All Chapters of Perfect Daughter Academy: My Mom's Biggest Regret: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

My mom, Donna Moore, kept ranting. "I hit a nerve, huh? That's why you've got nothing to say now. You're just like your cheating father. Full of lies! He already walked out on you. I'm the only one still willing to put up with you!"My parents divorced when I was five.Kids at school used to say I had a father who only existed on paper. The moment Mom heard about it, she cut her business trip short and rushed to the school to stand up for me.To be fair, she hadn't treated me badly. But the people closest to us always knew where to strike to make it hurt. I stayed silent and followed Mom to my prep academy. She took a back road, but we still ran into someone she knew. "Donna! What a coincidence, running into you here!" the woman exclaimed. "How've Natalie's grades been lately? My daughter keeps talking about how great Fairhaven University is. Natalie should work hard and get in as well. Wouldn't want all that effort from her extra year of studying to go to waste."A flicker of

Chapter 2

After taking me to the prep academy, Mom looked at me with such intense expectation that I could barely breathe. "Don't disappoint me again."I flipped through the academy's textbooks and schedules. It felt less like a guide to becoming the perfect daughter and more like a blueprint for building the perfect product. Five minutes later, I took the placement test and scored a zero.With a grim expression, the instructor, Madeline Turner, called me into her office.Meanwhile, Mom's face hardened with disappointment. "Natalie, you're hopeless. I've never seen a child so ungrateful in my life."She jabbed a finger at the red X's scrawled across my test paper as she spoke. "I raised you for 18 years, and now you want to go to a university over a thousand miles away? Is this how you repay me after everything I've done for you?"And your goal is just getting into Fairhaven University with a 1450 score? Have you forgotten what I expected from you? You were supposed to be the state's to

Chapter 3

I forced myself to my feet, but my vision went black, and I crumpled to the floor. When I came to, Mom was sitting beside my bed, watching me. Just like always, her first words were a reprimand. "Natalie, can't you take care of yourself? I've told you over and over to eat properly instead of constantly trying to lose weight, but you never listen. Now, you've fainted from not eating. Is this what you wanted?"I wanted to tell her I wasn't starving myself to lose weight. The pain had gotten so bad that I couldn't eat. When I didn't respond, Mom let out a sigh and quietly began feeding me spoonfuls of chicken noodle soup. I recognized the taste. She had made it herself. I never knew how to describe our relationship. It felt like a soaking wet coat in the dead of winter. Wearing it left me cold, but taking it off didn't make it any better. I managed to finish half the bowl of chicken noodle soup before Mom spoke up again."How about I take you out tomorrow? Think of it as a

Chapter 4

After the words left my mouth, silence fell between Mom and me. Moments later, a scoff pierced the quiet. "If you want to die, then do it already. Stop holding me back. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be trapped in this small town."Mom turned toward the window, refusing to spare me another glance. Yet, her fingers trembled ever so slightly. I wiped my tears away before she could see me crying. I didn't let her take me back to the prep academy. Instead, I stared at her defiantly and declared, "Give me three more days. I'll become the perfect daughter you've always wanted."This time, it was my turn to walk away without looking back.Back at the academy, I pushed through the discomfort and memorized every line of the handbook until I knew it by heart. …Three days before the end, I scored a perfect grade on the latest exam. Mom texted me to say she was proud of me and promised that once the program was over, she'd take me abroad for vacation.I didn't believe her. Besides

Chapter 5

Mom's anguished sobs filled my ears. However, I no longer had the strength to wipe away her tears. I was barely conscious as they rushed me to the hospital. The entire way there, all I could hear was Mom's voice. But for once, there was no criticism or mockery, only concern. A dull ache spread through my chest. Why had all of this come so late?"Nat, what's wrong? Open your eyes and look at me. Did something happen at the academy? Did someone bully you? Tell me. I'll make sure nobody touches you again."I wanted to tell her no one there had ever bullied me and that the one who had hurt me was right beside me. "Nat, if anything happens to you, how am I supposed to go on living?"Mom nearly collapsed from crying. A paramedic had to support her before she finally managed to steady herself. The paramedic spoke gently. "She needs peace and quiet right now. And you're the only family she has. If you fall apart too, who's going to take care of her?"Her words worked. Mom immedia

