Chapter 3

Mom scoffed.

“Professor Thompson, don’t waste your time. Lily’s a bad seed—born to lie and manipulate!”

Professor Thompson tried to reason with her.

But Mom hung up without a second thought.

David stood there, looking like he wanted to say something but biting his tongue.

Mom didn’t seem worried at all.

“She’ll check in by tomorrow morning, tops.”

“If not, she gets zero allowance for the whole month!”

But the next day, my check-in never came.

Mom started pacing the house, clearly anxious.

Her phone rang, and she grabbed it instantly.

It was Dad.

“Eleanor Green speaking.”

“Your ex-husband’s a little short on cash. Send me some money!”

Mom’s face turned red with rage.

“Victor Adams! You bastard, how dare you call me?”

“Believe me, I don’t want to. But our daughter didn’t send me my monthly money.”

My chest tightened.

Oh no.

Mom would lose it if she found out I’d been in touch with Dad.

Ever since Dad found out I got into a top university,

he’d been harassing me nonstop.

“My successful daughter’s forgotten her poor old dad,”

he’d sob outside my dorm, putting on a whole show for everyone to see.

“Your old man’s barely scraping by. No money, and I’ll have to go bother your mom!”

To keep him away from Mom, I’d been sending him $100 from my monthly allowance—whatever I could spare.

But this month, being sick, I had nothing extra to give.

I told him I was sick, but he didn’t care.

I never thought he’d go straight to Mom!

I floated around in a panic.

Bitterness welled up inside me.

It was his fault Mom lost the baby, got divorced, and developed anxiety!

Why couldn’t he just disappear?

Mom was already on edge from me missing check-in this morning.

This call was like pouring gasoline on a fire.

Her voice shot up in volume.

“You son of a bitch! You’ve been talking to her??”

“Do you have any idea what Lily went through when you cheated? The looks, the whispers??”

“And now you’re dragging her back into this??”

“Just drop dead! Go crawl in a hole and die!”

She slammed the phone down.

I froze.

So Mom *had* noticed how much I was hurting back then.

She did care about me.

A small smile tugged at my lips.

I wanted to hug her so badly.

But Mom was trembling all over.

“Lily… Lily!”

"I told her not to talk to her father. How could she lie to me..."

Her hands shook so hard she could barely hold her phone.

My chest tightened—Mom was having a panic attack.

Mom dropped to her knees, gasping for air, then collapsed to the floor.

"Mom!"

I tried to help her, but my hands just passed through her body.

"Mom!!"

Mia ran in when she heard the noise.

"Mom! I'll get your medicine!"

Mia wasn't even five, but she knew exactly what to do.

She was calmer than I ever could be.

She grabbed the pill bottle, got a glass of water, and helped Mom sit up.

After Mom took the medicine, her breathing steadied.

I let out a shaky breath.

"Mia, you're my little angel."

"Not like your sister. She's nothing but trouble."

"I warned her a hundred times, but she kept sneaking around with him."

"Why would she..."

Mom's voice cracked, and she started sobbing.

Mia wrapped her tiny arms around Mom's neck like a little grown-up.

"Don't cry, Mom. Both me and Lily are your angels!"

Watching them hug, I hung my head.

She was right to be upset with me.

She told me never to talk to Dad again.

I promised, but I broke that promise.

Just then, Mom's phone rang again—urgently.