Mom, Look at My Heart

The Gold Bracelet

Despite what John said, I did visit him three days ago with a bunch of expensive gifts. I wanted to stay for a few days with my father. However, he kicked me out because I ate one extra chicken leg.

The snowstorm was raging that evening. As I stood there in the field of white with a thin jacket wrapped around me, I trembled and shivered. I could only seek shelter in the cave I used to hide in as a child.

My favorite food was cauliflower. While it was cheap, John rarely bought them all because Fred did not like cauliflowers. Hence, I could never have them.

When John found out that Wendy was still in contact with her first love, he instantly went and found himself a mistress. They had a baby son the next year, and he even moved them in with us.

Wendy was so furious that she demanded a divorce. However, neither of them wanted me. In the end, it was my grandmother who took me in. Still, that only lasted until she passed away the year before. From then on, there was no one I could rely on.

I followed John as he continued shopping. "I'm buying this for my son. His grades have improved. He even moved up ten ranks among his class. I have to reward him."

In reality, Fred only went from last in the class to tenth to last. Even though I was always the top student of my year, John never praised me. Instead, he would say to me, "What's the use of good grades? You have surely inherited your mom's loose morals. You'll be kicked out of the house when you cheat on your husband anyway. With how ugly you are, no one would even want you."

Due to his hate of my mother, he hated me as well. In reality, he would know for sure if I was his daughter with just one DNA paternity test.

However, he never dared to get it done. He was afraid he would have hated the wrong people for years.

Once John reached home, he began to work hard in the kitchen. Soon, the air was filled with a fragrant aroma. Isla Jordan, my stepmother, walked out of the bedroom with a facial mask on her face. She tentatively asked John, "I heard you found the headless corpse of a woman this morning at the dig site. Has she been identified?"

"How can we identify her without a head? Still, I suspect she was kicked out of the house by her man because she did something wrong. That body was covered in bruises. It's easy to see that she was frequently beaten up."

That made Isla let out a sigh of relief. She then walked over to hug John and coyly said, "My husband is the best husband in the world. You'll never hit me."

John gave her a big kiss on the cheek. "Of course. You gave me a son. You're a great hero of the family and not at all like my unfaithful ex-wife. Of course, I would never hit you."

He then noticed the gold bracelet on Isla's wrist and instantly became wary. "When did you buy this bracelet?"

"This? Fred gave it to me. He won a cash prize in the school's drone competition. He bought it for me with that money straight away."

"As expected of my son. He's such a good kid!"

Not long after that, Fred came home from school. The family of three sat down and enjoyed their meal amidst laughter and cheer. I also sat down on a chair to silently watch them.

My grandmother made me live with my father when I started middle school, as he lived closer to my new school. However, I never once ate at the table. I had to sit behind the door on a stool all on my own while they happily enjoyed their meals.

As they dined, John kept praising Fred for his improved grades and gift for Isla. Suddenly, he asked, "Why does the bracelet look so familiar?"

Isla immediately spoke up. "Gold bracelets all look the same. You might've seen it in a shop before."

John went back to his meal without a single hint of suspicion.

How I wished he would probe further. That was the bracelet I wore when I visited him a few days ago.

Still, no matter how loud I shouted, John did not hear me.