On the eve of my engagement to my boyfriend, my mom suddenly called me. "I have something to do on the day of your engagement party. I probably can't make it." After she spoke, she waited for my reply. I was silent for a moment. "That's fine. You're not needed for the wedding either. I'm the main character; that's enough." I knew she wanted me to panic. She wanted me to beg her. What parent wouldn't show up for their child's biggest life event? Wouldn't that make her a laughingstock? But I didn't want to play her game. I hung up the phone decisively. She wouldn't be able to sit still. 1 Not long after I hung up, she called again. "Are you still holding a grudge because I secretly tried to call off your engagement?" I pulled the corners of my mouth. She knew the answer. My boyfriend, Liam, and I met earlier this year and hit it off. He has a Master's degree, his parents work for the city, and he owns a house and a car. He’s handsome and kind. He was the best catch I'd ever dated. But my mom did everything she could to oppose us. "You're average looking and you didn't go to a top university. Anyone with eyes can see you're not good enough for his family." She forced me to break up with Liam. I refused. So she went behind my back, found the matchmaker—our busybody neighbor, Mrs. Higgins—and rejected the proposal on my behalf. When I found out, I was furious. I moved out that same day. "I'm doing this for your own good! Look at how many marriages fail because the families aren't equal!" "I'm afraid you'll get bullied. I'm afraid you'll regret it and won't be able to divorce. Am I wrong?" She argued vehemently. At first glance, it almost sounded reasonable. "But, do you really believe that in your heart?" Purely for my own good? With no selfish motives? Mom paused. "What do you mean? Would I harm you?" I sneered. "Only you know the answer to that." She exploded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Fine, Lily! I never knew you had such a dark heart, throwing dirt on your own mother!" "I'm telling you today, you and Liam won't make it! My mouth is cursed; whatever I say comes true!" She cursed me through gritted teeth. I could feel the malice through the phone. I closed my eyes and blocked her number. On my wall hung a deep purple velvet dress. It was the dress I had custom-made for her for the engagement party. I'll never forget when I happily gave it to her. She threw it on the floor like a rag. My best friend told me to return it. It wasn't cheap. But I couldn't bear to. I kept fantasizing that she might change her mind and wear it happily. I waited and waited, and finally, I got her curse. In the afternoon, my Uncle Bob called. He told me to come to his house to "chat" about the engagement. I knew immediately. Mom had gone to complain. Liam knew and tried to stop me. "You can't handle a whole room of them alone. I'm worried you'll get sick from anger." I shook my head. I had to go. If I didn't, who knew what stories Mom would spin? I had to let everyone know the truth and end this farce completely. Uncle Bob's living room was full. Besides his family, my Aunt Karen and her husband were there. My younger sister was there too. Mom was leaning on her shoulder, wiping tears. Everyone looked at me with blame. It was an intervention. "Wow, Lily. You really impress me. You won't let your own mother attend your engagement party? You're probably the only person in this whole town who would do that. You really bring honor to the family." Uncle Bob started with sarcasm. I glanced at my mom expressionlessly. Just as I expected. She was the one who called and said she wouldn't come. Now, it had turned into me banning her. Aunt Karen chimed in immediately. "I really didn't expect you to be so heartless. You have a man and forget your mother? Sure, you resent her for the secret rejection, but is a mother's concern wrong? Why can't you see it from her perspective?" My aunt-in-law cleared her throat. "Technically I shouldn't interfere, but I have to remind you, Lily. No marriage is smooth sailing. If something happens in the future, you need your maiden family to back you up. Is this smart?" 