Favaread novel

My mom always said I was just lazy by nature. As a fitness coach, she made me and my sister wear fitness trackers since we were kids. But no matter what I did, my arms and legs would suddenly stiffen, and I’d fall flat on the ground. My teachers even thought it might be ALS. Mom just snorted. “Stop making things up. She’s just lazy.” If I didn’t burn enough calories, she punished me even harder. “Your sister can do it. Why can’t you? You’re just lazy!” I cried and tried to explain. She didn’t believe me. “Data doesn’t lie. You’ll learn your lesson once you’re exhausted.” At the school track meet, I signed up for the 800 meters. When the whistle went off, I ran as hard as I could. But my legs got stiffer and stiffer. Mom sat in the stands, her face dark. Then my vision went black, and I fell. She looked at me with disgust. “Again? Playing dead so you don’t have to run?” “Fine. I’ll fix this today. Let’s see how long you stay down.” I lay there, watching her and my sister blur in front of me. Mom… this time, I’m really not being lazy. I just… can’t move anymore. Mom always said I was just born lazy. As a personal trainer, Mom had Mia and me wearing fitness trackers practically from birthAs a fitness coach, she put fitness trackers on me and Mia from the day we were born. But whether it was running laps in PE or doing the long jump, my arms and legs would suddenly lock up, and I would go sprawling across the ground. My teachers worried it might be ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Mom only scoffed. “Please. She’s just lazy.” Whenever I failed to meet my daily calorie goal, she punished me twice as hard. “Mia can handle the exact same workout, so why can’t you? You’re just lazy!” At first, I cried and tried to explain. Mom didn’t believe me. “The data doesn’t lie. Once you’re tired enough, maybe you’ll finally learn your lesson.” After a while, I started blaming myself too. Why was I so lazy? On the day of the school track meet, I signed up for the 800-meter race. The starting pist0l went off, and I ran as hard as I could, but my legs grew stiffer and stiffer. Mom sat in the bleachers, her face dark with anger. At last, my vision went black, and I collapsed. The back of my head struck the concrete curb, and blood spread across the ground. Mom stood beside me, frowning in disgust. “This again? You think playing dead gets you out of exercising?” “Fine. I’m going to break this bad habit of yours today. Let’s see how long it takes before you finally get up“Fine. I’m curing you of this attitude today. Let’s see how long it takes before you finally get up.” I lay on the ground as Mom and Mia blurred in front of me. Mom, I really wasn’t being lazy this time. I just could not move anymore. *** The wound on the back of my head hurt so badly it felt like my skull was splitting open. I opened my mouth, trying to explain, but I could not make a sound. Then the whole world went silent. A few classmates noticed something was wrong and quickly rushed over to me. Their faces were full of concern, nothing like Mom’s cold expression. Before they could say anything, Mia, standing beside Mom, spread her arms and blocked their wayBefore they could say anything, Mia spread her arms and blocked them. “You don’t have to help her. She’s just trying to get out of exercising!” With that, she lifted my limp wrist and pulled up the numbers on my fitness tracker for everyone to see. “Mom says this number has to reach 2.0, and she’s not even at 1.0 yet!” She meant the daily calorie burn Mom required from us. We were supposed to hit 2,000 active calories every day. Then Mia let go of my hand. My hand slammed hard against the ground, and my knuckles made a dull little thud against the pavement. That finally made Mom glance over. Out of habit, I shut my eyes and waited for the pain to come. A few seconds passed before I realized that once a person was dead, pain stopped coming. I had not even had time to feel relieved before I caught Mom’s gaze, and my stomach dropped all over again. But in the next second, after Mia tapped open the data on her own fitness tracker, the question in Mom’s eyes turned back into disgust. There was a smiley face beside Mia’s number, which meant she had hit her goal. Mia looked smug as she bragged to the other students. “I’m telling you, she’s always like this! She never hits the goal.” “And I’m two years younger than her, but I can still do it!” “Mom says she’s lazy, and she always talks back and makes Mom mad.” Hearing Mia take her side, Mom smiled and stroked Mia’s hairHearing Mia defend her, Mom smiled and stroked her hair. Seeing how calm the two of them looked, the classmates began to hesitate. “But is she really okay like that?” “I heard Chloe Parker is Ms. Morgan’s daughter. Chloe is always saying how much Ms. Morgan loves her and how well Ms. Morgan treats her, so Ms. Morgan wouldn’t just ignore her“I heard Chloe Parker is Ms. Morgan’s daughter. Chloe is always saying how much Ms. Morgan loves her and how good she is to her, so Ms. Morgan wouldn’t just ignore her.” “Maybe they just had a fight.” As they talked, more and more students gathered around. But Mia stopped them one by one, and no one managed to come close enough to check on me. Mom’s expression grew worse and worse. Out of habit, I apologized to her, but she could not hear me. She pointed at me, her voice full of disgust. “Chloe Parker! Are you done making a scene?” “You may not have any shame, but I do. Are you proud of this? Do you really want everyone laughing at us“You may not care about embarrassing yourself, but I still have a reputation. Is this supposed to make you proud? Do you really want everyone laughing at us that badly?” In the past, even when my limbs stiffened and I fell again and again, I would still force myself to get back up because I did not want to make Mom angrier. But now I stayed where I was, face down on the ground, without moving at all. Mia stared at my tracker and added fuel to the fire. “Mom, look. Chloe’s number is still going up.” “She’s totally fine. She’s just doing this to defy you“She’s totally fine. She’s just doing this to get back at you!” Mom was so angry her chest rose and fell sharply. “You want to put on a show? Fine. I’ll play along with you all day if I have to.” Watching Mom’s face turn red with fury, Mia stomped over and kicked my hand. “Bad Chloe! That’s what you get for making Mom mad!” By pure coincidence, my curled fingers slipped through the loop in the bow of her sneaker lace. Mia’s sneaker lace caught on my fingers before she could react, and she lost her balance, hitting the ground hardMia was caught off guard. She lost her balance and fell hard onto the ground. Her shrill crying exploded through the crowd. Mom hurried to help Mia up and carefully checked her for injuries. When she saw that Mia had split her lip, the fury in her eyes turned even more viciousWhen she saw that Mia’s mouth had been scraped open, the hostility in her eyes deepened. Then she raised her foot and kicked me hard. My limp, powerless body flipped over from the force of the kickMy soft, powerless body flipped over from the force of the blow. My body lay faceup, but my head, too heavy to turn with it, remained twisted to one sideMy body had landed faceup, but my head was still twisted to the side because it was too heavy to move with the rest of me. Anyone who looked closely would have seen that my head and body were positioned all wrong, almost unnaturally so. But Mom was too busy fussing over Mia to notice. All I could hear was her cursing at me. “Chloe, how could you be this cruel?” “That was Mia! Your own sister“That