My Own Family's Cruelty

The day I received my college acceptance letter, I asked my best friend not to tell my family.

She promised she wouldn't, but then she immediately told my mom.

My mom threw away my acceptance letter and locked me at home.

She wanted to marry me to an unmarried old man in the village for a large dowry, just to buy my brother a house in the city.

I fought back desperately, but during my escape, my mom severely injured my legs.

While giving birth to the fifth child for the old bachelor, I hemorrhaged and couldn't be saved.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the road to pick up my acceptance letter.

My best friend smiled and asked, "Rosie, did you get in?"

1

Janice Morris held her acceptance letter, her face full of joy as she walked towards me.

I noticed the gloating in her eyes and squinted slightly.

In our previous life, we both took the college entrance exam together.

Unexpectedly, I got into a prestigious university in another province, while Janice only got into a vocational college.

Both our families lived in remote rural areas, and at that time, my family was poor, with no money to send me to college.

The worst thing was that my mother wanted to marry me to an old bachelor for 200, 000 dollars to buy a house in the city for my younger brother.

So, I wanted to leave home alone, apply for a student loan, and go to college.

I wanted to escape this place.

I begged Janice not to tell my mom about my college acceptance, sharing my dreams for the future with her over and over again.

She said she supported me and would keep my secret.

But just as I was about to leave the village, Janice brought my mom over.

"Kori, even though Rosie got into college, she'll still stay in the village to fulfill her duties to you. She definitely won't go to college, right, Rosie?"

At that moment, I was holding a shabby, large travel bag, clearly intending to leave.

My mom, upon hearing this, grabbed my hair with bloodshot eyes and cursed loudly.

I pleaded, saying that after college, I would earn a lot of money and begged her to let me go to school.

"You're not satisfied with finishing high school? You still want to go to college? In your dreams!"

My mom shouted and yanked my hair harder, the pain of my scalp tearing blurred my vision.

Feeling something, I turned to look at Janice, who was smiling, shaking the acceptance letter that my mom had thrown away, the one that belonged to me.

My mom dragged me all the way back home and locked me in a room.

After being locked up for two days without anything to eat, my consciousness began to become confused.

I only remembered that I wanted to go to college.

Finally, one night, I escaped.

The familiar village entrance was right in front of me, just a little further, and I would have made it out. Suddenly, sharp pain shot through my legs.

My legs were broken, beaten by my mom with a stick.

My mom's loud curses echoed in my ears, "You brat, still thinking of running away! Stay home and wait to get married."

My mother got 200, 000 dollars, and I was sent to the home of an old bachelor in the village.

No marriage certificate, no wedding, I was just forced to bear children.

After five years of torment, I hemorrhaged while giving birth to the fifth child.

The blood continuously flowing from my body clearly told me I was about to die, and no one would care about my life or death.

Meanwhile, Janice took my acceptance letter, went to college in my place, and married a wealthy man from the city right after graduation.

They lived a loving and blissful life.

No one would ever know that I died in a remote village.

In this new life, I would make them pay the price they deserve for my death!

2

I stared at the acceptance letter in Janice's hand, a hint of envy in my eyes. "It's been several days, and my acceptance letter still hasn't arrived. I definitely didn't get into college."

My words hit the mark for Janice.

She couldn't stand seeing me do better than her, so my not getting into college was exactly what she wanted.

Janice sighed softly, lowered her head, and took my hand.

"Rosie, you're just too ambitious. If you ask me, you should have settled for a vocational college like me, instead of applying to some prestigious university in another province. Well, now you can't do anything. Let's not talk about it anymore. Let's just go home."

Janice rambled on, and if I ignored the smugness in her tone, I would think she was genuinely concerned for me.

In our previous life, she did the same, constantly flaunting her acceptance letter in front of me repeatedly, just to see me feel lost and pained.

But she didn't know that my acceptance letter arrived a day later than hers.

"Janice, I got in!" I ran to her, elated, holding my acceptance letter.

"What?" Janice snatched the letter from me, flipping it over and over.

At the time, I thought she was happy for me, but I overlooked the white-knuckled grip of her hands and the fleeting malice in her eyes.

It was probably from the moment I told Janice I got into college that she harbored malicious thoughts towards me.

How could she accept that someone she deemed inferior got into a prestigious university?

In her eyes, it should have been her who got into the prestigious university.

But she forgot.

In high school, I was always the top student.

3

The next day, I went alone to pick up my acceptance letter.

The moment I held it in my hands, I finally felt at ease.

This time, I told no one and went straight home.

I hid the acceptance letter in the dusty beam of the house.

"Rosie, what are you doing?"

Just as I got down from the stool, I heard a casual voice behind me.

