Chapter 1
My mother was a twisted woman obsessed with outdoing other females. She always sought admiration by putting me down.
She posted photos of us together online with the caption. [Guess who's the daughter and who's the mother?]
When I gathered the courage to confess to the most popular boy at school, Archie Wilcox, she photoshopped an unflattering picture of me and sent it to him, saying that I was like a frog trying to date a princess.
On the day I got the internship offer from the TV station, she secretly added allergens to my facial mask, causing a severe rash that ruined my face.
She hugged me, put on a fake concerned look to take a photo, and posted it on her social media. [My daughter's face is ruined. As a mom, my heart aches so badly. From now on, my face shall be her face.]
Utterly devastated, I slit my wrist with a blade.
When I opened my eyes again, I traveled back to the exact moment she handed me that facial mask.
I took it and then pressed it onto her face.
I said, "You've sacrificed so much for me, Mom. You even have wrinkles from exhaustion. You should use it first.
"I'll start a live stream right now, so everyone can guess who's the daughter and who's the mother."
*****
My mom held out the facial mask, a bright smile on her face as she handed it to me.
She said, "Jessica, give it a try. I picked this out just for you. It's supposed to be amazing for hydration."
This was the exact mask that, in my previous life, totally destroyed my face the night I got the TV station internship offer.
She hugged me, my face covered in red bumps and pain, then put on a fake sad face for a photo and posted it on her social media.
The caption said: [My daughter's face is ruined. As a mom, my heart aches so badly. From now on, my face shall be her face.]
I took the mask from her with an innocent, sweet smile.
"Thanks, Mom," I said.
She turned away, looking pleased, and grabbed her phone, ready to snap a pic of my 'glow-up,' only to edit it into something hideous and send it straight to Archie.
But just as she turned her back, I suddenly lunged forward and slapped that cold, sticky mask right onto her face, pressing it down hard.
Her whole body went rigid.
She snapped, "Jessica, what do you think you're doing?"
I held her hands down with a strength I didn't know I had as she struggled to tear the mask off.
"Mom, you've worked yourself into wrinkles for me. You should be the one to use it first," I said.
My voice came out choked with emotion, dripping with fake concern.
She trembled with anger but did not dare to yell at me, afraid of destroying her image as a caring mother.
She said, "Jessica, stop it. Take it off. I don't need it."
"No. You have to use it," I said.
I held her hands down tight and pulled out my phone, quickly launching the livestream app.
I said, "I'm going live right now. Let's see who people think is the daughter and who's the mom."
The screen lit up, and within seconds, the livestream blew up with over a hundred viewers.
Her eyes went wide with panic.
"Jessica, are you out of your mind? Turn it off right now," she snapped.
I pointed the camera at both of us, wearing a sweet smile.
"Guys, my mom always says nobody can tell who's the daughter and who's the mom. So today we're livestreaming our face mask session. Let's see if you guys can figure it out," I said.
The comments started flooding in instantly.
Someone commented: [Whoa, are they really mother and daughter? They look like sisters.]
Another echoed: [Her mother looks so good. Her skin is so flawless.]
As my mom saw all the compliments, the panic faded from her face, replaced by a smug satisfaction she could barely hide.
She stopped struggling and even waved at the camera.
Just then, my dad walked in, his brows furrowed.
"Jessica, what kind of nonsense are you pulling now?" he said.
He had always hated seeing me draw attention to myself, thinking girls should just behave and keep a low profile.
My mom instantly ran to him for backup, her voice trembling with fake tears.
She said, "Honey, look at her. She's making me use this facial mask and even started a livestream. I keep telling her to stop, but she just won't listen."
She launched right into her favorite drama queen routine.
My dad's face darkened, and he snapped, "Turn off the livestream. What kind of spectacle is this!"
Before I could even say a word, the comments in the livestream exploded.
Someone commented: [Whoa, is that her dad? He looks super strict.]
Another echoed: [Just run. It looks like you're going to get yelled at.]
Someone chimed in: [Don't worry, we're with you. Your mom's so young. She definitely deserves some good skincare.]
My dad stared at the comments flying by on the screen, totally stunned. He had never seen anything like this before.
My mom saw it too, and her eyes sparkled with even more pride.
All that attention from the crowd made her feel like she was the center of the universe.
I sneered inwardly. The time was just right.
I leaned close to the camera and said sweetly, "Thanks for all the compliments, guys. My mom is definitely the most beautiful princess in our family, and my dad absolutely adores her."