was Mia! Your own family!” “You’re a girl too. How would you feel if your face got smashed up like that?” The more she spoke, the angrier she became. Then she simply raised her hand and slapped me across the face again. “You just have to fight me on everything, don’t you? You have to go against Mia too!” “How did I end up raising something so lazy and so vicious? I wasted every bit of love I ever gave you!” The crack of the slap rang through the crowd, and some students covered their eyes in fear. Mia’s eyes were full of tears, but there was no hurt in them. If anything, there was a flicker of satisfaction, as if she had finally gotten even. “It wasn’t me... I was already... dead...” I murmured the words. For some reason, even though my body could no longer feel pain, my heart still felt as if it had been cut open again and again. It had not always been like this. In my hazy childhood memories, Mom had never treated me this way. Back then, she would always smile, give me a thumbs-up, and tell me I had done a great job. Whatever I wanted, she would buy it for me. Every day, she put so much thought into making me balanced meals, and at night, she would tell me stories until I fell asleep. I remembered all of it. Things only changed later, after my body started having problems. Her attitude toward me grew worse and worse. At first, she would still patiently talk me through what had gone wrong. Then she gradually became impatient. In the end, that impatience turned into deeper and deeper disgust. The truth was, I had never blamed Mom. I could even understand her. Dad once told me that Mom had a younger brother when she was little. But when he was ten, he died after a sudden high feverBut when he was ten, he died after running a fever. The doctors said his body had always been too weak, and he could not survive such a sudden, severe illness. After that, Mom became especially focused on physical fitness. When she was preg...n@nt with me, she and Dad had already talked about raising us in the healthiest way possibleFrom the time she had me, she and Dad had talked about raising healthy kids. She researched children’s exercise and ways to build strength, collecting thick stacks of notes and plans. She even had our fitness trackers custom-made. “Your mom just cares about you girls too much,” Dad told me. After hearing that, I finally understood that everything Mom did was for our own good. I did not want to disappoint her, so even when I fell over and over again, even when my whole body was covered in injuries, I kept getting back up and trying to meet her expectations. But no matter how hard I tried, in her eyes, I was still the lazy child. Several teachers finally noticed what was happening and rushed over to stop Mom, who was still slapping me. “Ms. Morgan, calm down!” My head swung from side to side under her blows. The wound on the back of my head, which had been pressed against the ground, lost that pressure, and more blood poured out with each movement. One teacher frowned and tried to come check on me. Mom stopped her at once. “Don’t bother with her! It’s just a little scrape. If it actually hurt, she would have screamed by now. She isn’t stupid“Don’t bother with her! She only scraped herself a little. If it actually hurt, she would have screamed by now. She isn’t stupid!” I gave a bitter smile. A long time ago, that had been true. Back then, Mom still cared about me. Whenever I fell or bumped into something, I would go to her so she could clean it, put ointment on it, and blow on it to make it hurt less. But later, whenever I cried, Mom would not even look at me. Over time, I learned to get back up quietly and stop saying it hurt. The teacher still looked uneasy. “She really doesn’t look well to me.” “Just to be safe, I’m going to call the school nurse.” Before Mom could stop her, the teacher had already made the call. Mom scoffed and did not even bother looking at me again. When the school nurse arrived, Mom talked her into leavingWhen the school nurse arrived, Mom sent the nurse right back. “She’s acting. Of course she has to commit to the part.” “Don’t worry. I’m her mother. You can trust me. Nothing is going to happen“Don’t worry. I’m her mother. If I say she’s fine, she’s fine. Nothing is going to happen.” “Everyone, go on. Clear out.” With that, she dispersed the crowd, then gave me one more glance. “If you’re so determined to stay here, then stay. Let’s see how long you can keep lying there.” Over the loudspeaker, Mia’s name was called. The announcement said she had taken first place in both the long jump and the sprint. Mom picked her up and kissed her twice on the cheek. “Come on. Let’s go get your awards.” “You did so well today. What do you want as your reward?” I watched their backs grow farther and farther away. The track meet was almost over, and all the students and teachers were packing up the equipment. Everyone was busy with their own tasks, leaving me lying on the ground all alone. A sour ache spread through my chest. Forty minutes later, the track meet officially ended. People walked past me in twos and threes. Every now and then, a few students who did not know what had happened worried about me. “Chloe has been lying there for so long. What if something really happened to her?” “Could she have heatstroke?” But their concern was quickly drowned out by louder laughter. “Her? I heard she’s throwing a tantrum at her mom. I would never upset my mom like that.” “All she does during recess and PE is run, but it’s not like she ever gets good results. It just makes her look like she’s pretending to work hard.” “She just pulled that sneaky little stunt and made Mia get hurt. What could possibly be wrong with her?” Those rumors sounded painfully familiar. I did not need to think hard to know Mia had spread them. Everyone shook their heads and moved on. When the voices faded, I was once again the only one left on the track field. According to the school’s schedule, after the track meet, there would be a school family flea market in the front lobby. The decorations had all been made by the students, and some of the best projects were displayed on the backdrop wall. Mia picked out a booth and set out the finished beaded bracelets. Mom took the lunches she had prepared out of her backpack. When her fingers touched my lunch box, they paused. She handed lunch to Mia, then absentmindedly poked at the food in my container with her spoon before asking coldly, “Where is Chloe? She doesn’t want to run, and now she doesn’t want to come to the market either?” Mia was wolfing down her food. She mumbled through a mouthful, “I asked her. She insisted it was your fault and said you had to apologize first, so you wouldn’t force her anymoreMia was wolfing down her food. She answered unclearly, “I asked her. She insisted it was your fault and said you had to apologize first, so you wouldn’t force her anymore.” Mom’s expression, which had just softened a little, darkened again. Mia looked deeply wronged and spoke carefully. “Mom, maybe I should go apologize to Chloe.” “Maybe she’s upset because I did well today. She isn’t usually like this.” Mom sighed and gave Mia the meat from her own lunchMom sighed and gave Mia the best part from her own lunch. “This has nothing to do with you. I’ve just spoiled her too much.” “I used to let things slide because I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, and now she thinks she can challenge me“I used to let things slide because I didn’t want to argue with her, and now she thinks she can challenge me.” “Today, I’m going to make her understand exactly who the parent is and who is supposed to listen.”

