Chapter 1

“Mom, please let me out of the pond. I’m really scared...”

I was standing unsteadily in the pond. My feet had sunk into the muddy bottom, and the water reached my chest.

My mother’s face was red with rage as she pointed and shouted at me, “Oh, so now you’re scared? You should’ve thought about that before you flunked!

“I work all day, then come home at night to help your father feed the fish. I skip meals and wear the same old clothes just to pay for your tutoring classes. Is this how you thank me?”

She went on about all her sacrifices, as though every misfortune in her life was my fault.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the freezing air hit my lungs, and I started hacking.

“Did the cat get your tongue? You always go silent when I scold you. You know you’re wrong, so you’ve got nothing to say now, right?”

She was talking so fast. I could not get a word in.

“What did I do to deserve such a stupid kid?”

She slapped her palm against her forehead. Her eyes were bloodshot. I could not tell whether it was from anger or self-pity.

“Back in my day, if I had half the chances you’ve been given, I’d be at an Ivy League school by now. I wouldn’t be working myself to the bone. You had everything handed to you, and you blew it all?”

I protested weakly, “Mom, I stay up late studying every single night. I’m really trying...”

“Don’t give me that nonsense!”

She scoffed and looked at me with contempt.

“I bet you were up all night glued to your phone. You’ve always been a pro at putting on a pathetic act.

“Listen, on the day you turn eighteen, you’re on your own. I’d like to see what kind of future you’ll have when you can’t even get into college.”

“Mom, please stop pushing me...”

I was shivering from the cold.

“Maybe I’m really just not cut out for school. I could get a job instead...”

I finally got the courage to say what I had been holding back for so long.

Just then, the neighbor, Zoey, was drawn over by the commotion.

She gasped when she saw me in the pond.

“Good grief! It’s freezing cold. How could you let her just sit in that water?

“Get her out of there. She just flunked her test once! That doesn’t make her a bad kid. You’re going to break her if you keep this up!”

My mother became even madder. She yelled at Zoey, “Mind your own business! Are you hoping she flunks school for you to have a good laugh at my expense? Get lost!”

Zoey’s face turned pale, then flushed with embarrassment.

She shook her head, sighed, and walked off.

At that point, my father walked over and said hesitantly, “Look, maybe just let her come inside. We still need to catch Belle’s college send-off party.”

My mother rolled her eyes at him, then turned back to me and continued yelling, “Look at your cousin. She got into an Ivy League school. Her parents are so proud of her! Meanwhile, look at what you got? Are you doing this on purpose just to spite me? Stay in that pond until you come to your senses!”

My father said reluctantly, “What if she catches something from this? She’s still young. We could’ve just sat her down and had a talk—”

My mother cut him off sharply.

“This is all your fault! You coddle her constantly, and now, she has zero sense of responsibility. If she had even an ounce of gratitude, she never would’ve flunked such a test.”

My father fell silent. He had no strength to argue.

In the end, my mother still dragged him away.

Once they were out of sight, I tried to crawl back onto the bank.

My hands, however, were tied behind my back, which made moving difficult.

Suddenly, I felt my calf cramp. That sharp burst of pain made me lose my balance. I accidentally inhaled several mouthfuls of water.

I lost my footing entirely and fell headfirst into the pond.

Waterweed tangled tightly around my ankles. The more I thrashed, the tighter it gripped, and I began to suffocate.

Just as my vision was getting dark, some memories flashed before my eyes.

It was 1 a.m.. I had been so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open.

My mother had jabbed my thigh hard with a sewing needle.

The sting had jolted me awake. She had looked at me with a smile.

“Tristy, no pain, no gain. Snap out of it and continue studying.”

She brewed me strong coffee and bought all kinds of nutritional supplements.

She looked at me with so much expectation that I felt suffocated.

I knew she had high hopes for me.

Getting into high school had already exhausted me. I was halfway through senior year and felt completely burned out.

As my energy slowly drained from my body, a strange sense of calm took its place instead.

Perhaps if I just let myself sink, I could finally be free...

Mom, I’m sorry I can’t be the perfect student you keep hoping for.

You have sacrificed so much for me. Maybe you would be relieved to be rid of me, too.

The water swallowed me whole, and everything faded into darkness and silence.