Chapter 3

After that, my mom never mentioned my dad in front of me again.

She threw herself into work like she was fighting the whole world, juggling three jobs a day to keep us afloat.

At 3:30 in the morning, she'd get up to work at a breakfast stall.

From 8 AM to 6 PM, she worked as a housekeeper.

And from 7 PM to midnight, she took a cleaning job at the movie theater.

But what kept her up at night wasn't all the endless work, but my education.

When we moved to this city, my mom went from school to school until she finally figured out which middle school was the best in town.

The best school meant the best teachers, but it also meant their standards were insanely high.

Back in my hometown, I had been the top student in my class. But here, none of that mattered much anymore.

My mom had no resources or connections. If she wanted to get me into that school, she had to do it all on her own.

Every single day, she'd show up at the principal's office, offering to clean up the place. She was kicked out again and again, but she kept coming back shamelessly, begging for a chance to enroll me.

But none of that made the principal budge. Too many well-connected kids were desperately waiting for a spot on the enrollment list.

By chance, my mom overheard one of the school janitors say that the principal's mother was in the hospital.

Without a second thought, my mom volunteered to take care of her. She cared for the old woman more attentively than any of her own family.

When the old lady was discharged, she told his son, "You have to help Helen."

Helen Young was my mom.

The principal was a devoted son, and that was how I ended up getting into this middle school.

I knew how precious this opportunity was. While other kids simply worked hard at their studies, I studied as if my life depended on it.

Like mother, like daughter.

Mom worked her fingers to the bone, and I hit the books as if my life depended on it.

I came home in a great mood, only to find my dad sitting on the couch, looking grim.

Claire gave me a rare smile, but it looked like she was taking pleasure in my misery.

"Dad, I'm home," I said.

He didn't say a word. I racked my brain, but I couldn't figure out what I'd done wrong.

I wondered if they'd found out I spat in their cups.

I snuck a glance at my dad. He was still silent, so I figured I'd better get out of there fast.

But before I could move, he smashed his glass right in front of me. It shattered on the floor, and tiny shards of glass dug into my skin.

"Come on, Robert. Don't do that. If her face gets hurt, that's bad," Claire said.

So, it was okay if I got hurt somewhere else? I couldn't hold it in anymore and glared daggers at Claire.

Claire put on a scared act and cowered behind my dad.

My dad slapped me hard across the face, then pointed at my nose and shouted, "What kind of look is that?"

"I fed you and clothed you, and this is how you repay me? Not only do you take everything from me, but now you're secretly giving my money to your mom!"

I pressed the tongue against my aching cheek. The taste of blood in my mouth was telling me how hard Dad had slapped me.

I finally figured out why Dad was so mad at me. He saw me giving money to Mom.

Smart people knew when to give in.

"Dad, I'm sorry," I said.

He held out his hand, and I handed over every last cent I had left.

But my obedience didn't earn me any mercy. He ransacked my belongings, searching every corner of my room, and had Claire check me head to toe. They didn't stop until he was certain I had no money left on me.

Dad made me kneel as punishment.

I couldn't help but find some dark humor in it. If I'd known he was going to take the rest of the money, I would have spent it all.

After two hours on my knees, Dad finally let me stand.

My legs could no longer hold me, so I collapsed onto the floor. The numbness slowly faded, and then the pain came.

I could take it. Pain was nothing new to me.

Back in my previous life, after Helen died from working herself to death, I was still in 11th grade. Life had already shown me its worst.

"Sophie, what happened to you? Did you turn into a cripple?" one of the guys jeered.

"You're waddling left and right like a duck," another guy laughed.

A bunch of boys crowded around me, making fun of how I walked.

Boys this age were so immature.

I walked around them, still limping, not bothering to look back.

"You guys are so loud!" a voice called out. Then a basketball came flying through the air, landing right between the boys and me.

"Which bastard threw that at me?" one of the boys yelled.

"It was me, punk!" someone shot back.

When the boys saw who it was, they immediately backed off, not daring to say another word.

Picking on the weak and fearing the strong was human nature.

I squinted at the guy who threw the ball. It was Tyler Grant, the school's top dog.

Though Tyler and I had been in the same class for two years, we barely knew each other.

He was a rich heir with bad grades and killer looks.

I was a top student, nerdy, quiet, and completely average.

I always sat up front, while he was way in the back.

As I walked past him, I quietly said, "Thanks."

Tyler curled his lips into a smirk, and he tried to help me up.

I was so freaked out that I forgot all about the pain and bolted straight back to my seat.

Seeing Tyler standing there, totally frozen, I felt a tiny bit guilty.

But that guilt disappeared instantly when I thought about all the girls who were dying to get his attention.

After class, Tyler dropped a bottle of pain relief spray on my desk and muttered, "This stuff helps."

After two years as classmates, I finally realized Tyler was pretty nice.

"Thanks!" I said gratefully, accepting it.

I needed it, and he was willing to give it to me. Why not refuse?

If only my seatmate would stop giving me the evil eye, things would be perfect.

Come on, I have zero interest in a kid like Tyler, alright?

After being transported back, it didn't give me much of an edge in my studies. All the knowledge I'd learned before was blurry, and memories from my previous life were fading away.

I quickly grabbed a sheet of paper, scribbled down the key points, and stashed it somewhere safe.

I let out a long sigh. I thought going back in time would let me experience the joy of a max-level boss returning to the newbie village and steamrolling everyone, but reality hit me. I still had to hit the books!

As long as I was still breathing, I would study my ass off.

After school, most of the students had their parents waiting to pick them up. I knew better than to expect my dad to show up.

"Sophie," a familiar voice called out.