2 Seeing the whole room on her side, Mom cried even louder. "I put my heart and soul into thinking for her! I was afraid she'd suffer! How did it become malicious? I'm so wronged!" Her shoulders shook, sobbing uncontrollably like a child. My sister glared at me. "You're plain, you have nothing. Mom is worried you're being played. Isn't that normal?" "But you? You turn around and bite her, saying she has selfish motives. She's your biological mother! What selfish motives could she have?" "She knows best what motives she has!" I looked at them coldly. "When you two went behind my back to reject the engagement, do you dare tell everyone what you said to Mrs. Higgins?" Mom and my sister froze simultaneously. They exchanged a panicked look, faces turning pale instantly. "What? Did you forget so quickly? Or are you too ashamed to say it?" That day, they told Mrs. Higgins that I decided to break up with Liam because of my "inferiority complex." They begged her to pass the message. And at the same time, they hoped she could introduce my sister, Bella, to Liam instead. Because they felt Bella and Liam were a better match. To suck up to Mrs. Higgins, Mom even gave her a pearl necklace and told her to keep it quiet. After getting home, the two of them took turns trying to convince me to date the guy who runs the fried food stand on the corner, saying he was appropriate for me. I almost went crazy those few days. Finally, Mrs. Higgins felt something was off and called me to verify. That's when I knew I had been stabbed in the back. My own mother tried to break me up with my boyfriend just so her favorite daughter could replace me! I took out my phone and played the recording of my call with Mrs. Higgins. Listening to it, my eyes turned red. "Mom, Bella is your daughter. Am I not? Why do you treat me like this?" Since childhood, I was more sensible and obedient than Bella. Mom clenched her fists, glaring at me with hatred, like she wanted to eat me. My cousin stood up first to defend me. "Aunt Carol, that's too biased! Lily found a great guy. Shouldn't you be happy for her?" "And Bella? She can't find a husband so she has to steal her sister's boyfriend? That's so low!" She spoke fast, looking indignant. Uncle Bob glared at my cousin. "Shut up! It's not your turn to speak!" He turned to me. "I met Liam once. He's a good catch. Maybe your mom felt you two weren't a match and feared you'd break up, so she wanted to keep him in the family. She did it so the family wouldn't lose out." Aunt Karen nodded. "Your uncle is right. You can't fully blame your mom. Bella is better than you. She's taller, prettier, and went to a better college. These are facts. You can't deny them." "So?" I trembled, almost crying from rage. "So I should willingly give up my boyfriend and go date the fry cook?" What kind of bandit logic was this? Uncle Bob looked impatient. "That's enough. You and Liam haven't broken up, have you? You're about to get engaged. Why hold onto this?" "Yes, your mom is a bit biased. But she didn't want to lose a good son-in-law. She did it for the family." Aunt Karen rolled her eyes at me. "Anyone can complain about your mom except you. She almost bled to death giving birth to you. You can never repay that debt!" 3 These words hit Mom's switch. She covered her face and wailed. "Stop saying it! If she had any conscience, she wouldn't be doing this today!" "Why is my life so bitter? If I had known, I wouldn't have given birth to her!" "If I had a choice, I wouldn't want to be born in your belly either!" My voice was broken and sad, coming from the bottom of my heart. Mom stopped crying and stared at me viciously. Suddenly, she rushed to the window, opened it, and tried to jump. Luckily, someone nearby grabbed her. "Let me die! Let me die! My daughter hates me. What's the point of living!" Her shrieks echoed in the living room, making my ears ring. Aunt Karen hugged her waist, glaring at me furiously. "Carol, stop! Lily, what good does driving your mother to death do? Aren't you afraid of karma?" Uncle Bob grabbed a teacup and smashed it at my feet. "You're rebelling! Just because your dad died early and your mom has no husband to back her up? If you want to bully her, you have to go through me!" "Kneel and apologize to your mother! Right now!" I stepped back, dazed, tears flowing uncontrollably. Why didn't I listen to Liam? Why did I come here? I was no match for Mom. "What? Not convinced? I'm telling you, if you don't apologize today, none of us will attend your wedding!" Uncle Bob threatened me, pointing a finger. I wiped the tears from my face, my voice low and final. "Good. Saves me money on invitations." I turned and left Uncle Bob's house without looking back. They kept shouting my name behind me. I covered my ears, feeling nauseous. My name is Lily. But my legal name used to