Life Swapped, Sister’s Downfall Chapter 04
It didn’t take long for my mother to track me down at my university.
“Harper! You ungrateful brat! Hiding out here, enjoying yourself while ignoring your family!”
I had just finished my part-time shift and returned to school. After a long day, I’d only eaten one meal, and my head was spinning. I stared blankly at her, momentarily stunned by her aggression.
She struck me across the face, sending me sprawling to the ground.
“You little devil! You’re gonna die! I’ll drag you home myself if I have to!”
She grabbed me, and I was far too exhausted to resist. She dragged me along effortlessly.
“Wait! You can’t do this to my student!”
It was Professor Jesse Hughes, my professor. I had confided in her about my situation when I first arrived at
school.
“I’m disciplining my own daughter! Mind your own business!” my mother snapped.
Professor Hughes frowned. “Precisely because she’s your daughter, you have no right to treat her this way! Besides, Harper is an adult now. She hasn’t done anything morally wrong, and you cannot control her life.”
“Bah! That’s nonsense!” my mother shouted, pointing at my head. “She came out of my body! I should decide her life! Women have to marry eventually. What’s the point of all that studying? Come on! You’re going home to marry like a proper girl!”
Professor Hughes was no match for my mother’s brute force. She tried to block her, but my mother shoved her aside with such strength that Professor Hughes fell to the ground, her palms smeared with blood.
“Professor Hughes…” I whispered, horrified.
Nearby students had long since grown tired of my mother’s abuse, and they shouted at her in protest.
The chaos only ended when the police arrived. My mother finally cowered, her face twisted in rage as she warned me she’d be back to “settle accounts,” then slunk away.
In the nurse’s office, I stared at Professor Hughes’s wounds, my heart filled with guilt.
“I’m so sorry, Professor Hughes. I didn’t know she would lash out at you too. This is all my fault.”
Professor Hughes held my hand gently, her eyes full of concern. “It’s not your fault! I never realized how hard your life has been. You’ve endured so much, and you kept going. You did the right thing, Harper.”
After that incident, life in the dorm improved. My roommates treated me better, leaving snacks on my desk and bringing me extra food, claiming they had bought too much to eat themselves.
I felt each small kindness and silently vowed to repay their generosity one day.
Before long, my mother returned again-but this time she had learned her lesson and waited outside the school.
“You ungrateful brat! I should have ended you at birth!”
“Well, what a pity-you missed that chance.”
She glared at me and raised her hand to strike, but I dodged.
“If you keep this up, I’ll call the police. Forcing me to marry against my will is illegal, and I can press charges. Save your energy. Isn’t your precious daughter making big money in Zandumore? If you treated her well, she’ll never forget you.’
Thinking of Emma, my mother’s face twisted into a smug smile. “Of course she won’t forget me! Emma is obedient and filial, unlike you, the heartless one! Giving birth to you… it’s a sin!”
Even knowing my mother hated me with all her heart, hearing such cruel words still stung.
“Since you hate me so much, then wait-your precious daughter will return from Zandumore and be loyal to you!”
“Of course! You think I expect anything less? Emma’s coming home next month. She said over the phone she’s made a fortune on Zandumore. She’s kindhearted too, wants to bring you back with her to make money! Look at yourself… you have no conscience!”
