It was Mom and Dad. They had come back with Liam, carrying big and small shopping bags.

Mom was holding Liam in her arms. He was wearing a brand-new outfit and clutching the latest Transformers toy.

Liam waved the toy around excitedly in her arms.

Mom’s back hurt easily, so whenever I asked for a hug, she would frown and tell me that girls shouldn’t be so clingy.

Since I felt bad for Mom, I never asked for a hug again.

Today, however, she was holding Liam, her eyes full of doting affection. Why was it so different from how she treated me?

“Ellie, look! Mom bought me the newest toy!

“And you don’t have one!”

Liam stood in the doorway of the storage room with his hands on his hips, showing off.

I clearly saw Mom smiling, about to take out the Barbie doll I had stopped to stare at countless times in front of the store display.

My heart instantly felt warm, and a small spark of hope lit up inside me.

But when she heard no response from me, Mom stopped what she was doing and shouted angrily, “She’s been spoiled with no limits!

“Liam is talking to her, yet she’s still acting dead in there!

“Looks like the punishment wasn’t enough!”

At that moment, Dad grabbed Mom’s arm and sighed. “Let it go, Winnie. Ellie is a girl after all. It’s nothing if she’s a little spoiled.”

As he spoke, he picked up the Barbie doll and started walking toward the storage room.

“You’re not giving that to her!” Mom rushed over and snatched the Barbie doll from Dad’s hand.

“I was even thinking about her. I thought she would reflect on herself. Instead, she’s getting worse!”

After saying that, she grabbed the scissors from the table and cut the Barbie doll into pieces.

I looked at the Barbie doll lying on the floor, its golden hair scattered everywhere, its delicate princess dress torn apart. My heart hurt in waves.

That doll was so expensive.

Every time we passed the store window, Mom would see me staring through the clear glass, my eyes full of longing for the doll. She would smile kindly and say that once she got her paycheck, she would definitely buy it for me.

Now that she had finally bought it…

Mom, why did you destroy it?

It would have been better if I had never had it.

Even after cutting the doll to pieces, Mom still wasn’t satisfied. She set it on fire.

In an instant, the doll turned into ashes.

I closed my eyes in pain and didn’t dare to look.

Mom, on the other hand, was still cursing.

“I spent so many years raising you. Do you know how much effort I put in?

“I stayed up late with you night after night, and this is what I get? What an ungrateful child!

“I say a few words, and you ignore me? Fine! Stay in there for the rest of your life! Don’t come out!

“I hired so many tutors for you. Do you know how much that cost? You’ve had it way better than Liam, and you’re still not satisfied!”

Mom’s chest heaved violently. Dad stood beside her, timidly patting her back and softly comforting her.

He only glanced toward the storage room, but he didn’t dare take another step closer.

After she finished yelling, Mom still wasn’t satisfied. She looked up and saw the certificates and trophies I had earned over the years through hard work.

Every time I brought home a certificate, Mom would beam with pride and cook a huge meal for me.

Whenever I saw the proud looks on Mom and Dad’s faces, I worked even harder than before.

Mom used to carefully wipe each certificate and every trophy.

Now, as if she had gone mad, she waved her arms wildly and knocked the certificates down one by one.

The certificates with my name printed on them were torn into countless pieces. Then she smashed the golden trophies I had worked day and night to earn, one after another.

The noise alerted the neighbors downstairs.

Our neighbor next door, Mr. Thompson, loved watching drama. He rushed over to our house right away.

I didn’t like Mr. Thompson.

He was short, with a face full of wrinkles when he smiled. He always smelled strongly of cigarettes, and when he opened his mouth, there were two rows of yellow teeth.

He always looked at me with a strange expression, too.

Sometimes he would grin and offer me candy, asking if I wanted to go to his house to play.

I would nervously glance into his house and notice it was empty. Mrs. Thompson was probably out, and Mandy, who usually played with me, wasn’t home either.

I would always timidly say no.

Because one time, when I went to his house, he did something strange to me.

He even threatened me and warned me not to tell Mom, but I still ran home crying and told Mom everything.

Mom was chopping vegetables at the time. She grabbed the kitchen knife and went straight to his house. Later, she had a fierce fight with Mrs. Thompson.