My mom always said I was just lazy by nature. As a fitness coach, she made me and my sister wear fitness trackers since we were kids. But no matter what I did, my arms and legs would suddenly stiffen, and I’d fall flat on the ground. My teachers even thought it might be ALS. Mom just snorted. “Stop making things up. She’s just lazy.” If I didn’t burn enough calories, she punished me even harder. “Your sister can do it. Why can’t you? You’re just lazy!” I cried and tried to explain. She didn’t believe me. “Data doesn’t lie. You’ll learn your lesson once you’re exhausted.” At the school track meet, I signed up for the 800 meters. When the whistle went off, I ran as hard as I could. But my legs got stiffer and stiffer. Mom sat in the stands, her face dark. Then my vision went black, and I fell. She looked at me with disgust. “Again? Playing dead so you don’t have to run?” “Fine. I’ll fix this today. Let’s see how long you stay down.” I lay there, watching her and my sister blur in front of me. Mom… this time, I’m really not being lazy. I just… can’t move anymore. Mom always said I was just born lazy. As a personal trainer, Mom had Mia and me wearing fitness trackers practically from birthAs a fitness coach, she put fitness trackers on me and Mia from the day we were born. But whether it was running laps in PE or doing the long jump, my arms and legs would suddenly lock up, and I would go sprawling across the ground. My teachers worried it might be ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Mom only scoffed. “Please. She’s just lazy.” Whenever I failed to meet my daily calorie goal, she punished me twice as hard. “Mia can handle the exact same workout, so why can’t you? You’re just lazy!” At first, I cried and tried to explain. Mom didn’t believe me. “The data doesn’t lie. Once you’re tired enough, maybe you’ll finally learn your lesson.” After a while, I started blaming myself too. Why was I so lazy? On the day of the school track meet, I signed up for the 800-meter race. The starting pist0l went off, and I ran as hard as I could, but my legs grew stiffer and stiffer. Mom sat in the bleachers, her face dark with anger. At last, my vision went black, and I collapsed. The back of my head struck the concrete curb, and blood spread across the ground. Mom stood beside me, frowning in disgust. “This again? You think playing dead gets you out of exercising?” “Fine. I’m going to break this bad habit of yours today. Let’s see how long it takes before you finally get up“Fine. I’m curing you of this attitude today. Let’s see how long it takes before you finally get up.” I lay on the ground as Mom and Mia blurred in front of me. Mom, I really wasn’t being lazy this time. I just could not move anymore. *** The wound on the back of my head hurt so badly it felt like my skull was splitting open. I opened my mouth, trying to explain, but I could not make a sound. Then the whole world went silent. A few classmates noticed something was wrong and quickly rushed over to me. Their faces were full of concern, nothing like Mom’s cold expression. Before they could say anything, Mia, standing beside Mom, spread her arms and blocked their wayBefore they could say anything, Mia spread her arms and blocked them. “You don’t have to help her. She’s just trying to get out of exercising!” With that, she lifted my limp wrist and pulled up the numbers on my fitness tracker for everyone to see. “Mom says this number has to reach 2.0, and she’s not even at 1.0 yet!” She meant the daily calorie burn Mom required from us. We were supposed to hit 2,000 active calories every day. Then Mia let go of my hand. My hand slammed hard against the ground, and my knuckles made a dull little thud against the pavement. That finally made Mom glance over. Out of habit, I shut my eyes and waited for the pain to come. A few seconds passed before I realized that once a person was dead, pain stopped coming. I had not even had time to feel relieved before I caught Mom’s gaze, and my stomach dropped all over again. But in the next second, after Mia tapped open the data on her own fitness tracker, the question in Mom’s eyes turned back into disgust. There was a smiley face beside Mia’s number, which meant she had hit her goal. Mia looked smug as she bragged to the other students. “I’m telling you, she’s always like this! She never hits the goal.” “And I’m two years younger than her, but I can still do it!” “Mom says she’s lazy, and she always talks back and makes Mom mad.” Hearing Mia take her side, Mom smiled and stroked Mia’s hairHearing Mia defend her, Mom smiled and stroked her hair. Seeing how calm the two of them looked, the classmates began to hesitate. “But is she really okay like that?” “I heard Chloe Parker is Ms. Morgan’s daughter. Chloe is always saying how much Ms. Morgan loves her and how well Ms. Morgan treats her, so Ms. Morgan wouldn’t just ignore her“I heard Chloe Parker is Ms. Morgan’s daughter. Chloe is always saying how much Ms. Morgan loves her and how good she is to her, so Ms. Morgan wouldn’t just ignore her.” “Maybe they just had a fight.” As they talked, more and more students gathered around. But Mia stopped them one by one, and no one managed to come close enough to check on me. Mom’s expression grew worse and worse. Out of habit, I apologized to her, but she could not hear me. She pointed at me, her voice full of disgust. “Chloe Parker! Are you done making a scene?” “You may not have any shame, but I do. Are you proud of this? Do you really want everyone laughing at us“You may not care about embarrassing yourself, but I still have a reputation. Is this supposed to make you proud? Do you really want everyone laughing at us that badly?” In the past, even when my limbs stiffened and I fell again and again, I would still force myself to get back up because I did not want to make Mom angrier. But now I stayed where I was, face down on the ground, without moving at all. Mia stared at my tracker and added fuel to the fire. “Mom, look. Chloe’s number is still going up.” “She’s totally fine. She’s just doing this to defy you“She’s totally fine. She’s just doing this to get back at you!” Mom was so angry her chest rose and fell sharply. “You want to put on a show? Fine. I’ll play along with you all day if I have to.” Watching Mom’s face turn red with fury, Mia stomped over and kicked my hand. “Bad Chloe! That’s what you get for making Mom mad!” By pure coincidence, my curled fingers slipped through the loop in the bow of her sneaker lace. Mia’s sneaker lace caught on my fingers before she could react, and she lost her balance, hitting the ground hardMia was caught off guard. She lost her balance and fell hard onto the ground. Her shrill crying exploded through the crowd. Mom hurried to help Mia up and carefully checked her for injuries. When she saw that Mia had split her lip, the fury in her eyes turned even more viciousWhen she saw that Mia’s mouth had been scraped open, the hostility in her eyes deepened. Then she raised her foot and kicked me hard. My limp, powerless body flipped over from the force of the kickMy soft, powerless body flipped over from the force of the blow. My body lay faceup, but my head, too heavy to turn with it, remained twisted to one sideMy body had landed faceup, but my head was still twisted to the side because it was too heavy to move with the rest of me. Anyone who looked closely would have seen that my head and body were positioned all wrong, almost unnaturally so. But Mom was too busy fussing over Mia to notice. All I could hear was her cursing at me. “Chloe, how could you be this cruel?” “That was Mia! Your own sister“That was