I stumbled upon a post online. [My wife and I created a fake account to add our daughter as a friend. Now, we’re her long-distance boyfriend. We know all her little secrets.] I instinctively scrolled past it, but the IP address caught my eye. I froze. What a coincidence. It was the exact same city I lived in. The next second, my online boyfriend sent me a message. [Baby, go to sleep early. No staying up late.] A warm feeling bloomed in my chest. I replied sweetly: [Going to sleep right now!] The moment I hit send, I heard the sound of my parents’ bedroom door locking next door. 1 I didn't think much of it and quickly fell into a sweet, peaceful sleep. His name was Ethan. He was two years older than me, a sophomore in college. He was the first person I had ever met online. We clicked instantly. He was considerate, gentle, and patient. He would seriously listen to me vent about the little annoyances in my life. I was constantly amazed by how compatible we were. He could always guess exactly what I was thinking, quickly and accurately. —[You seem upset. Did you get into a fight with your parents again?] —[Do you want to talk about it? Maybe there's just a misunderstanding between you guys? You have to believe that your parents definitely love you.] I rubbed my eyes and typed out my frustrations and confusion on the keyboard, hitting send. He was so smart. He could always pinpoint exactly what the conflict was. And his advice was always incredibly useful. I was quickly able to resolve misunderstandings with my parents and make peace. I started relying on him more and more. We made a promise: we would meet in person after I finished my SATs and high school graduation. When the time came, I promised I would apply to the university he was attending. 2 The next day, that post was updated. Someone asked: [Isn't that kind of messed up? What if your daughter finds out?] The poster replied: [We're doing it for her own good. She was dead set on leaving us. She was planning to apply to colleges all the way across the country. But now, she's decided to apply to a local university. For a girl, it's better not to be too far from home.] My breath caught in my throat. Ethan's university was local. And before I met him... I had wanted to go to an out-of-state college. Because of that, my relationship with my parents had become incredibly strained. Ever since I was little, I had to follow their arrangements for absolutely everything. What school I attended, what books I read, what friends I saw, what clothes I wore. Even whether I did my math homework or history homework first. Even whether I drank my soup before or after I ate my dinner. I lived like a robot. If I ever voiced a disagreement, they would violently object. Then, they would put on a deeply wounded expression. "Mia, Mom and Dad are doing this for your own good. You're breaking our hearts." I felt like I was suffocating. During the days when I felt like I couldn't survive another second, I frantically searched online for the most painless ways to leave this world. That was when Ethan found me. He didn't try to talk me out of it. Instead, he enthusiastically researched different "methods" with me. We often talked late into the night. As we were chatting one night, he suddenly said: [It looks like the sun is about to come up. Let's pause the hanging idea and go watch the sunrise first.] I thought he was so interesting. Without realizing it, I started pouring out all my feelings of oppression and the suffocating control my parents had over me. He replied slowly, but he patiently helped me analyze and process my emotions. He even gave me little tips and tricks on how to handle them. I tried communicating with my parents using his advice, and to my surprise, it actually worked. I managed to fight for a tiny sliver of freedom to breathe. Occasionally, I could decide what clothes I wore, and I could even choose to just eat my food and skip the soup. But it wasn't enough. I wanted to go to a college far, far away. I wanted a period of my life that was entirely under my own control. When I told Ethan about it, he replied happily: [Of course I support you! But I do have a tiny, selfish wish. I was hoping you'd be a little closer to me.] He sent a shy emoji. I belatedly realized what he meant. Clutching my wildly beating heart, I asked him: [Why?] After sending the message, I tossed my phone aside and buried my head under my blanket. For the first time in my life, I felt the flutter of a teenage crush. He sent a barrage of messages back. [Honestly, the first time we talked, I felt like you were different from anyone else...] [I like you.] [I'll take good care of you and cherish you in the future. A beautiful girl like you deserves to be treated well...] My face burned red. My eyes were glued to that sentence: [I like you.] It was the first time anyone had confessed their feelings to me. The first time anyone had told me I was good. And just like that, we secretly started dating online. He would casually send me pictures of his campus. The cafeteria, the library, the tree-lined paths... [The food at the dining hall is pretty good. But it would definitely taste better if you were here with me.] [The AC in the library is blasting. If you were here and got cold, I'd give you my