My Mother-in-law Gave My Daughter Sleeping Pills

Our home was just across the street from the school, a ten-minute walk. Jessica kept her head down, crying the entire way.

When we finally opened the door, we were hit by the strong smell of chili peppers.

Mia, Mia Williams, was wearing an apron as she placed the last dish on the table, looking at us impatiently.

"You finally decided to come back, huh? Do you even know what time it is?"

I frowned, looking at the table laden with spicy dishes and then at Sophia, Sophia Williams, who was eating voraciously at the table. A surge of anger welled up inside me.

"Mia, why did you cook a whole table of spicy food again? How many times have I told you, Jessica doesn't eat spicy food!"

Mia glared at me, raising her voice.

"I slave away in the kitchen for you, and now I'm wrong for doing that? Is Jessica the only one who needs to eat in this house? Does everyone else not need to eat? So, everyone has to cater to just her, huh?"

She pointed to a small dish of vegetable salad at the edge of the table.

"Isn't this dish not spicy? Can't she just eat that?"

I was almost driven to laughter by the absurdity of it all. Out of eight dishes on the table, only one wasn't spicy, and it was just a plain salad.

Just as I was about to start yelling, Jessica tugged on my hand.

"Mom, it's okay. I can eat a little bit of spicy food. Don't get upset."

With that, she obediently placed my slippers by my feet and, still carrying her backpack, sat down at the table.

Mia let out a mocking laugh, lifting her chin like a triumphant rooster.

"Jessica said she can eat it, so why are you, as her mother, making such a fuss? So pretentious."

With that, she turned and went back to the kitchen.

"Stay calm, stay calm. There are two kids about to take the SAT in this house. No arguments, no arguments."

I tried to calm myself down, taking a few deep breaths before sitting down.

No sooner had I taken my seat than Sophia, who was eating with her head down, glanced at me with a smirk.

"I heard from my classmates that Jessica fell asleep in class again. Her classmates even gave her a nickname, 'Sleepyhead.'"

Sophia was a year older than Jessica.

After failing her SAT last year, she decided to retake it, so this year, she and Jessica would be taking the SAT together.

Since our house was close to the school, Mia had moved in with Sophia two weeks ago.

She claimed that since my husband, Robert Williams, was going on a business trip and I was busy with work, she could stay at home to cook, clean, and take care of Jessica as she prepared for the SAT.

Sophia and Jessica could study together and help each other improve.

But I knew the real reason was that Mia just wanted Sophia to sleep in a bit longer in the mornings, given our proximity to the school. That was why she insisted on staying with us.

At first, I wasn't comfortable with it, but Robert repeatedly assured me that Mia and Sophia wouldn't cause any trouble, so I reluctantly agreed.

But I hadn't expected that in Mia's eyes, only Sophia mattered, and Jessica was nothing.

Because Sophia loved spicy food, every meal had to be packed with spicy dishes, with no regard for Jessica's inability to eat spicy food.

Jessica, being sensible, chose to endure it each time.

With the SAT just around the corner, I didn't want any household disputes to affect her mood, so I kept swallowing my anger.

But today, Sophia's words struck a blow to Jessica's self-esteem. After getting scolded at school, she was now sitting at the table, clutching her fork, her head hanging low.

I could see big tears splashing onto the table, and I could clearly hear Jessica's quiet sobs.

I slammed my fork down and glared coldly at Sophia.

"Just keep your mouth shut if you have nothing nice to say."

"How dare you talk to me like that?"

Mia stormed out of the kitchen, holding a bowl of rice, and yelled right in my face.

"How can you say that way? You won't even let Sophia say a word?"

"Why isn't she sleeping at home and instead goes to school to sleep? Who knows what she's secretly doing at night while staying awake?"

Sophia set down her utensils, crossed her arms, and said in a sarcastic tone.

"I wasn't wrong. Jessica falls asleep at school every day. It's become famous! Not only does she refuse to study, but she also disrupts others. Sleepyhead! Sleepyhead! Sleepyhead!"

"Shut your mouth!"

I shot to my feet, shouting in anger.

But Sophia's words were like the final straw that broke the camel's back. Jessica flung her fork onto the table, covered her face, and ran to her room.