Mia! Your own family!” “You’re a girl too. How would you feel if your face got smashed up like that?” The more she spoke, the angrier she became. Then she simply raised her hand and slapped me across the face again. “You just have to fight me on everything, don’t you? You have to go against Mia too!” “How did I end up raising something so lazy and so vicious? I wasted every bit of love I ever gave you!” The crack of the slap rang through the crowd, and some students covered their eyes in fear. Mia’s eyes were full of tears, but there was no hurt in them. If anything, there was a flicker of satisfaction, as if she had finally gotten even. “It wasn’t me... I was already... dead...” I murmured the words. For some reason, even though my body could no longer feel pain, my heart still felt as if it had been cut open again and again. It had not always been like this. In my hazy childhood memories, Mom had never treated me this way. Back then, she would always smile, give me a thumbs-up, and tell me I had done a great job. Whatever I wanted, she would buy it for me. Every day, she put so much thought into making me balanced meals, and at night, she would tell me stories until I fell asleep. I remembered all of it. Things only changed later, after my body started having problems. Her attitude toward me grew worse and worse. At first, she would still patiently talk me through what had gone wrong. Then she gradually became impatient. In the end, that impatience turned into deeper and deeper disgust. The truth was, I had never blamed Mom. I could even understand her. Dad once told me that Mom had a younger brother when she was little. But when he was ten, he died after a sudden high feverBut when he was ten, he died after running a fever. The doctors said his body had always been too weak, and he could not survive such a sudden, severe illness. After that, Mom became especially focused on physical fitness. When she was preg...n@nt with me, she and Dad had already talked about raising us in the healthiest way possibleFrom the time she had me, she and Dad had talked about raising healthy kids. She researched children’s exercise and ways to build strength, collecting thick stacks of notes and plans. She even had our fitness trackers custom-made. “Your mom just cares about you girls too much,” Dad told me. After hearing that, I finally understood that everything Mom did was for our own good. I did not want to disappoint her, so even when I fell over and over again, even when my whole body was covered in injuries, I kept getting back up and trying to meet her expectations. But no matter how hard I tried, in her eyes, I was still the lazy child. Several teachers finally noticed what was happening and rushed over to stop Mom, who was still slapping me. “Ms. Morgan, calm down!” My head swung from side to side under her blows. The wound on the back of my head, which had been pressed against the ground, lost that pressure, and more blood poured out with each movement. One teacher frowned and tried to come check on me. Mom stopped her at once. “Don’t bother with her! It’s just a little scrape. If it actually hurt, she would have screamed by now. She isn’t stupid“Don’t bother with her! She only scraped herself a little. If it actually hurt, she would have screamed by now. She isn’t stupid!” I gave a bitter smile. A long time ago, that had been true. Back then, Mom still cared about me. Whenever I fell or bumped into something, I would go to her so she could clean it, put ointment on it, and blow on it to make it hurt less. But later, whenever I cried, Mom would not even look at me. Over time, I learned to get back up quietly and stop saying it hurt. The teacher still looked uneasy. “She really doesn’t look well to me.” “Just to be safe, I’m going to call the school nurse.” Before Mom could stop her, the teacher had already made the call. Mom scoffed and did not even bother looking at me again. When the school nurse arrived, Mom talked her into leavingWhen the school nurse arrived, Mom sent the nurse right back. “She’s acting. Of course she has to commit to the part.” “Don’t worry. I’m her mother. You can trust me. Nothing is going to happen“Don’t worry. I’m her mother. If I say she’s fine, she’s fine. Nothing is going to happen.” “Everyone, go on. Clear out.” With that, she dispersed the crowd, then gave me one more glance. “If you’re so determined to stay here, then stay. Let’s see how long you can keep lying there.” Over the loudspeaker, Mia’s name was called. The announcement said she had taken first place in both the long jump and the sprint. Mom picked her up and kissed her twice on the cheek. “Come on. Let’s go get your awards.” “You did so well today. What do you want as your reward?” I watched their backs grow farther and farther away. The track meet was almost over, and all the students and teachers were packing up the equipment. Everyone was busy with their own tasks, leaving me lying on the ground all alone. A sour ache spread through my chest. Forty minutes later, the track meet officially ended. People walked past me in twos and threes. Every now and then, a few students who did not know what had happened worried about me. “Chloe has been lying there for so long. What if something really happened to her?” “Could she have heatstroke?” But their concern was quickly drowned out by louder laughter. “Her? I heard she’s throwing a tantrum at her mom. I would never upset my mom like that.” “All she does during recess and PE is run, but it’s not like she ever gets good results. It just makes her look like she’s pretending to work hard.” “She just pulled that sneaky little stunt and made Mia get hurt. What could possibly be wrong with her?” Those rumors sounded painfully familiar. I did not need to think hard to know Mia had spread them. Everyone shook their heads and moved on. When the voices faded, I was once again the only one left on the track field. According to the school’s schedule, after the track meet, there would be a school family flea market in the front lobby. The decorations had all been made by the students, and some of the best projects were displayed on the backdrop wall. Mia picked out a booth and set out the finished beaded bracelets. Mom took the lunches she had prepared out of her backpack. When her fingers touched my lunch box, they paused. She handed lunch to Mia, then absentmindedly poked at the food in my container with her spoon before asking coldly, “Where is Chloe? She doesn’t want to run, and now she doesn’t want to come to the market either?” Mia was wolfing down her food. She mumbled through a mouthful, “I asked her. She insisted it was your fault and said you had to apologize first, so you wouldn’t force her anymoreMia was wolfing down her food. She answered unclearly, “I asked her. She insisted it was your fault and said you had to apologize first, so you wouldn’t force her anymore.” Mom’s expression, which had just softened a little, darkened again. Mia looked deeply wronged and spoke carefully. “Mom, maybe I should go apologize to Chloe.” “Maybe she’s upset because I did well today. She isn’t usually like this.” Mom sighed and gave Mia the meat from her own lunchMom sighed and gave Mia the best part from her own lunch. “This has nothing to do with you. I’ve just spoiled her too much.” “I used to let things slide because I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, and now she thinks she can challenge me“I used to let things slide because I didn’t want to argue with her, and now she thinks she can challenge me.” “Today, I’m going to make her understand exactly who the parent is and who is supposed to listen.”