After that, our two families rarely interacted. Mandy and I even stopped talking at school.

Now Mr. Thompson leaned his head in from the doorway, peeking inside with a look of undisguised gloating as he asked what had happened.

“That damn girl doesn’t know what’s good for her! First, she deliberately bullied Liam. Then, when we came back, and Liam took the initiative to talk to her, she started putting on airs!

“Thompson, looks like I wronged you before. That wretched girl is just shameless by nature. Born bad!”

“Heh, kids make things up all the time. You really need to discipline her properly.”

“Yeah… shameless, born bad! I told you my dad isn’t like that!” Mandy lifted her chin proudly beside him, repeating the adults’ words.

‘No! That’s not true! Mom, he bullied me!

‘Mom, I didn’t lie. What he did was really strange!

‘Why did you defend me before, but now apologize to him?

‘Mom, I really didn’t lie!’

I spun anxiously in midair.

Mr. Thompson continued with a righteous expression, “When a child starts lying young, that’s no small matter. It’ll only worsen if you don’t correct it now.

“For her own good, you have to punish her properly this time.

“But don’t go too far. She’s still just a child, after all!”

After the neighbors left, Liam seemed even more pleased with himself. He would linger by the storage room door, deliberately making noises now and then.

Sometimes he even whistled at me smugly.

Until one day, a foul stench began to seep out from the doorway.

There were also the squeaks of rats and the sound of gnawing.

I knew that the sealed space had sped up the decay of my body. My eyeball was already crawling with dense little white maggots.

Liam covered his nose and shouted, “Mom! The storage room where Ellie stays smells so bad!”

Mom’s face changed instantly.

She immediately pulled Liam away, her face filled with indescribable disgust.

“Liam, stay back. Don’t let it get on you.”

Her eyes fixed on the storage room door. She reached out her hand several times, but each time she pulled it back.

“Just open the door. If the little girl dirtied her clothes with poop and pee, that’s not hygienic at all,” Dad said from the side, seizing the chance to persuade her.

After hearing that, Mom’s hesitant look suddenly turned firm.

“A child needs to be disciplined from a young age. She’s getting more and more outrageous!

“She actually relieved herself in the room and still refuses to come out. Isn’t that just deliberately going against us?”

At that moment, the sound of rats came again from inside.

My heart filled with hope, thinking Mom would notice something.

I was always afraid of rats.

Every time I saw one, Mom would immediately pull me into her arms. Then she would pretend not to be scared and chase the rat away.

Only after it was gone would her body start trembling slightly from fear, while I would hug her tightly and give her a big kiss.

“Mom, don’t be scared. When I grow up, I’ll protect you!”

Mom would instantly calm down and hug me tightly, her eyes glistening with tears.

Just now, I saw a brief moment of distraction cross Mom’s face, only for it to be quickly replaced by blazing anger.

She pointed at the storage room door and cursed loudly, “Ellie, are you even a girl? Do you have any shame?

“You can even poop and pee in your room?

“And you’re still in there giggling? What are you laughing at? What right do you have to laugh?

“I told you to stay in there and reflect on your mistakes, and this is how you take revenge on us? By doing something this disgusting?

“I really raised you for nothing! I might as well have spent all that effort on Liam. All these years of feeding you. It’s like I was feeding a dog!”

Seeing Mom’s body trembling from extreme anger, I felt so wronged.

I felt so wronged that I wanted to cry. However, I couldn’t shed a single tear.

I wanted to hug Mom and tell her not to be angry.

‘I never meant to dirty the room on purpose. I’m actually a neat freak.

‘I don’t know why my body is leaking yellow fluid or why it smells so bad.

‘I want to take a shower… I don’t want the rats to eat my body…’

Just then, Mom’s phone rang. It was a notification from the class group chat with good news.

[Congratulations to Ellie Wagner! Her writing “My Mom” won first prize in a local competition and has been shortlisted for the state competition. Please take note, Mrs. Wagner!]

That’s great. My writing won an award.

I revised that writing so many times and poured so much of my heart into it. It was filled with my most genuine feelings for Mom.

The group chat was instantly flooded with congratulations.

[Mrs. Wagner, you’re amazing! How did you raise such a well-rounded child?]

