Chapter 2

My words froze Mom mid-sentence.

It was true; I'd never once defied her since childhood.

We were a single-parent family; my dad passed away when I was very young.

Everyone around us urged Mom to remarry, but she refused.

"What if I remarry, and he doesn't treat my daughter well?" she'd say.

She drilled that into my head constantly throughout my childhood.

At first, I felt guilty and incredibly grateful for her sacrifice.

But as time wore on, I just felt exhausted.

Under Mom's constant 'guidance,' my thoughts twisted. I genuinely believed that disobeying her meant I was a monster, deserving of nothing.

Sometimes, secretly, I'd wonder if Mom had remarried, maybe her focus wouldn't be solely on me, and I wouldn't have had such a hard life.

But now, after living a tragic, manipulated life in my past, I understood.

I needed to live the life *I* wanted. And if possible, I hoped my mom could find her own life too.

She stared at me for a moment, her mouth slightly agape.

"Audrey, you've grown up, haven't you? You don't listen to your mom anymore."

"I raised you from a baby, sacrificing everything, being both your mother and father. Is *this* how you repay me?"

"You actually dared to threaten me with death? Fine. If you absolutely insist on the STEM track, I'll bash my head against the wall and die."

With that, her eyes welled up, and she moved as if to carry out her threat.

I lowered my gaze.

In my previous life, I would have been on my knees by now, crying and begging her not to.

Whenever I had my own ideas that went against her wishes, she'd pull this stunt.

It always worked.

Slowly, I lost all courage to rebel.

But now, I just wanted to forge my own path.

Mimicking her theatrics, I picked up a fruit knife from the table.

Her eyes widened in shock as I pressed the blade against my wrist.

"Go on, Mom. Bash your head in. If you die, I'll die with you."

0