black trash bags she had thrown there. Their contents spilled across the dusty floor.She searched desperately, hoping to find something that proved I would come back. Instead, all she found were stacks of perfect exam papers. Every single one had a perfect score, from elem

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