Chapter 4

Ignoring the fact that she was completely naked, Mom lunged forward.

"Have you completely lost your mind? He's your father!"

"No, he's not! He's just an outsider!" I screamed with everything I had.

The fury in Mom's eyes quickly turned into pure disgust. "I swear I gave birth to a curse. All you do is ruin my life!

"Do you know why I never loved your father? He was a boring guy who spent all his time and energy working! He deserved to work himself to death!"

Mom's last sentence hit me like an arrow piercing straight through my chest. Tears streaming down my face, I pointed at Winston and yelled, "All he has to do is flirt with you a little, and you throw yourself at him like a desperate dog in heat. I hope Dad comes back as a ghost and drags both of you to hell!"

Mom delivered the second slap of my grown-up life. This time, it landed with a harder force than before.

Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth, and Mom was so mad that veins on her forehead bulged.

"You're moving into the school dorms starting tomorrow, and don't bother coming home, even during the holidays!"

"Fine," I resolutely replied.

Standing behind her, Winston shot me a smug look, as if he were silently declaring his victory.

…

After moving into the school dorms, I finally felt at peace. Every day after classes ended, I would stay in the library reading and grinding through practice exams. I was always the last person to leave.

Mom only gave me 100 dollars a month for living expenses, so every meal at school was just a plain bread roll. I spent every extra penny I had on study materials.

My stomach was constantly cramped with hunger pangs, but they served as a reminder to study harder.

Every night after the evening study sessions ended, I stayed behind in class for an extra two hours solving equations. The dorm monitor noticed my routine and started leaving the doors unlocked for me.

After hesitating for a long time, I finally bought a bag of oranges.

When I handed them to her, tears welled up in her eyes. "I've seen you eat nothing but a plain bread roll for breakfast every day. Your family must not be giving you much money, are they?

"These oranges are on me."

With that, she pulled a 100-dollar bill out of her wallet and tried to force it into my hand.

I immediately pushed it away. "No. These oranges only cost me five dollars…"

"Take it. I believe in you, child. You're going to get into the best college!"

Her encouragement felt like a tiny spark of fire in the darkness, giving me a huge motivation to keep working hard. Aside from eating and sleeping, I spent all my time studying.

My deskmate noticed the dark circles under my eyes and couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you exhausted?"

"I am, but it's worth it," I answered in a tired voice.

One day in physics class, the teacher called on me to answer a question. Just as I stood up, the room spun, and I crashed onto the floor.

When I woke up, I found myself lying in a hospital bed, hooked to an IV drip on the back of my hand.

"You really are a manipulative snake, Alera Welch. I can't believe you went behind my back to complain to your homeroom teacher.

"She called to tell me that you fainted from malnutrition and demanded that I give you more allowance money."

Mom's contorted, furious face appeared before my eyes as she yelled and cursed.

I rolled my eyes and turned my body away, refusing to look at her. The next second, a thick stack of 100-dollar bills slapped onto my body.

"Here's a thousand dollars!

"That's all your living expenses for the next three years of high school. Tell your teacher not to call me again, and don't you ever reach out to me either!"

She threw the money at me, her eyes brimming with hatred.

Gritting my teeth, I sat up in the hospital bed and began picking up the bills one after the other. My tears fell like a snapped string of pearls.

Just then, Winston rushed into the hospital room, looking all flustered and panicked. "What are you doing here, babe? The dealership is waiting for you to wire the full payment for my Porsche 911!"

Mom jutted her chin at me. "This ungrateful brat complained to her teacher that I wasn't giving her enough money. I didn't even have the time to put my makeup on before rushing over here!"

Only then did Winston notice me lying in the hospital bed. He glanced over with an unconcerned look in his eyes and said, "Oh, so Alera's sick.

"Well, get some rest. Your mom and I have to take care of some important business."

With that, he grabbed Mom's arm and dragged her out the door.

"Janelle Baldwin!" I called after her. "One day, I'll make you get on your knees and beg me!"