be something much uglier. Mom named me "Cuilan"—Jade Orchid. It sounded like a peasant name from the 1950s. My aunt said when they registered my birth, she told Mom it was too old-fashioned. Mom didn't care. "Why give her a fancy name? Is she going to become a phoenix?" But when naming my sister, she spent hundreds of dollars hiring a numerologist. They calculated for days and chose "Bella." Beautiful. Everyone said Bella was prettier and better than me. They didn't know my SAT score was 300 points higher than hers. But on the day I got my acceptance letter to a State University, Mom lent our family savings to a distant relative to buy a truck. I cried for two days and nights. She looked innocent. "You're so insensible. We have no sons. If something happens later, we need relatives to help." Just like that, I didn't go to university. I went to community college. Bella? Her scores were barely enough for a for-profit college, but Mom bought her the latest iPhone, MacBook, and iPad, and threw a huge graduation party. She got a $500 monthly allowance and lived carefree. I felt wronged. I resented it. But eventually, I tried to please them. I fantasized that if I was filial and obedient, I could earn a little of Mom's love. I even naively thought that finding a good husband would make Mom respect me. Until Mrs. Higgins called. It turns out, in this world, there really are mothers who don't love their children. And because I wasn't loved, all the relatives sided with the favorite. 4 I left the family group chat. Those who didn't bless me weren't welcome at my wedding. I calmed myself down and prepared for the upcoming engagement party. But the night before the party, I suddenly got a text from Liam. "I'm sorry, Lily. Let's break up. I hope you find someone better." Without warning. He blocked me on everything. Decisive. During the day, we were dreaming about our future. He said he wanted to marry me quickly so I'd have my own home. He said he would protect me from Mom and Bella. I didn't know what changed. I went to Liam's house. His parents said he wasn't home. I called his friends. They couldn't reach him. Finally, I found him in the small park where we used to hang out. He was chugging a bottle of whiskey like it was water. "Give me a reason. I promise I won't harass you." He looked at me with red, swollen eyes and kept drinking. I snatched the bottle and threw it in the trash. "Are you going to talk?" "Your mom told me... she said you slept around with your ex-boyfriend in cheap motels!" He looked at me with sadness, like he was about to cry. I stood there, frozen, like I'd been hit with a club. I knew Mom wouldn't let it go, but I didn't expect her to use such a dirty tactic. "You believe whatever she says?" I was indescribably disappointed. After all this time, he didn't trust me at all. "She said she has proof! And she's your mother! Would she make up rumors about her own daughter's chastity?" Liam's voice cracked. "I didn't know before. But now that I know... how can I get engaged to you?" He squatted on the ground, holding his head. He looked pathetic. I was silent. Then I grabbed him and dragged him toward the park exit. "What are you doing?" "Come home with me!" Mom was playing cards with her old cronies, smiling and radiant. She was clearly in a great mood. I walked up silently and flipped the card table. "Ah!" They screamed and jumped up. Seeing my face darker than charcoal, they scrambled away in fear. "Do you want to die, Lily? Are you crazy?!" Mom roared at me. I approached her grimly. "Who told you I slept around with my ex? Show me the evidence. Or this isn't over!" Since childhood, this was the first time I lost my temper at Mom like this. I had been a filial daughter for twenty years, and in return, she slandered me. Mom sneered. "Fine, Lily. Your wings are hard now. You dare to yell at me?" "Since I dared to expose you, of course I have evidence. I'm just afraid you won't have the face to see it!" "My conscience is clear. Bring it out!" Mom rolled her eyes and took out an old phone from her bedroom. "I remember clearly. You went to work in the city when you were eighteen. Two years later, you got a boyfriend. One weekend, you went hiking and got caught in a storm." I followed her words. I remembered. That was a once-in-a-decade storm. Traffic was paralyzed. We couldn't get back to the city, so we had to get a room at a small motel at the foot of the mountain.
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