The summer after my high school graduation, my dad fell from a construction scaffold and died. As soon as the funeral ended, my aunt told me to forget about college. "Your mom's struggling alone. A girl like you should go out and work to help the family." I refused. I rented a basement room in a cheap part of the city, worked on construction sites during the day, and studied at night. One day, just after collecting my pay, a black sedan blocked my path. The window rolled down. It was my mother, Linda, sitting next to a stranger. She looked at my dust-covered clothes, frowning deeply. "Hope, get in. We need to talk." In the cafe, she pulled a document from her designer bag. "Sign this waiver, and consider your dad's affairs settled." "I found you a job at an electronics factory. Food and housing included. It's better than this." I stared at the words "Voluntary Renunciation of Inheritance Rights" on the document. My blood froze. My gaze drifted past her to the luxury watch on the man's wrist. She had a new life, and I was the obstacle that needed to be cleared. 1 I didn't respond. My mind was blank. "Hope, your dad's death was an accident. Most of the settlement money from the company went to pay off his debts." She pointed at the man beside her, a hint of boasting in her tone. "This is your Uncle Dave. We're planning to get married." Her exquisitely made-up face contrasted sharply with my dirt-stained hands. I forced myself to calm down, staring silently at the document. She seemed to lose patience, pushing the paper toward me. "Hurry up and sign. We have a wedding dress fitting." This scene was all too familiar. A year ago, when my dad was still alive, it was the same. That day, Dad had just brought home his wages, ready to pay for my SAT prep classes. "Hope is taking the SATs soon. This money needs to be spent where it counts." Linda's face changed instantly. "My brother needs to buy a house. As his brother-in-law, shouldn't you contribute?" "What's the use of a girl studying so much anyway!" Dad's face flushed red. "The kid's future is the most important thing! Let your brother figure out his own house!" The argument quickly escalated into shoving. Linda grabbed a water glass and threw it. Dad's forehead started bleeding immediately. Things in the house were smashed everywhere. In the end, Dad squatted on the floor clutching his head, while Linda snatched the money and slammed the door. "I can't live like this! Divorce!" After that, she went back to her family. She didn't return until Dad's accident. When she calmed down, she looked at me with a strange, calculating gaze. "Your dad is gone. This family relies on you now." That night, she cleared out all of Dad's belongings, not even leaving a single photo. "He's dead. Keeping these things just takes up space." "Go to the labor market with your aunt tomorrow and find some work." I grabbed the hem of her shirt, my voice trembling. "Mom, my college acceptance letter is coming soon." She shook off my hand. "College? Are you trying to drag me down?" I thought she said those things out of grief. Now I realized she had planned everything long ago. So, I stopped reminiscing and looked up at her. "Mom, I got in. It's a top university..." She cut me off directly. "I'm not interested in what school you go to." "High school graduation is enough. If you want to keep studying, earn the money yourself." "Sign this, and don't come looking for me again." She leaned on Dave's shoulder, smiling happily, but her eyes stared at me coldly. "I have a wedding to plan. Don't waste my time!" All my illusions from the past year shattered in that moment. 2 I forced back the stinging in my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself. "I can sign, but I want my share of the settlement money." Tuition and living expenses for a top university aren't cheap. Dad's settlement was $250,000 in total. Legally, I was entitled to at least half. But I only asked for $50,000. Enough to get me through the start of college. I could walk the rest of the road myself. Unexpectedly, hearing this number, Linda started wiping away tears. "Hope, when did you become so materialistic? All you talk about is money!" "Your dad's debts aren't even paid off. Where would I get money for you?" "I thought you'd be sensible now that you're grown up. I didn't expect you to just want to bleed me dry." I sneered internally. Her story was watertight. She was afraid I'd become a burden to her new family, and even more afraid this money would affect her and her new husband's lifestyle. So she used this chance to solve the "me problem" once and for all. Seeing me unmoved, she seemed to think of something, her eyes shifting as she picked up her phone. "Hope, if you don't believe me, you should believe your aunt." "She's your dad's biological sister!" The call connected quickly on speaker. "Sis, how's it going? Did that girl sign?" My aunt's urgent voice came through. "Hope is here. She won't sign and is asking me for $50,000." Linda's tone was full of grievance. My aunt's voice instantly spiked on the other end. "$50,000? Why doesn't she rob a bank! Ungrateful brat!" "Your dad's bones aren't even cold, and you're thinking about splitting the money! How can you face him?" "Your mom's hair turned gray paying off debts. Do you have no conscience?" Every sentence was a knife in my heart. I looked at Linda, trying to find a trace of maternal warmth on her face. But I failed. "If you don't give me the money, I'll apply for legal aid and investigate where that money went." My answer silenced both ends of the call for a moment. Then, Linda stood up abruptly, pointing at my nose. "You dare!" "Fine! For money, you'd even sue your own mother!" "I'm telling you right now, you won't see a cent of this money!" People in the cafe looked over, pointing at me. "Kids these days are unbelievable. Being a mom is hard." "Suing your parents for money? That education was wasted." "An unfilial daughter like that needs a reality check." Many took out their phones, seemingly filming. I felt the air around me thinning. Linda looked at me triumphantly. "Hope, do you still want it?" How ironic. $50,000 meant nothing to her, who was about to marry into wealth. But she just wouldn't give it to me, using this method to trample my dignity. I clenched my fists and spoke word by word. "Linda, I'll see you in court." 