[Seriously, I’m so jealous! You have to share your parenting tips so we can learn too!]

Mom started typing.

[Sorry, Ms. Fuller, we would like to withdraw from the competition.

[A daughter like mine doesn’t deserve to win. She deliberately goes against the family, framed Liam, and even relieved herself in her room.

[I believe academic performance is secondary. Character matters more. Don’t you agree?

[I don’t want to contribute an immoral person to society, so we are withdrawing!]

[Oh my God, what’s the use of good grades? If my daughter were like that, I wouldn’t even want her for free…]

[Yeah, she really needs stricter discipline. This is too much.]

After a long silence, Ms. Fuller finally spoke up. [Mrs. Wagner, could there be some misunderstanding? Ellie is usually very polite!]

I hovered in midair, panicking. I tried to stop Mom’s fingers from typing, but I could only watch helplessly as my transparent hand passed straight through her phone.

There was nothing I could do.

My heart felt like it was being tightened by vines, wrapped over and over, as if an invisible hand was gripping it tightly.

The more I struggled, the more it hurt.

‘Mom, that writing contained my truest feelings for you. I listened to you. I tried to be a polite, good child.

‘I greeted everyone I met. I finished my homework on time. I worked hard. I was obedient and sensible.

‘So why are you slandering me in front of my classmates?

‘I didn’t do those things…’

At that moment, Liam ran over and began scribbling on the wall, leaving the newly renovated white wall covered with filthy curse words.

Some of them were insults about me.

“Mom, look! My masterpiece!”

My heart tightened instantly. Mom would definitely scold Liam, and I didn’t want her to be angry anymore.

She looked up at the wall and froze for a moment. Then she hugged Liam and kissed him hard.

“My son is amazing! You’ll definitely be a great artist in the future!

“Liam, don’t ever learn from your sister. I just want you to grow up happy!”

“Don’t worry, Mom. I won’t!”

After that, he shoved my shattered trophies aside and continued his crude graffiti.

Suddenly, a series of urgent knocks broke the warmth in the room.

When the door opened, it was Ms. Fuller, who had always treated me like her own daughter.

“Mrs. Wagner, I came to talk in detail. It’s such a pity to withdraw like this. Ellie shouldn’t be that kind of child.

“Is there some misunderstanding?”

She was still gentle, her face wearing her usual kind smile.

Seeing Mom’s cold expression, Dad quickly invited the teacher inside, poured tea, and set out a fruit plate.

“Winnie’s probably just too anxious. Ellie’s been acting up lately.

“Please don’t mind it. I’ll have Ellie come out right now.”

Dad looked like he had seen a savior. He immediately moved toward the storage room door.

“Don’t bother with that damn girl! If anyone opens that door today, I won’t let it go!”

“Mrs. Wagner, are you sure there hasn’t been some misunderstanding? Ellie has always been polite. She’s exceptionally gifted. Please don’t do anything extreme.

“Ellie has an extraordinary memory. With headphones on, she can memorize a hundred Spanish words in ten minutes…”

Before she could finish, the word “headphones” made Mom’s eyes widen instantly, as if she had suddenly realized something.

My nose stung as I listened. Ms. Fuller had always valued me. It felt so good to be remembered and defended.

‘Headphones…’ Mom’s eyes were suddenly filled with terror. Her body began to tremble, as if all her strength had been drained.

She barely managed to steady herself by holding onto the dining table.

“Honey… go open the storage room door… check on Ellie…”

Ms. Fuller’s eyes widened. “You lock children in the storage room? This is absurd! You requested sick leave for several days. I thought she wasn’t feeling well.

“I never imagined you locked her in there?!”

My usually gentle teacher, who never lost her temper, now had bloodshot eyes and shouted uncontrollably at Mom.

“Why are you yelling? I prepared water and food for her. I let her reflect inside. I’m her mother. Would I abuse her?

“She’s a living person. What danger could there be?”

Mom seemed to be hiding something, lashing out in anger.

“Ahhhh!”

Dad had already rushed to open the storage room door, only for him to let out a horrifying scream.

Hearing that scream from the living room, Mom collapsed to the floor instantly.

My teacher rushed forward in one stride.

Then she stood frozen, speechless at the sight in front of her.