My Mother-in-law Gave My Daughter Sleeping Pills

As the SAT approached, I suddenly discovered that Mia had been putting sleeping pills into my daughter's milk every day.

Under my repeated questioning, she confessed that she had consulted a fortune-teller.

The fortune-teller told her that the worse my daughter did on the SAT, the better Sophia would perform.

Later, the entire family pressured me to have my outstanding daughter Jessica withdraw from the SAT to clear the way for Sophia's exam.

Enraged, I decided to file for divorce, only to uncover the shocking truth that Sophia was, in fact, his daughter.

***

I noticed that something was off with my daughter, Jessica Williams.

Usually cheerful and full of life, she had recently become lethargic, struggling to muster any enthusiasm for anything, and was unusually sleepy.

It was not only hard to wake up in the mornings, but she was even falling asleep openly during math class.

This was completely unlike Jessica, who was now in her senior year of high school, with only a month left before she would take the SAT. Jessica had always been an exemplary student, with her sights set on Yale University.

So, when her teacher, Sarah Miller, called me to the school for the third time, citing her for disrupting the class, I was utterly baffled by Jessica's behavior.

Sarah frowned and adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose.

"Mrs. Thomas, Jessica has always been a top candidate for Yale. She's worked hard for so many years, and now, at such a critical time, how could she be slacking off?"

She was so angry that she slapped her hand on the desk.

"If you don't want to study, fine, but sleeping in class and disrupting others is unacceptable."

I glanced at Jessica, who had her head down, tears welling up in her eyes as she meekly responded, "I'm sorry, Ms. Miller. I'm just so tired; I can't help it."

Sarah let out a sigh, her gaze shifting to me.

"Tired again? Last time you slept in class, you said it was because you were too tired. Mrs. Thomas, may I ask what time Jessica goes to bed each night?"

"She goes to bed at eleven and wakes up at six."

I answered without hesitation.

Although Jessica's SAT was approaching, she had a solid foundation and didn't need to burn the midnight oil in the weeks leading up to the exam.

Considering that she was still growing, I made sure she went to bed at eleven every night and woke up at six in the morning, ensuring she got seven hours of sleep each day.

Sarah looked at me skeptically.

"She's getting a full seven hours of sleep, so why is she still so tired during the day?"

I realized that Sarah suspected I was lying.

I looked at Jessica. Her usually fair skin was dull and sallow, with large dark circles under her eyes, making her look like she hadn't had a good night's sleep in ages.

At that moment, I began to doubt her myself.

"Jessica, have you been getting up to study in the middle of the night? Or is the stress of your studies keeping you up?"

Jessica shook her head and was about to speak when she couldn't help but yawn, a few tears slipping from the corners of her eyes.

"I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow, but I always feel like I can't get enough rest. I'm constantly exhausted."

Sarah looked at the innocent expression on Jessica's face, then at my own confusion, and rubbed her temples.

"You two can go home now. Jessica, you're seventeen years old now; even if you're tired, you should have the self-discipline not to disrupt the class. You may not care about your studies, but other people do!"

The final words were emphatic, and I saw Jessica's eyes instantly well up with tears.

"I understand, Ms. Miller."

Seeing Jessica's hurt expression filled me with both helplessness and heartache. I could only take her by the hand and lead her out.

I knew teenagers were incredibly sensitive, and while I wanted to have a serious talk with Jessica about her attitude towards her studies, I had no idea how to begin.