It was my brother, Collin Fuller.

My heart raced with anxiety, unsure of how much he had seen.

I quickly spoke up, "I just bought some rat poison from the corner store. Lately, the rats have been coming out at night and scaring me."

Collin looked impatient, waving his hand. "Alright, alright, enough with the nonsense. Mom wants you to tidy up and go out with her."

I paused, "Okay, I'll change my clothes and go."

After Collin left, I locked the door and moved the acceptance letter hidden on the beam to a new spot.

It was better to be overcautious than regretful later.

But what must come would come eventually.

My mother wanted me to go out with her so that eligible bachelors in the village could take a look at me and see if I was right for them.

In my previous life, I listened to my mom and wore my best new clothes, and the eligible bachelor took a liking to me at first sight. It was just a matter of arranging a marriage deal.

I was even secretly delighted because my mom bought me a dainty ladies' watch.

Little did I know, that watch was the engagement gift from the eligible bachelor.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart fueled by anger.

"Mom, a lot of my clothes have been chewed up by rats. I'm going to Janice's house to borrow something to wear."

I acted nonchalantly as I walked past my mom, who was working with cotton in the yard.

"Alright, hurry up." She glanced up at me, then returned to her work.

"There have been a lot of rats lately. I'll put some rat poison in your room later."

I stiffened slightly at the doorway but maintained my smile. "You don't have to do that, mom. I just put some down. I'm closing the door to keep the rats out."

She shifted her sore hips and waved me off.

"Alright, alright, go on."

4

When I arrived at Janice's house, she was sitting in the yard doing laundry.

Her family wasn't much better off than mine. Janice had an older sister and a younger brother.

Her sister got married when she was less than 18 years old. I heard that her family got tens of thousands of dollars from her sister's marriage.

The preference for boys over girls was deeply ingrained in our village.

A family without a son was ridiculed, and a woman was blamed if she couldn't bear a son in this traditional village.

"Rosie? What brings you here?" Janice's slightly puzzled voice brought me back to reality.

I walked over to her. "I fail to get into college. My mother introduced me to a guy and said that my guy would give me 200, 000 dollars."

I feigned a shy demeanor.

"All my nice clothes were chewed up by rats, so I thought I'd borrow something from you."

I clearly saw Janice's eyes light up when I mentioned the 200, 000 dollars.

I ignored her and continued talking.

"I heard he supports me retaking the exam for another year! He's a bit older, but that's okay as long as he's good to me."

Janice paused her work, swallowing hard. "Giving you 200, 000? And letting you retake the exam for a year? What kind of person is he? Have you met him yet?"

I rested my chin in my hands and replied, "I'm going to meet him soon. My mom said I should dress nicely."

I avoided looking at Janice's increasingly bright eyes, focusing instead on praising the prospective match.

"Rosie, I don't have anything to do later. I'll go with you to check him out, just to ease my mind."

I chuckled inwardly, fearing she wouldn't come along.

Janice's mom, like mine, believed girls didn't need a college education.

In my previous life, Janice's mom didn't allow her to attend college, but Janice was smart. She found a married man from another village who provided her with a monthly allowance, supporting her through college.

As soon as she graduated, she dumped him and started dating a rich city boy.

5

My figure was slimmer than Janice's, and her clothes didn't fit me well.

She "deliberately chose" a bright orange outfit that didn't suit me at all, making my weathered skin look even darker.

Janice, on the other hand, wore a fitted black V-neck short-sleeve top, hinting at her cleavage, paired with a cream-colored knee-length pleated skirt that showed off her fair legs.

The more glamorous she dressed, the happier I felt.

Only I knew that the eligible bachelor was a lecher.

Standing next to Janice, who would he choose?

It was obvious.

Back at my house, my mom paused when she saw what I was wearing, but with Janice beside me, she said nothing.

"Janice, you are different now that you are admitted to a college. You really look like a college student," my mom remarked with a smile, eyeing Janice.

Janice gave a shy smile and took my hand. "Oh, Kori, Rosie was always a better student than me. It's a shame she didn't get in."

"Even if she did, I wouldn't let her go. Her brother is about to get married, and we don't have the money for her education."

Though I'd heard it many times, it still hurt.

Walking along the road, my mind raced, planning my next steps.

Janice raised her voice, "My dad said someone in our village got into a top university. Kori, could it be Rosie? Her grades were so good."

Janice turned to me with a smile. "Rosie, who do you think it could be?"

I was startled. Could Janice's dad have seen me when I picked up the acceptance letter?

I hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Who knows? There are so many people in the village."

Janice wagged her finger in front of me.

"My dad saw it."

I felt my blood run cold.

Oh no!

She really knew.