Anger hit me so hard I blacked out. When I opened my eyes, a strange, one-eyed old man stood over me, moving in a way that made my stomach twist.
“You’re in your thirties and still jobless. I kindly found you someone. How can you blame me?”
Rage took over. I grabbed a knife, ready to fight Mom to the end, but Dad, my brother, and the neighbors wrestled it from my hands. Their voices turned on me, calling me ungrateful.
In the struggle, the knife slipped. A sharp pain shot through me as blood spread beneath me. I fell.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back on that sleepless night, working on the proposal, as if none of it had happened.
——
When I saw the thick stack of planning files on the screen, I pinched myself hard. The sting was real, and tears of joy rolled down my face. I was truly alive again!
Back on the night that had wrecked my whole life, every memory came rushing back. If I really had a second chance, I swore I would never let myself fall into that same powerless trap again.
This time, those who once called me ungrateful would taste the full weight of Mom’s so-called kindness.
As I quietly cried in front of the glowing screen, Mom walked in holding a cup of milk.