Chapter 2
I wiped the smile from my face and began to survey the apartment with a cold, indifferent look.
It was huge, way bigger than my place.
They lived in a tiny two-bedroom apartment that Dad's company had assigned to them decades ago.
But his nest with Claire was a lavish three-bedroom apartment, modern, brand new, and flooded with bright light.
I pursed my lips. No doubt my dad was the one footing the bill for all this.
Half an hour later, my dad came out of the room sheepishly. Then he started showing me around.
First, the master bedroom, which was his and Claire's.
Then, a guest room that had been turned into a music room, with a piano inside.
My dad looked at the piano with a gentle smile. "Claire's a piano teacher. She plays really well."
That piano looked pretty fancy. But I couldn't help but feel like smashing it to bits.
The other guest room was the smallest, with no sunlight at all.
My dad looked a little embarrassed. "This is the only spare room we've got. You'll have to stay here for now, and later...."
He didn't finish, probably because he wasn't sure about it.
I jumped in, trying to be considerate. "Dad, it's okay. I'm happy I have a place to stay."
My sensibility completely fooled him, and he looked genuinely touched. He whipped out 300 dollars and stuffed it into my hand. "Sophie, take this for next week. If it's not enough, Dad's got you."
"Thanks, Dad," I said.
Back when he was with Mom, Dad only gave her $700 a month for living expenses. Look at it now. By acting pitiful and docile, I got $300 out of him.
Guess Dad was making way more money than I ever thought.
He ruffled my hair and went off to make dinner.
Living with Claire turned him into a whole new person. He was not lazy anymore.
Back when he was with Mom, she never let him lift a finger around the house.
Expressionless, I dried my hair with a towel. Sickening! It was utterly sickening to think his hands had brushed against my head.
And he named me after his mistress's mother. What a gross thing.
Claire was disgusting, but Dad? He was the absolute worst.
Life in this house felt suffocating, but that woman looked even more miserable than I did.
I constantly went out of my way to please her, yet she remained as cold as ice, completely ignoring my efforts.
Whenever that happened, Dad would always take her side, telling me not to bother her.
Secretly, however, he would shower me with money to make it up to me.
I was more than satisfied. After all, love was nothing compared to money.
After moving here, I'd already saved up $1,700 in less than a month.
Once summer break was over, I had to go back to school.
I was in eighth grade now, which meant college was still five years away. I could tough it out.
On my first day back at school, I saw Mom the moment I stepped out of the school gates after class.
She looked thinner and a lot more haggard than I remembered.
I walked up to her, my tone gruff and defensive. "What are you doing here?"
Without a word, she stared at me through a blur of red, tearful eyes. She lifted her hand, as if to touch me, but ultimately stopped herself.
I grabbed her hand and pressed it to my cheek. "If you want to touch me, do it."
Because Mom had spent years doing housework, her hands were not as smooth as Claire's. They were rough and calloused, but that roughness made me feel safe and grounded.
"You've lost so much weight. Is your dad mistreating you?" Mom asked, her voice shaky with worry.
After a pause, she asked with pleading eyes, "Do you want to come live with me again?"
I looked into her eyes and slowly shook my head. "My living expenses, tuition, and tutoring fees would be way too much for you.
"You haven't worked since you got married. How could you possibly support both of us?
"You got that old house in the divorce settlement, but it's a welfare property from Dad's company. He could kick you out whenever he feels like it.
"No money, no place to live. How are we supposed to survive?"
It wasn't that I was being realistic. It was simply the harsh truth.
When they divorced, Mom had no idea how much money Dad had, and their only home was a company-owned apartment.
Even if I chose Dad in this life, Mom still wouldn't be able to squeeze any money out of him.
Mom's eyes dimmed. "Yeah, you're right. Without money, how could I ever take care of you? I'm useless!" she said, her voice full of desperation.
I pulled out all the money I'd saved up. Seventeen hundred and seven dollars in total. I shoved it into Mom's hands.
She tried to push it back, but I insisted, "Mom, take it and use it to start some small business. Only when you can stand on your own feet will I be able to come back and live with you sooner."
Her tears poured from her eyes, and she quickly turned away to hide them.
I didn't say anything, giving her time to calm down.
When she finally calmed down and turned back to me, she only took $1,700 and handed the rest back. "This is enough. Wait for me, okay? I'll do whatever it takes to make money and bring you back as soon as I can."
"Yeah, I believe in you," I said. I knew how stubborn she was. If she said she only needed $1,700, she truly meant it.
My words made my mom's eyes light up immediately.
In my previous life, Mom walked away penniless to keep custody of me.
After my dad broke her heart, she took me and left our hometown for a bigger city.
She was a middle-aged single mom with zero work experience. We could barely keep our heads above water.
She was so desperate to make money that she was swindled out of the little savings we had left.
We were homeless, drifting from place to place in the city.
Seeing that I couldn't even afford to go to school, my mom regretted her decision. She called my dad and begged him to take me in.
Dad's voice was cold as he shot her down. "Sorry. My wife's pregnant, and it's a high-risk pregnancy. I can't let anything happen to her. You and Sophie will have to make do for now."
He hung up heartlessly. Mom stood there in the dark, clutching the phone for what felt like forever.