jacket.] [When autumn comes, this whole path will be covered in golden leaves. They say if a couple walks down this path together, they'll stay together forever.] [I really want to watch the autumn leaves fall with you.] ... I drowned in the sweetness of romance. The scales in my heart slowly tipped toward him. Finally. I said: [After graduation, I'll come find you.] 3 I stared at the post on my phone for a long time. I looked up at my parents sitting across the dining table. They looked completely normal. For a moment, I hesitated. Maybe it was just a coincidence? When I went to my room to change my clothes, I thought about it. My fingers hovered in my closet. Instead of my usual jeans, I pulled out a skirt. My mom's brow instantly furrowed. "Wear pants. That skirt is too short." I looked down. "It's past my knees." My mom opened her mouth to object, but my dad gently tugged on her sleeve, shooting her a pointed look. They exchanged a glance. My mom sighed. "Fine, whatever you want." She turned and walked into the bathroom. A few seconds later, my phone buzzed. Ethan sent a message: [Baby, I checked the weather. It might get cold today. Remember to wear a few extra layers.] I stared at the frosted glass window of the bathroom for a long moment. I looked down and replied: [Okay! Thanks for caring, baby.] I changed back into pants. My parents smiled, exchanged a look, and a satisfied expression appeared on their faces. My heart plummeted into my stomach. It wasn't a coincidence. 4 I walked out the front door. The second I was sure I was out of sight from the living room window, I leaned against the brick wall of the building and started dry heaving uncontrollably. Disgusting. It was absolutely disgusting. With trembling hands, I tapped on the poster's profile. He had updated the thread again. [This method works perfectly. She willingly tells us all her little secrets, and it makes her much more obedient and easier to manage.] [Like just now, she threw a fit about wanting to wear a short skirt. With a little trick, we pacified her instantly.] [And because we use a fake account, she'll never blame us, her parents, no matter what happens. It doesn't affect our relationship at all.] Fighting down my nausea, I scrolled through my chat history with "Ethan." —[Baby, I missed you so much today.] —[I want to hold you.] —[Miss you. Kisses.] ... I crouched on the sidewalk, my mind flashing back to the image of my parents exchanging those knowing, conspiratorial glances just moments ago. My stomach churned violently. So disgusting. How could anyone be so shameless? What were they thinking when they sent me those messages? Did they not feel sick to their stomachs? What kind of parents lure their own daughter into an online romance? And then confess their love to her? I couldn't fathom it. How could a human being do something so utterly revolting? Just to satisfy their own sick need for control? And then try to justify it by saying it was "for my own good"? Shameless! 5 When I returned home, I forced myself to appear calm. Pretending to be casual, I asked: "Mom, Dad, if I started dating someone, would you be against it?" They exchanged a glance and forced smiles onto their faces. "Of course not. Mia, you know Mom and Dad are very open-minded." I twitched the corner of my mouth into a smile. They had the most suffocating need for control, yet they always insisted they were "open-minded." Before this whole "Ethan" online romance started, if I even touched my phone in front of them, they would hover over me, monitoring my searches and staring at my conversations with classmates. But after Ethan, they suddenly became incredibly "open-minded." "Mia, you're growing up. You need your own space. From now on, you keep your phone. Use it however you want." At the time, I was so moved. I thought they had genuinely changed. Seeing that I wasn't speaking, my mom tested the waters: "Mia, why are you suddenly asking this? Is there a boy you like?" My dad quickly added: "Don't worry, your mom and I aren't old-fashioned. You're about to go to college. If you want to date, we won't object." It sounded so normal. They sounded exactly like two supportive, understanding parents who only wanted the best for their child. It almost made me doubt myself. It almost made me think I had hallucinated that Reddit post. I lowered my head, staring at the tips of my shoes. "I met a guy online. He says he goes to a local college, he's a sophomore. I've read a lot of stories online about scammers, so I was worried he might be lying. I wanted to ask if you guys could go to his campus and check him out for me." I heard them both let out a quiet sigh of relief. They agreed readily: "No problem." I looked up, staring at them in feigned surprise. "Aren't you... going to ask how we met?" They froze for a second, then quickly scrambled to correct themselves. "Oh! Yes, right, right. How did you guys meet?" I made up a random story. They listened absentmindedly, zero genuine curiosity on their faces. They didn't ask a single follow-up question about how far our relationship had progressed. 