Chapter 6

Mom reeled back, both hands flying to her mouth as she shook her head over and over. A moment later, she slowly crouched down."I-It's all my fault… I should've realized it sooner. I should've known!" she muttered, tears slipping through her fingers.I could see Mom through the open door, and for the first time, I saw genuine remorse on her face.Maybe she did love me. But she had hidden it so deeply that by the time I finally realized it, it was already too late. After what felt like forever, Mom finally rose to her feet. Her lips trembled as she asked cautiously, "It's early-stage, right? It can still be treated."It sounded less like she was speaking to the doctor and more like she was trying to convince herself. "I had early-stage brain cancer too. They caught it early enough. It's been five years, and I'm still fine. As long as you treat it in time, she'll be okay, right?"The words spilled out of her as she stared at the doctor without blinking. He looked away, unable

Chapter 7

Mom had barely stopped crying when the tears came back. The more she wiped, the faster they fell. It was as if they would never stop. "Don't overthink it. The first doctor made a mistake. It's only early-stage. We can still treat this."Maybe she didn't even realize how badly her voice was trembling with grief. I smiled and turned to face the wall. Then, a sharp stench hit me. At this point, I'd already lost all control of my bladder and bowels.Without hesitation, Mom stepped forward to help me into clean clothes. My eyes stung with unshed tears as I pushed her away. "That's enough! I don't need your help! I can do it myself."Mom stood frozen in place, at a loss for what to do. She looked just like I used to as a kid when I got scolded. "Nat, you're my daughter. Let me take care of you."I knew how particular Mom was about cleanliness. So, at the end of my life, I wanted to leave her with at least a few good memories of me. "I said I could do it myself."With that, I t

Chapter 8

At 9:00 pm that night, the doctor rushed into my ward. He said the hospital had just brought in a highly effective drug. It could ease my pain and buy me three more days. But the price was staggering—600 thousand dollars for three days. It was absurd. Mom, however, agreed without a second thought. "We'll take it!"I used every ounce of strength I had left to shout at her. "Are you out of your mind? 600 thousand dollars for three days? I don't want to live like this anymore. I've had enough!"My nose stung, and tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. Then, Mom carefully took my hand. "Nat, I don't want to lose you. Stay with me a few more days, okay?"In that instant, she looked years older. The streaks of gray at her temples sent a pang through my chest. But I turned away, refusing to look at either her or the doctor. …In the end, Mom got her way. She still went through with the treatment. And it really did ease the pain. I could even get out of bed and walk around a

Chapter 9

On a quiet morning, I finally closed my eyes forever. But my soul remained, lingering above the hospital bed. Mom came in carrying my favorite cinnamon oatmeal and found that I was still asleep. She sat down beside me, then carefully spooned the oatmeal from the thermos into a bowl."You're still asleep? Maybe that's a good thing. The more you rest, the better you'll feel," she said. "Something strange happened this morning, Nat. The oatmeal just refused to cook right, or I would've gotten here sooner."She added, "Nat, let's go watch the sunset this evening. You worked so hard all these years. You were always leaving before sunrise and coming home after dark. "And yet, I never gave you the chance to enjoy life. You told me once that you wanted to see the sunset, but I never took it seriously."Mom kept talking to herself while tears slid down her face and fell into the oatmeal, sending small ripples across the surface.I guessed she had sensed it somehow. Maybe there really wa

Chapter 10

After Mom wheeled me back to my hospital room, an unexpected visitor arrived. It was Dad. 13 years had passed since I'd last seen him, and I barely recognized him anymore. The second he walked in, he started laying into Mom. "So, this is how you've been taking care of Natalie? Hate me all you want, but how could you do this to her? She's your daughter!"By then, I was frighteningly thin. My bones showed through my skin, as if I hadn't eaten in a long time. But of all people, he had no right to say any of that.Mom stared at him coldly and snapped, "You walked out on this family. You were the one who abandoned Natalie! For 13 years, you never once cared enough to ask about her. And now you think you have the right to judge me?"Dad lowered his head, yet the sadness in his eyes was impossible to miss. After he left us for the other woman, she got pregnant almost immediately. He'd raised that child for 12 years before discovering the boy wasn't even his.Only then did he think o

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