After graduation, I hooked up with Jasper Vanderbilt one last time before we broke up. Afterwards, he casually handed me a fag and quipped, “When I get married someday, I’m not picking a woman who fags after intimacy.” My throat tightened. I asked him why. He looked at me, cool and detached. “Chloe, I like them innocent.” I stayed silent for a long time, then cut all ties with him. Years later, we crossed paths again—he was my new boss. To avoid the awkwardness, I submitted my resignation right away. But he cornered me in his office. “It’s been five years,” he said, his voice low. “One more time?” I lowered my gaze. “No. I have to pick up my daughter from school.” The room fell silent. Jasper froze. When I tried to stand up from his lap, his arms locked around me, holding me in place. The heat in his eyes faded, and his usual composure cracked slightly. He gritted his teeth. “How old is she?” I paused, then answered softly, “Three.” Three, not four. And we had broken up five years ago. This child wasn’t his. Jasper clearly understood that. I tried to stand again. This time, the arm around my waist let go. As I reached the door, he spoke again, suspicion lacing his voice. “Your employee file says you’re single.” I steadied myself and turned back calmly. “I just got married recently.” “Just married, and your daughter is already three?” I nodded, keeping my expression even. “Yes. We had her before tying the knot.” Jasper didn’t reply. His sharp eyes drifted to the cheap wedding band on my finger, and he let out a dismissive laugh. I didn’t feel embarrassed. I held my hand up, almost shoving the ring in his face. Then, sensing his rising anger, I made a quick escape. That evening at home, I let out a long sigh of relief. Sometimes, a lie is the simplest way to avoid trouble. The ring was a two-d0ll@r trinket I’d bought from a bargain store—cheap, but it did the trick. I figured it would erase any lingering feelings Jasper might still have for me. Sure enough, my resignation was approved the next day. HR personally came to notify me in the afternoon—I only needed one week to hand over my duties. Normally, resignations require a month’s notice. Mine was shortened to a week. It was obvious who had arranged it. I nodded and began training the new intern on my tasks. The intern, Mia Carter, was sweet and eager. During our time together, she never let me pay for breakfast or afternoon snacks. Near the end of the workday, Mia approached me shyly. “Chloe, would it be okay if I left a bit early? My boyfriend is taking me to dinner.” I hesitated—not because I minded her leaving, but because I also needed to leave early to pick up my daughter Lily. Seeing my pause, Mia grew anxious, clasping her hands together and pleading softly, rambling off apologies and thanks. I smiled and gave in. “It’s fine, you can go.” She thanked me excitedly and started packing up. “He’s coming down to meet me soon.” I raised an eyebrow. “Does he work here too?” Mia grinned mysteriously. “No, he’s—” Before she could finish, a deep voice cut in from behind. “All set?” I froze for a moment. If this had been a voice I’d never heard, I might have glanced up to satisfy my curiosity. But unfortunately, this was the voice that had filled my nightmares every night for the past five years. On those sleepless nights when I needed pills just to drift off, Jasper’s words replayed in my ears, over and over. “Chloe, you’re too sweet. I’d only be a bad influence on you.” “Chloe, learn to fag. It looks cool on girls—I want to see a different side of you.” And so, under his coaxing, I gave in. I learned. Starting my sophomore year, I went from being one of Jasper’s admirers to his bed partner. Later, I beat out all the other girls—upperclassmen and underclassmen alike—and became his girlfriend for three whole years. The day he accepted my confession, the weather was miserable—wind howling outside. He’d just dropped off a senior girl after their date, his car parked right outside the girl’s dormitory. His slender fingers held a fag lazily against the window, as if he were resting. Ash scattered in the wind, vanishing into the air. I’d thrown on a jacket, run downstairs, and knocked on his window. Emboldened by that sliver of special attention he’d always shown me, I confessed. At that moment, even the wind seemed to quiet—like a movie put on pause. I waited, still, for his reply. Jasper turned to look at me. He took out a fag and held it toward my lips. His dark eyes were bottomless, dangerously compelling. Without thinking, I let my lips close around it—brushing his fingers. He didn’t pull away. A faint trace of amusement gave way to quiet permission. All he said was: “The good girl’s not so good anymore.” Back then, I was drowning in his gaze, completely missing what those words truly meant. It wasn’t until graduation day—our last meeting, the last time he ever invited me to a hotel—that it finally hit me. After we were together, he casually handed me a fag. “When I get married, I won’t choose a woman who fags after intimacy.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and asked him why. Jasper smiled, fag curling from his fingers. His tone was more serious than I’d ever heard. “Chloe, I like them innocent.” Tears stung my eyes, stealing my breath. Innocent. He said he liked them innocent. Yet once, he’d told me over and over that I was too innocent, too well-behaved—that he didn’t know what to do with me. Only now did I finally understand what he meant back then. Once I stopped being “good,” I became just another plaything to him—someone to play with, then discard. I pulled myself from the memory, my expression smoothing back to calm indifference. Mia turned around excitedly, grabbed her bag, and hurried toward the voice—then paused and glanced back at me. “Chloe, don’t you need to pick up your daughter? We can give you a lift.” I opened my mouth to decline, but Jasper walked straight over, picked up my bag from the desk, and headed toward the parking lot without giving me a chance to refuse. The car was filled with an awkward silence, broken only by Mia’s occasional attempts at conversation. Jasper tapped the steering wheel idly, answering her in a casual tone, though his gaze kept drifting toward me. Mia, perhaps sensing the tension, tried to lighten the mood by chatting with me. “Chloe, since you work late so often, does your husband usually pick up Lily?” It took me a second to register the word husband. I shook my head and made up an excuse. “He works out of town. He’s not around much.” She nodded, her eyes dropping to the cheap ring on my finger—the one I’d bought from a d0ll@r store days before. “Is that your wedding ring? It looks a bit faded. Kinda like one of those bargain finds online, maybe ten bucks with free shipping. Oh—sorry, I didn’t mean it like that! Please don’t take it the wrong way.” Mia quickly turned to apologize, but I didn’t miss the flicker of disdain and faint superiority in her eyes. In a way, it made sense. Next to my worn diaper bag, her Hermès purse might as well have been from another world. I was about to respond when a low chuckle cut through the air. Jasper reached over and ruffled Mia’s hair, his smile fond. “It’s fine, you didn’t say anything wrong. No need to apologize.” Then his eyes met mine in the rearview mirror, his tone light but pointed. “Poor people are all about their pride. If you’re that direct, someone might give you a hard time at work tomorrow.” The words were aimed at Mia, but the message was clearly meant for me. A seemingly offhand remark—protective of her, quietly warning me. I pretended not to hear and looked out the window. I’d heard variations of this countless times during the three years I was with Jasper. That I wasn’t good enough for him—and I knew it was true. We came from completely different worlds. My family was comfortable, but firmly middle-class. The Vanderbilts, though, weren’t just wealthy—they were old money, positioned at the very center of influence. Jasper had made it clear from the start: “Chloe, you can be my girlfriend. But you’ll never be my wife.” I knew. I’d always known. I guarded my heart carefully, never letting myself hope for more. But in moments of weakness, I’d wavered. I’d wondered if I should try—fight for a chance, just once. What if it worked? So, as graduation approached, I asked Jasper to meet me. He picked me up early that day. His driver pulled into a secluded spot on campus, then stepped out to give us privacy. I was turned gently toward the window, the dappled sycamore tree light filtering through the sun and stinging my eyes, leaving me barely able to open them. An hour later, Jasper leaned back against the seat, his white dress shirt slightly damp, a fine layer of sweat glistening on his forehead. The car window was partly open, a cool breeze scattering the faint fag from his lips. I looked at him and asked the question that had been haunting me. “Jasper… do you love me?” I realized then—more than whether he’d marry me, I needed to know if he’d ever loved me at all. He met my gaze, the usual playfulness gone, replaced by a rare seriousness. “Graduation’s almost here.” In that moment, I understood. Graduation was right around the corner—and so was our end..

