On the eve of my best friend and childhood sweetheart’s wedding, I stumbled upon chat records between her and my mother, Hannah, which shattered my world.\
“Harriet, I deliberately took the wrong child back then just for today. Seeing that you are about to marry into a wealthy family, I am very relieved.“}
“Mom, I will be filial to you in the future. All these years, I can live such a rich life, all thanks to you.“”
“If you hadn’t ruined Kelly, I wouldn’t have been able to marry into a wealthy family.“”
Only then did I realize the truth behind the years of suffering I had endured–why domestic violence was a regular occurrence in my life.”
Harriet had been living the life meant for me, enjoying the privileges of being a rich girl, while I faced the harsh realities of her place. My own mother had orchestrated this switch, ensuring Harriet would live a life of luxury while I struggled in silence.
My mother didn’t stop there. She relentlessly pressured me to break up with Franklin, my childhood sweetheart, giving Harriet the perfect opportunity to step in and get pregnant with his child.
I smiled bitterly at the irony. On the night of Harriet’s wedding, I decided to give everyone a gift they’d never forget.
-X
“Harriet, do you like it? Godmother will put it on for you–it must look beautiful!”
Every year, on Harriet’s birthday, Hannah would carefully prepare extravagant gifts for her. Today was no different. She draped
a necklace that looked exceptionally valuable around Harriet’s slender neck, beaming with pride.
“Godmother, it’s so beautiful! I love it,” Harriet replied with a radiant smile, her eyes twinkling with satisfaction.
Her gaze, as always, held that unmistakable pride–like she had already won the lottery of life. “Godmother, isn’t this necklace too expensive? You shouldn’t have!” Harriet feigned modesty.”
Hannah brushed it off with a laugh. “It’s not expensive, as long as you like it.“\
The necklace, costing 37,000 dollars, wasn’t extravagant by Harriet’s standards, but for Hannah, it meant a year of scrimping and saving on her meager salary. She saved a year without eating or drinking with a monthly salary of more than 3,000 dollars.
This moment dragged me back to my high school graduation. I had been accepted to both Edinburgh and Manchester universities, but when my acceptance letters arrived, Hannah’s reaction stunned me.”
She flew into a rage, tearing my letters to shreds and hitting me viciously. “What’s the point of studying so hard? Do you think we can afford college? You’ll go to the factory tomorrow to support the family!”
At the time, Harriet had only managed to get into an ordinary second–tier university. But at her graduation banquet, Hannah handed me a red envelope containing 50,000 dollars–an amount more than enough to cover four years of college expenses. She praised Harriet lavishly in front of everyone.
*Harriet is so remarkable, getting into such a good university. Not like this useless girl in my family, who couldn’t even get into a third–rate school! even a rubbish university is unwilling to accept her!”
By then, my heart had grown numb to Hannah’s blatant favoritism. But I still didn’t understand the reason behind her cruelty why she treated me like this when I was her daughter! -not until last night, when I read those chat records. I finally understood what I had been through all these years!
Hannah clasped Harriet’s hand affectionately, her expression filled with relief and pride. “You’re getting married soon and couldn’t be happier for you.”
Then her tone shifted, dripping with disdain as she glanced in my direction. “Unlike that useless girl in my house, always dreaming above her station. Even when she was in school, she tried to steal Franklin from you. Can you imagine? She should have looked in the mirror to see if she was worthy!“}
The memory of our shared childhood flashed before me. Harriet, Franklin and I had grown up together. Back then, our classmates teased us, calling us “the love triangle” of childhood sweethearts. Saying that we two childhood sweethearts were fighting for a childhood sweetheart. We all wanted to see who would marry Franklin in the future.
In those days, things were simpler. None of us cared about wealth or social status. Franklin and I had been close, spending most of our time together. In our second year of high school, he even confessed his feelings for me in front of Harriet which made Harriet very angry.
