Chapter 2
"You... you're agreeing? No way. What kind of trick..." Sophia said, her voice shaky with disbelief.
I cut her off cold. "What? I'm supporting your pursuit of true love. Are you not happy?
"But let me make one thing crystal clear. The second you walk out that door, you are no longer my daughter."
A flicker of panic crossed her face. Still, she put on a brave front and zipped up her bags. She looked exactly like a tragic heroine.
I stood calmly by the door and pointed at her overflowing suitcase. "I bought every single dress, shoe, and designer bag in there.
"If you're choosing him, you leave my money out of it. Drop the bags."
Sophia's face turned beet red. She slammed her bags onto the floor. The hatred in her eyes practically spilled over.
"What's wrong? You want independence, but you can't bear to leave my credit cards behind? Guess your epic romance has a price tag after all," I sneered.
My taunt struck a nerve.
She screamed right back at me. "Don't you dare insult us. I don't need you to survive. Dad was right. You're just a cold, heartless bitch!
"You care more about money than your own family. Have fun rotting alone in this empty house!"
With that, she stormed out and slammed the door. She hopped onto her boyfriend's beat-up motorcycle without looking back.
Maybe my heart had already died in my old life. Hearing those words didn't cause a single ripple of emotion.
I froze her bank accounts immediately. Then, I listed her entire closet of designer clothes and luxury bags online. I cut off every single cent she had.
I used to feel guilty about her growing up without a dad. I went above and beyond to give her the absolute best.
But the moment she walked out, she lost the right to my lifestyle.
This time, I would let her learn exactly what her pathetic romance was worth.
From now on, she could huddle in a dingy apartment with her true love and survive on cheap takeout.
Remembering a few aggressive tech stocks from my previous life, I got my broker on the phone. I dumped more than half my net worth into them.
Honestly, I was already a major shareholder at my firm. I pulled in over 300 thousand dollars a year in dividends alone.
That was the only way I kept up with Sophia's insane shopping habits.
Now that I had a second chance at life, it was time to look out for number one.
It didn't take long before I got a call from her college roommate, exactly like my last life.
The young girl on the line spoke cautiously, but she couldn't hide her panic. "Mrs. Whitfield, Sophia hasn't been back to the dorms for days. The RA is asking questions, and I can't cover for her much longer.
"People are saying she's shacked up with her boyfriend. Can you call her?"
Sophia was totally spoiled and prone to major tantrums. Terrified she would make enemies, I had actually bribed all her roommates with expensive Sephora gift sets on move-in day.
Worried I couldn't watch her, I even befriended this exact roommate on Instagram. I sent her Starbucks gift cards just to keep tabs on my daughter.
My daughter acted like a little angel in public, only to scream at me in private for wasting my own money.
She never realized her entitled attitude would have gotten her blacklisted if I wasn't constantly doing damage control.
Remembering all that, I spoke flatly. "She cut ties with me and moved out. You don't need to cover for her anymore. Let her fend for herself."
"What? But she'll get kicked out of campus housing. Are you sure?" the girl gasped. "Also... not to gossip, but her boyfriend is super sketchy."
She was right. Even a naive freshman knew Marcus was pure trash.
But my delusional daughter acted like she was possessed. She severed ties with her own mother for a loser.
I seriously wanted a DNA test. How on earth did I give birth to such a disaster?
No. A viper who could ruthlessly murder her own mother was never innocent.
Maybe they were exactly the same kind of trash all along. Sophia was just a monster in a designer dress.
Why should I waste another ounce of energy on her?
"I appreciate the call, sweetheart. But you don't need to babysit her anymore. She made her bed. Now she can lie in it," I said coolly.
There was a heavy silence before the girl took the hint and hung up. In this life, I wasn't lifting a finger to save her.
In my previous life, I was up for a massive promotion right around this time. The only catch was moving out of state.
I turned it down just to stay close to my daughter, and she never showed a shred of gratitude.
Now, I was strictly focused on myself. I was done with that ungrateful parasite.
I called upper management immediately and accepted the Regional Director position. I packed a suitcase and left that house behind.
To my surprise, Sophia hit rock bottom way faster this time around.
Without me doing her damage control, Sophia was expelled for truancy in two weeks.
She was forced into a sketchy, hundred-square-foot studio with Marcus. They were counting pennies just to eat.
Without a degree, she bombed every job interview. Nobody wanted to hire a college dropout with an attitude.
Pampered her entire life, my daughter cracked fast.
She told me all this herself, sobbing her eyes out over FaceTime.
In the video, she was crouching on a filthy concrete floor. The walls were bare plaster. The room was too small for a real bed, leaving only a broken stool.
She balanced on it, clutching her stomach and weeping. "Mom, you have no idea the hell I'm living in. I'm surviving on instant ramen and tap water.
"I'm sleeping on dirty cardboard, and I'm breaking out in hives. Look at the rashes on my hands! It's awful, I can't do this anymore!"
I inspected her closely. Her once-perfect blowout was a fried, greasy mess. Heavy dark circles dragged down her exhausted face.
She was wearing cheap thrift-store rags. She was clearly miserable and dead broke.
In my old life, she showed up looking exactly like this. She fed me a massive sob story.
My heart broke for her. I pulled her into my arms and called her my baby. I totally forgot about our explosive fight.