My mom always said I was just lazy by nature. As a fitness coach, she made me and my sister wear fitness trackers since we were kids. But no matter what I did, my arms and legs would suddenly stiffen, and I’d fall flat on the ground. My teachers even thought it might be ALS. Mom just snorted. “Stop making things up. She’s just lazy.” If I didn’t burn enough calories, she punished me even harder. “Your sister can do it. Why can’t you? You’re just lazy!” I cried and tried to explain. She didn’t believe me. “Data doesn’t lie. You’ll learn your lesson once you’re exhausted.” At the school track meet, I signed up for the 800 meters. When the whistle went off, I ran as hard as I could. But my legs got stiffer and stiffer. Mom sat in the stands, her face dark. Then my vision went black, and I fell. She looked at me with disgust. “Again? Playing dead so you don’t have to run?” “Fine. I’ll fix this today. Let’s see how long you stay down.” I lay there, watching her and my sister blur in front of me. Mom… this time, I’m really not being lazy. I just… can’t move anymore. Mom always said I was just born lazy. As a personal trainer, Mom had Mia and me wearing fitness trackers practically from birthAs a fitness coach, she put fitness trackers on me and Mia from the day we were born. But whether it was running laps in PE or doing the long jump, my arms and legs would suddenly lock up, and I would go sprawling across the ground. My teachers worried it might be ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Mom only scoffed. “Please. She’s just lazy.” Whenever I failed to meet my daily calorie goal, she punished me twice as hard. “Mia can handle the exact same workout, so why can’t you? You’re just lazy!” At first, I cried and tried to explain. Mom didn’t believe me. “The data doesn’t lie. Once you’re tired enough, maybe you’ll finally learn your lesson.” After a while, I started blaming myself too. Why was I so lazy? On the day of the school track meet, I signed up for the 800-meter race. The starting pist0l went off, and I ran as hard as I could, but my legs grew stiffer and stiffer. Mom sat in the bleachers, her face dark with anger. At last, my vision went black, and I collapsed. The back of my head struck the concrete curb, and blood spread across the ground. Mom stood beside me, frowning in disgust. “This again? You think playing dead gets you out of exercising?” “Fine. I’m going to break this bad habit of yours today. Let’s see how long it takes before you finally get up“Fine. I’m curing you of this attitude today. Let’s see how long it takes before you finally get up.” I lay on the ground as Mom and Mia blurred in front of me. Mom, I really wasn’t being lazy this time. I just could not move anymore. *** The wound on the back of my head hurt so badly it felt like my skull was splitting open. I opened my mouth, trying to explain, but I could not make a sound. Then the whole world went silent. A few classmates noticed something was wrong and quickly rushed over to me. Their faces were full of concern, nothing like Mom’s cold expression. Before they could say anything, Mia, standing beside Mom, spread her arms and blocked their wayBefore they could say anything, Mia spread her arms and blocked them. “You don’t have to help her. She’s just trying to get out of exercising!” With that, she lifted my limp wrist and pulled up the numbers on my fitness tracker for everyone to see. “Mom says this number has to reach 2.0, and she’s not even at 1.0 yet!” She meant the daily calorie burn Mom required from us. We were supposed to hit 2,000 active calories every day. Then Mia let go of my hand. My hand slammed hard against the ground, and my knuckles made a dull little thud against the pavement. That finally made Mom glance over. Out of habit, I shut my eyes and waited for the pain to come. A few seconds passed before I realized that once a person was dead, pain stopped coming. I had not even had time to feel relieved before I caught Mom’s gaze, and my stomach dropped all over again. But in the next second, after Mia tapped open the data on her own fitness tracker, the question in Mom’s eyes turned back into disgust. There was a smiley face beside Mia’s number, which meant she had hit her goal. Mia looked smug as she bragged to the other students. “I’m telling you, she’s always like this! She never hits the goal.” “And I’m two years younger than her, but I can still do it!” “Mom says she’s lazy, and she always talks back and makes Mom mad.” Hearing Mia take her side, Mom smiled and stroked Mia’s hairHearing Mia defend her, Mom smiled and stroked her hair. Seeing how calm the two of them looked, the classmates began to hesitate. “But is she really okay like that?” “I heard Chloe Parker is Ms. Morgan’s daughter. Chloe is always saying how much Ms. Morgan loves her and how well Ms. Morgan treats her, so Ms. Morgan wouldn’t just ignore her“I heard Chloe Parker is Ms. Morgan’s daughter. Chloe is always saying how much Ms. Morgan loves her and how good she is to her, so Ms. Morgan wouldn’t just ignore her.” “Maybe they just had a fight.” As they talked, more and more students gathered around. But Mia stopped them one by one, and no one managed to come close enough to check on me. Mom’s expression grew worse and worse. Out of habit, I apologized to her, but she could not hear me. She pointed at me, her voice full of disgust. “Chloe Parker! Are you done making a scene?” “You may not have any shame, but I do. Are you proud of this? Do you really want everyone laughing at us“You may not care about embarrassing yourself, but I still have a reputation. Is this supposed to make you proud? Do you really want everyone laughing at us that badly?” In the past, even when my limbs stiffened and I fell again and again, I would still force myself to get back up because I did not want to make Mom angrier. But now I stayed where I was, face down on the ground, without moving at all. Mia stared at my tracker and added fuel to the fire. “Mom, look. Chloe’s number is still going up.” “She’s totally fine. She’s just doing this to defy you“She’s totally fine. She’s just doing this to get back at you!” Mom was so angry her chest rose and fell sharply. “You want to put on a show? Fine. I’ll play along with you all day if I have to.” Watching Mom’s face turn red with fury, Mia stomped over and kicked my hand. “Bad Chloe! That’s what you get for making Mom mad!” By pure coincidence, my curled fingers slipped through the loop in the bow of her sneaker lace. Mia’s sneaker lace caught on my fingers before she could react, and she lost her balance, hitting the ground hardMia was caught off guard. She lost her balance and fell hard onto the ground. Her shrill crying exploded through the crowd. Mom hurried to help Mia up and carefully checked her for injuries. When she saw that Mia had split her lip, the fury in her eyes turned even more viciousWhen she saw that Mia’s mouth had been scraped open, the hostility in her eyes deepened. Then she raised her foot and kicked me hard. My limp, powerless body flipped over from the force of the kickMy soft, powerless body flipped over from the force of the blow. My body lay faceup, but my head, too heavy to turn with it, remained twisted to one sideMy body had landed faceup, but my head was still twisted to the side because it was too heavy to move with the rest of me. Anyone who looked closely would have seen that my head and body were positioned all wrong, almost unnaturally so. But Mom was too busy fussing over Mia to notice. All I could hear was her cursing at me. “Chloe, how could you be this cruel?” “That was Mia! Your own sister“That was