3 Linda immediately switched to a heartbroken expression, crying to the people around us. "What sin did I commit to raise such a daughter!" "Her dad just died, and she's forcing me to split the assets. What's the point of living!" The man named Dave immediately hugged her, comforting her softly while giving me a warning look. The whispers around us grew louder. I felt like a heinous criminal. Eventually, we were taken to the community mediation center. Learning I was suing my mother for $50,000 of the settlement, the mediator, Ms. Wang, frowned deeply. "Young lady, your mother raised you alone. It wasn't easy. How can you be so insensible?" I pressed my chest to ease the pain, trying to keep my voice steady. "That's my dad's settlement money. I'm just asking for my rightful share to pay for tuition." Linda started crying immediately. "Tuition? She's always spent money recklessly since she was little, hanging out with bad crowds! I'm afraid if she gets the money, she'll blow it in three days!" I looked at her in disbelief. For money, she could fabricate facts out of thin air. Feeling that wasn't enough, she called my aunt again. My aunt rushed over quickly. Upon entering, she pointed at me and cursed. "Hope, you heartless thing! Your mom used all the money to pay off your dad's gambling debts, and you're still pressuring her!" "How did our family produce something like you!" I completely gave up. My dad was an honest man. When did he ever gamble? Even his own sister was willing to splash dirty water on the dead to embezzle this money. Ms. Wang's gaze on me became severe. "Hope, today, you must apologize to your mother and aunt." "Don't mention the money again. Go home with your mom." Seeing me stand still, Linda and my aunt grabbed my arms, trying to drag me out. I broke free with force, holding onto the table to stand steady. "I'm going to sue." This sentence silenced the entire mediation room. Hearing this, Linda sat on a chair, covering her face and pretending to sob. "My life is so bitter. My daughter, whom I raised so hard, wants to send me to the defendant's seat for money." My aunt patted her back incessantly, muttering about my faults. Their performance attracted onlookers from other staff in the center. "Is that the girl suing her mom for money? People really have changed." "Looks quiet, didn't expect such a vicious heart." Ms. Wang sighed heavily and waved at me. "Child, you're too extreme. This won't solve the problem." Linda wiped her dry eyes and stood in front of me. "Ms. Wang, don't persuade her. If she wants to sue, let her! I've had enough!" "Let the judge decide whose fault it is!" With her words, Ms. Wang said no more, just letting us leave. Before leaving, I looked at Ms. Wang and asked softly. "Ma'am, what materials do I need to prepare for a lawsuit?" She looked at me with annoyance and pulled a flyer from a drawer. "The Legal Aid Center's number is on it. Ask them yourself." I cherished that thin piece of paper, turned around, and walked out of the mediation center. 4 The day I got the copy of the complaint, my rented basement was trashed. The landlady pointed at my nose and told me to get out immediately. "I won't rent to an ungrateful wolf who sues her own mother!" In the following days, I found myself isolated by the whole world. In the family group chat, my aunt posted my "crimes" daily, accompanied by Linda's haggard selfies. "My poor sister, forced to tears every day by her unfilial daughter." "That girl was vain since childhood, asking her dad for money to buy brand names. Now that he's gone, she torments her mom." They even fabricated rumors about my dad's gambling. Helpless, I left all the group chats, burying my head like an ostrich. But trouble still found me. At the construction site where I worked, the foreman found me and said he couldn't use me anymore because someone had "said something." I knew it was their doing. Desperate, I worked odd jobs during the day and hid in the city library's basement reading room at night. It was quiet and empty. Finally, the court date arrived. As soon as I walked out of the library, I was surrounded by a group of people. The leader was my cousin, my aunt's son, whom I used to be closest to. "Hope, you really shame our family!" The people behind him also pointed at me. "That's her. Disowns family for money." "Heard she wasn't a good girl in school, hooking up with boys everywhere." These filthy words made it hard for me to breathe. I stared at my cousin. "You believe them too?" His eyes dodged, but he stiffened his neck. "My mom said if you drop the lawsuit, she'll buy me the latest phone." "Hope, don't be ungrateful. Just for you, our whole family has no peace!" I walked through the crowd expressionlessly toward the courthouse. In the plaintiff's seat, I sat alone. On the defendant's side, Linda, my aunt, Dave, and a crowd of relatives filled the seats. The judge banged the gavel, tone serious. "Plaintiff Hope Lin, please present evidence proving the defendant Linda Xu embezzled the settlement money. Otherwise, the court will dismiss your claim." Linda's hired lawyer stood up immediately. "My client has used the entire settlement to pay off the deceased's debts. The plaintiff, as a daughter, not only fails to understand her mother's hardships but also makes unreasonable demands for property division. This is purely vexatious." The legal aid lawyer beside me pushed his glasses and whispered. "The situation is very unfavorable for you. You have no direct evidence." Whispers inside and outside the courtroom surged toward me like a tide. "See? Just making trouble, no evidence at all." I looked up, meeting all the questioning gazes, and took out an MP3 player so old the paint was peeling off. "Your Honor, the evidence is here."
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