6 A few days later, they told me, "He's a great young man. You need to work hard and try to get accepted into his university." I dug my nails into my palms, forcing a smile. "But my teachers said that with my grades, if I push a little harder, I could get into a much better university out of state." Their faces instantly darkened. They didn't explicitly forbid it, but they didn't agree either. Instead, they just started talking non-stop about how beautiful the local university was, and how close it was to home. They practically yelled it into my ears. "That school is really fantastic. It would be amazing if our Mia could go there." "Yeah, she'd be able to come home and stay with us every weekend. So convenient." I hugged my backpack and walked back to my room. Before closing the door, I looked back at them. "Dad, Mom, is that guy really that great? Did you actually see him? Are you sure he's not a scammer?" Caught off guard, my dad blinked uncomfortably and mumbled, "We asked around. He's not a scammer." I nodded and shut my door. "Thanks, Mom and Dad." Shortly after my door closed, my phone buzzed. Ethan sent me a picture of a university study hall. [I'm so jealous. Everyone else has their girlfriend here studying with them.] I didn't reply. I opened that Reddit post again. It had gone viral. A lot of people were tearing into him: [I can't even imagine how your daughter would react if she found out.] [This is terrifying. You're a psychopath.] [Having you as parents is a literal curse.] He ignored all the criticism and only liked the comments praising him. Someone even asked him for advice: [I think this is a great idea, but I don't know how to act like a teenager chatting with my kid. The generational gap is huge, I feel like they'd catch on.] The poster replied smugly: [It's easy. Download an AI chatbot app. Whatever she sends you, just copy and paste it into the AI, and use whatever response it gives you.] I closed my eyes. So, all that deep understanding, that perfect harmony and empathy... that was where it came from? Fake. It was all completely fake. I bit down hard on my knuckle, unable to suppress a choked sob. The beautiful romance I thought I had found... behind it was something so horrifyingly, unspeakably ugly. 7 Because I hadn't replied, Ethan sent a barrage of messages. I didn't move. I leaned against the corner of my bed, listening quietly to the sound of pacing footsteps in the living room. It sounded frantic. After a while, the footsteps slowly approached my door. "Mia, can Mom come in and bring you some fruit?" The tone of her voice held absolutely zero intention of asking for permission. The moment the words left her mouth, the door was already being pushed open. I squeezed my eyes shut, pretending to be fast asleep. My phone was tossed far away on my desk. I heard her whisper: "She's asleep. No wonder she didn't text back." They quietly turned off the lights and backed out of the room. In the darkness, I opened my eyes, letting the tears fall silently down my cheeks. My phone, which had been buzzing with notifications every few minutes, instantly went dead silent. I had already asked a senior friend to look into it for me. At that local university, in that specific major, there was absolutely no one named Ethan. It was just another cage they had meticulously designed for me, pre-selecting my college and my major. 8 I created a burner account and left a comment under his post: [You guys really are dedicated parents.] Amidst a sea of insults, my compliment stood out. He seemed to think he had found a kindred spirit, and replied quickly: [Exactly! We parents break our backs worrying about her. This kid never talks to us about anything, we just wanted to understand her better.] Someone asked him: [I get your starting point, but I just don't understand why you had to become her romantic partner? Wouldn't playing an older sibling/mentor figure have worked? If she finds out, it's going to cause severe psychological trauma.] He didn't reply. In fact, because that comment started getting a ton of upvotes, he deleted it entirely. I let out a cold scoff. Swallowing my nausea, I praised him a few more times. Then, I sent him a direct message: [My kid's situation is pretty similar. Please, I need advice.] Within minutes, he replied. [No problem! My kid is a total success story. I'm telling you, just follow my lead and it'll work.] I pretended to be a frustrated parent, flattering him while asking for advice. Then, I screenshotted and screen-recorded every single message he sent me. He proudly detailed every single step of his deranged plan. [Just search online for compliments girls like to hear. Add a little bit of flirting to build the emotional connection. My daughter eats that stuff up.] As he spoke, he sent me a few screenshots. It was exactly the same messages he had sent me as Ethan. I took a deep breath. [Isn't that a bit inappropriate? As a parent, saying those things to my kid... I feel like I wouldn't be able to say it. It feels too weird.] He sent a 'laughing behind his hand' emoji. [It's fine, bro. Haven't you heard the saying? A daughter is her father's lover from a past life. As fathers, we're basically giving them some early dating experience so they don't get tricked by toxic guys later.] I stared at those words, feeling something deep inside me completely shatter. What about my mom? Did she feel the same way?
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