Mia! Your own family!” “You’re a girl too. How would you feel if your face got smashed up like that?” The more she spoke, the angrier she became. Then she simply raised her hand and slapped me across the face again. “You just have to fight me on everything, don’t you? You have to go against Mia too!” “How did I end up raising something so lazy and so vicious? I wasted every bit of love I ever gave you!” The crack of the slap rang through the crowd, and some students covered their eyes in fear. Mia’s eyes were full of tears, but there was no hurt in them. If anything, there was a flicker of satisfaction, as if she had finally gotten even. “It wasn’t me... I was already... dead...” I murmured the words. For some reason, even though my body could no longer feel pain, my heart still felt as if it had been cut open again and again. It had not always been like this. In my hazy childhood memories, Mom had never treated me this way. Back then, she would always smile, give me a thumbs-up, and tell me I had done a great job. Whatever I wanted, she would buy it for me. Every day, she put so much thought into making me balanced meals, and at night, she would tell me stories until I fell asleep. I remembered all of it. Things only changed later, after my body started having problems. Her attitude toward me grew worse and worse. At first, she would still patiently talk me through what had gone wrong. Then she gradually became impatient. In the end, that impatience turned into deeper and deeper disgust. The truth was, I had never blamed Mom. I could even understand her. Dad once told me that Mom had a younger brother when she was little. But when he was ten, he died after a sudden high feverBut when he was ten, he died after running a fever. The doctors said his body had always been too weak, and he could not survive such a sudden, severe illness. After that, Mom became especially focused on physical fitness. When she was preg...n@nt with me, she and Dad had already talked about raising us in the healthiest way possibleFrom the time she had me, she and Dad had talked about raising healthy kids. She researched children’s exercise and ways to build strength, collecting thick stacks of notes and plans. She even had our fitness trackers custom-made. “Your mom just cares about you girls too much,” Dad told me. After hearing that, I finally understood that everything Mom did was for our own good. I did not want to disappoint her, so even when I fell over and over again, even when my whole body was covered in injuries, I kept getting back up and trying to meet her expectations. But no matter how hard I tried, in her eyes, I was still the lazy child. Several teachers finally noticed what was happening and rushed over to stop Mom, who was still slapping me. “Ms. Morgan, calm down!” My head swung from side to side under her blows. The wound on the back of my head, which had been pressed against the ground, lost that pressure, and more blood poured out with each movement. One teacher frowned and tried to come check on me. Mom stopped her at once. “Don’t bother with her! It’s just a little scrape. If it actually hurt, she would have screamed by now. She isn’t stupid“Don’t bother with her! She only scraped herself a little. If it actually hurt, she would have screamed by now. She isn’t stupid!” I gave a bitter smile. A long time ago, that had been true. Back then, Mom still cared about me. Whenever I fell or bumped into something, I would go to her so she could clean it, put ointment on it, and blow on it to make it hurt less. But later, whenever I cried, Mom would not even look at me. Over time, I learned to get back up quietly and stop saying it hurt. The teacher still looked uneasy. “She really doesn’t look well to me.” “Just to be safe, I’m going to call the school nurse.” Before Mom could stop her, the teacher had already made the call. Mom scoffed and did not even bother looking at me again. When the school nurse arrived, Mom talked her into leavingWhen the school nurse arrived, Mom sent the nurse right back. “She’s acting. Of course she has to commit to the part.” “Don’t worry. I’m her mother. You can trust me. Nothing is going to happen“Don’t worry. I’m her mother. If I say she’s fine, she’s fine. Nothing is going to happen.” “Everyone, go on. Clear out.” With that, she dispersed the crowd, then gave me one more glance. “If you’re so determined to stay here, then stay. Let’s see how long you can keep lying there.” Over the loudspeaker, Mia’s name was called. The announcement said she had taken first place in both the long jump and the sprint. Mom picked her up and kissed her twice on the cheek. “Come on. Let’s go get your awards.” “You did so well today. What do you want as your reward?” I watched their backs grow farther and farther away. The track meet was almost over, and all the students and teachers were packing up the equipment. Everyone was busy with their own tasks, leaving me lying on the ground all alone. A sour ache spread through my chest. Forty minutes later, the track meet officially ended. People walked past me in twos and threes. Every now and then, a few students who did not know what had happened worried about me. “Chloe has been lying there for so long. What if something really happened to her?” “Could she have heatstroke?” But their concern was quickly drowned out by louder laughter. “Her? I heard she’s throwing a tantrum at her mom. I would never upset my mom like that.” “All she does during recess and PE is run, but it’s not like she ever gets good results. It just makes her look like she’s pretending to work hard.” “She just pulled that sneaky little stunt and made Mia get hurt. What could possibly be wrong with her?” Those rumors sounded painfully familiar. I did not need to think hard to know Mia had spread them. Everyone shook their heads and moved on. When the voices faded, I was once again the only one left on the track field. According to the school’s schedule, after the track meet, there would be a school family flea market in the front lobby. The decorations had all been made by the students, and some of the best projects were displayed on the backdrop wall. Mia picked out a booth and set out the finished beaded bracelets. Mom took the lunches she had prepared out of her backpack. When her fingers touched my lunch box, they paused. She handed lunch to Mia, then absentmindedly poked at the food in my container with her spoon before asking coldly, “Where is Chloe? She doesn’t want to run, and now she doesn’t want to come to the market either?” Mia was wolfing down her food. She mumbled through a mouthful, “I asked her. She insisted it was your fault and said you had to apologize first, so you wouldn’t force her anymoreMia was wolfing down her food. She answered unclearly, “I asked her. She insisted it was your fault and said you had to apologize first, so you wouldn’t force her anymore.” Mom’s expression, which had just softened a little, darkened again. Mia looked deeply wronged and spoke carefully. “Mom, maybe I should go apologize to Chloe.” “Maybe she’s upset because I did well today. She isn’t usually like this.” Mom sighed and gave Mia the meat from her own lunchMom sighed and gave Mia the best part from her own lunch. “This has nothing to do with you. I’ve just spoiled her too much.” “I used to let things slide because I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, and now she thinks she can challenge me“I used to let things slide because I didn’t want to argue with her, and now she thinks she can challenge me.” “Today, I’m going to make her understand exactly who the parent is and who is supposed to listen.”

