Chapter 1

Mom was a parenting influencer with a million followers.

She preached about raising children with freedom and respect for their natural instincts, yet she demanded I score perfect grades.

For every point less than 100%, she'd slap me once.

If I scored 90%, I'd be locked in the basement for ten hours without food.

To control me and my twin sister, Mom had "anti-laziness chips" implanted near our hearts.

If I zoned out for even one minute, my heart would throb with excruciating pain.

But when Bella binge-watched ten episodes of a TV series, Mom said she was just "balancing work and play."

Bella secretly erased my name from my perfect-score test and wrote hers instead.

Mom flew into a rage.

She stormed to school and slapped me ninety-nine times in front of my entire class.

"You got a zero? How stupid can you be!"

Dad was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Elena, your mom is doing this for your own good. Don't blame her."

Everyone sided with Mom, accusing me of being ungrateful.

I tried to explain, but the next thing I felt was the piercing electric shock.

I looked at her with questioning eyes. What about Bella?

Why does she get to do whatever she wants?

My lips turned pale as I whispered, "Mom, I can't take this anymore."

Mom looked down at me from above. "You scored a zero. You have no right to be lazy. Study now! No food until you finish."

Outside my bedroom, the house was lively.

I couldn't help thinking—maybe if I just rest for a moment, Mom won't notice.