Mia let out a cold laugh, the disdain on her face mirroring Sophia's.

"Laura, you shouldn't spoil Jessica so much. What good is it if she used to be a top student but crumbles when it matters most? Unlike Jessica, Sophia is diligent with her studies every day. She even mentioned wanting to enroll in a prep course today."

As she spoke, Mia extended her hand toward me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Give me twenty thousand dollars. I need it to enroll Sophia in the prep course."

I thought to myself, "Twenty thousand dollars? Why doesn't she just go rob a bank?"

Worried about Jessica, I couldn't be bothered to engage with Mia's outrageous demand.

"Shouldn't you be the one paying for Sophia's tutoring? Why should I cover the cost?"

"You married my son, so your money is our family's money!"

I felt she was ridiculous. I couldn't even eat dinner.

I stood up and walked to Jessica's bedroom door, knocking gently.

"Jessica, can I come in? I'd like to talk to you."

The door opened just a crack, revealing Jessica's tear-streaked face.

My heart ached for her.

"Jessica, don't cry. I'm here."

I pushed the door open wider and pulled Jessica into my arms.

Outside, Mia's angry voice continued to ring out.

"You won't pay? Fine! But don't come crying to me when Sophia gets into Yale and you're left with regrets. Don't try to ride on her coattails then!"

I thought, "Yale?

At Sophia's level, she gets nine out of ten fill-in-the-blank questions wrong, and she thinks she can get into Yale. She's dreaming."

"Mom, I don't want to sleep in class, I really don't. I just can't help it. I'm so tired."

Jessica leaned against me, crying.

"I swear I'm not lying. I don't fall asleep on purpose. I'm not slacking off. I don't want to be called 'Sleepyhead.'"

Jessica's words were like knives, cutting deep into my heart.

Being given such a humiliating nickname, I couldn't even imagine what kind of stares Jessica faced at school.

I gently patted her back.

"I know you're not doing it on purpose, Jessica. Don't worry. Tomorrow morning, I'll take some time off work and bring you to the hospital for a checkup."

As I was speaking, I noticed her breathing had become slow and even.

Looking closely, I realized Jessica had fallen asleep.

I started to feel worried. Something was wrong with this excessive drowsiness. What if she fell asleep during the SAT? That would be disastrous.

I laid Jessica down on her bed, then quietly took out my laptop and began working, sitting by her bedside to keep an eye on her.

At around eleven o'clock, Mia suddenly opened the door and walked in.

Seeing me in Jessica's room, she jumped in surprise.

"You... what are you doing here?"

I looked at her, puzzled.

"Where else would I be?"

Mia awkwardly touched her nose and set the glass of milk she was holding down on the table.

"I noticed Jessica was getting ready for bed, so I warmed up some milk for her. She'll sleep better after drinking it."

Jessica had always had the habit of drinking milk before bed. Ever since Mia moved in, she had eagerly taken over the task of heating up the milk.

I turned away, my tone indifferent.

"No need, Jessica's already asleep."

Mia frowned at the sight of Jessica sleeping in bed, muttering under her breath.

"She still needs to drink the milk before she sleeps. I'll wake her up."

"What are you doing?"

I grabbed Mia's arm.

"Jessica's already asleep. Why do you need to wake her up?"

Mia looked at me, then down at the glass of milk in her hand.

"So this milk's just going to go to waste?"

I rolled my eyes out of sheer exasperation.

I couldn't understand why cooking eight dishes for Sophia wasn't a waste, and spending twenty thousand dollars on prep classes wasn't a waste, but letting Jessica skip one glass of milk was?

Too tired to argue with her, I took the glass from her hand.

To Mia's astonishment, I downed the milk in one gulp.

"Now it won't go to waste, right?"

"You..."

Mia pointed at me, unable to find the words, and then stormed out of the room, her face contorted in anger.

Watching her furious retreat, I found it odd. Why was she so upset just because I drank the milk?

However, when I came to think of it, the milk tasted a bit strange tonight. There was a faint, chalky flavor that lingered.

Perhaps I was just tired from running around all day. I didn't even bother going back to my own room, and I just lay down beside Jessica and fell asleep.