After graduation, I hooked up with Jasper Vanderbilt one last time before we broke up. Afterwards, he casually handed me a fag and quipped, “When I get married someday, I’m not picking a woman who fags after intimacy.” My throat tightened. I asked him why. He looked at me, cool and detached. “Chloe, I like them innocent.” I stayed silent for a long time, then cut all ties with him. Years later, we crossed paths again—he was my new boss. To avoid the awkwardness, I submitted my resignation right away. But he cornered me in his office. “It’s been five years,” he said, his voice low. “One more time?” I lowered my gaze. “No. I have to pick up my daughter from school.” The room fell silent. Jasper froze. When I tried to stand up from his lap, his arms locked around me, holding me in place. The heat in his eyes faded, and his usual composure cracked slightly. He gritted his teeth. “How old is she?” I paused, then answered softly, “Three.” Three, not four. And we had broken up five years ago. This child wasn’t his. Jasper clearly understood that. I tried to stand again. This time, the arm around my waist let go. As I reached the door, he spoke again, suspicion lacing his voice. “Your employee file says you’re single.” I steadied myself and turned back calmly. “I just got married recently.” “Just married, and your daughter is already three?” I nodded, keeping my expression even. “Yes. We had her before tying the knot.” Jasper didn’t reply. His sharp eyes drifted to the cheap wedding band on my finger, and he let out a dismissive laugh. I didn’t feel embarrassed. I held my hand up, almost shoving the ring in his face. Then, sensing his rising anger, I made a quick escape. That evening at home, I let out a long sigh of relief. Sometimes, a lie is the simplest way to avoid trouble. The ring was a two-d0ll@r trinket I’d bought from a bargain store—cheap, but it did the trick. I figured it would erase any lingering feelings Jasper might still have for me. Sure enough, my resignation was approved the next day. HR personally came to notify me in the afternoon—I only needed one week to hand over my duties. Normally, resignations require a month’s notice. Mine was shortened to a week. It was obvious who had arranged it. I nodded and began training the new intern on my tasks. The intern, Mia Carter, was sweet and eager. During our time together, she never let me pay for breakfast or afternoon snacks. Near the end of the workday, Mia approached me shyly. “Chloe, would it be okay if I left a bit early? My boyfriend is taking me to dinner.” I hesitated—not because I minded her leaving, but because I also needed to leave early to pick up my daughter Lily. Seeing my pause, Mia grew anxious, clasping her hands together and pleading softly, rambling off apologies and thanks. I smiled and gave in. “It’s fine, you can go.” She thanked me excitedly and started packing up. “He’s coming down to meet me soon.” I raised an eyebrow. “Does he work here too?” Mia grinned mysteriously. “No, he’s—” Before she could finish, a deep voice cut in from behind. “All set?” I froze for a moment. If this had been a voice I’d never heard, I might have glanced up to satisfy my curiosity. But unfortunately, this was the voice that had filled my nightmares every night for the past five years. On those sleepless nights when I needed pills just to drift off, Jasper’s words replayed in my ears, over and over. “Chloe, you’re too sweet. I’d only be a bad influence on you.” “Chloe, learn to fag. It looks cool on girls—I want to see a different side of you.” And so, under his coaxing, I gave in. I learned. Starting my sophomore year, I went from being one of Jasper’s admirers to his bed partner. Later, I beat out all the other girls—upperclassmen and underclassmen alike—and became his girlfriend for three whole years. The day he accepted my confession, the weather was miserable—wind howling outside. He’d just dropped off a senior girl after their date, his car parked right outside the girl’s dormitory. His slender fingers held a fag lazily against the window, as if he were resting. Ash scattered in the wind, vanishing into the air. I’d thrown on a jacket, run downstairs, and knocked on his window. Emboldened by that sliver of special attention he’d always shown me, I confessed. At that moment, even the wind seemed to quiet—like a movie put on pause. I waited, still, for his reply. Jasper turned to look at me. He took out a fag and held it toward my lips. His dark eyes were bottomless, dangerously compelling. Without thinking, I let my lips close around it—brushing his fingers. He didn’t pull away. A faint trace of amusement gave way to quiet permission. All he said was: “The good girl’s not so good anymore.” Back then, I was drowning in his gaze, completely missing what those words truly meant. It wasn’t until graduation day—our last meeting, the last time he ever invited me to a hotel—that it finally hit me. After we were together, he casually handed me a fag. “When I get married, I won’t choose a woman who fags after intimacy.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and asked him why. Jasper smiled, fag curling from his fingers. His tone was more serious than I’d ever heard. “Chloe, I like them innocent.” Tears stung my eyes, stealing my breath. Innocent. He said he liked them innocent. Yet once, he’d told me over and over that I was too innocent, too well-behaved—that he didn’t know what to do with me. Only now did I finally understand what he meant back then. Once I stopped being “good,” I became just another plaything to him—someone to play with, then discard. I pulled myself from the memory, my expression smoothing back to calm indifference. Mia turned around excitedly, grabbed her bag, and hurried toward the voice—then paused and glanced back at me. “Chloe, don’t you need to pick up your daughter? We can give you a lift.” I opened my mouth to decline, but Jasper walked straight over, picked up my bag from the desk, and headed toward the parking lot without giving me a chance to refuse. The car was filled with an awkward silence, broken only by Mia’s occasional attempts at conversation. Jasper tapped the steering wheel idly, answering her in a casual tone, though his gaze kept drifting toward me. Mia, perhaps sensing the tension, tried to lighten the mood by chatting with me. “Chloe, since you work late so often, does your husband usually pick up Lily?” It took me a second to register the word husband. I shook my head and made up an excuse. “He works out of town. He’s not around much.” She nodded, her eyes dropping to the cheap ring on my finger—the one I’d bought from a d0ll@r store days before. “Is that your wedding ring? It looks a bit faded. Kinda like one of those bargain finds online, maybe ten bucks with free shipping. Oh—sorry, I didn’t mean it like that! Please don’t take it the wrong way.” Mia quickly turned to apologize, but I didn’t miss the flicker of disdain and faint superiority in her eyes. In a way, it made sense. Next to my worn diaper bag, her Hermès purse might as well have been from another world. I was about to respond when a low chuckle cut through the air. Jasper reached over and ruffled Mia’s hair, his smile fond. “It’s fine, you didn’t say anything wrong. No need to apologize.” Then his eyes met mine in the rearview mirror, his tone light but pointed. “Poor people are all about their pride. If you’re that direct, someone might give you a hard time at work tomorrow.” The words were aimed at Mia, but the message was clearly meant for me. A seemingly offhand remark—protective of her, quietly warning me. I pretended not to hear and looked out the window. I’d heard variations of this countless times during the three years I was with Jasper. That I wasn’t good enough for him—and I knew it was true. We came from completely different worlds. My family was comfortable, but firmly middle-class. The Vanderbilts, though, weren’t just wealthy—they were old money, positioned at the very center of influence. Jasper had made it clear from the start: “Chloe, you can be my girlfriend. But you’ll never be my wife.” I knew. I’d always known. I guarded my heart carefully, never letting myself hope for more. But in moments of weakness, I’d wavered. I’d wondered if I should try—fight for a chance, just once. What if it worked? So, as graduation approached, I asked Jasper to meet me. He picked me up early that day. His driver pulled into a secluded spot on campus, then stepped out to give us privacy. I was turned gently toward the window, the dappled sycamore tree light filtering through the sun and stinging my eyes, leaving me barely able to open them. An hour later, Jasper leaned back against the seat, his white dress shirt slightly damp, a fine layer of sweat glistening on his forehead. The car window was partly open, a cool breeze scattering the faint fag from his lips. I looked at him and asked the question that had been haunting me. “Jasper… do you love me?” I realized then—more than whether he’d marry me, I needed to know if he’d ever loved me at all. He met my gaze, the usual playfulness gone, replaced by a rare seriousness. “Graduation’s almost here.” In that moment, I understood. Graduation was right around the corner—and so was our end..