At midnight, my phone buzzed with a SnapChat from Lily’s classmate’s mom. She sent me a video of the kids having lunch at kindergarten. Then, she immediately messaged again. “Lily’s mom, why isn’t Lily eating shrimp?” Groggily, I tapped out a reply. “She’s allergic.” I thought that would be the end of it. But then my phone just wouldn’t quit buzzing. I put it on silent, hoping she’d finally get the hint, but just when I thought I was free, she outright called me. “Lily’s mom, an allergy isn’t some magic pass not to eat! Kids watch everything, you know. If Lily isn’t eating shrimp, then my Daisy will totally get the idea and stop eating it too!” My sleep evaporated, my mind went blank. Is that something a normal person would say? Fearing I’d misheard, I repeated myself. “Ms. Albright, my daughter is severely allergic to shrimp. She can’t eat it.” “I know she’s allergic to shrimp.” Her tone on the other end sharpened, growing impatient, her voice shrill and thin. “So, just because she’s allergic, she doesn’t have to eat it? You’re spoiling your child beyond belief. You’re not only being irresponsible to your own kid, but you’ll severely corrupt other children.” “Honestly, talking to you is like pulling teeth. No wonder people say some people just shouldn’t be parents, they can’t even hold a proper conversation.” At that, my temper flared. “Ms. Albright, state your business, but don’t resort to personal attacks. I’m about to—” Before I could finish, she cut me off. “Oh, fine, fine, I won’t waste any more breath on you.” “Today, because your daughter refused to eat shrimp, my Ava missed out on one. Seeing as they’re classmates, I won’t ask for too much. Just half a million dollars for my daughter’s nutritional expenses, and we’ll call it even. Next time, it won’t be so simple.” Half a million? Fifty thousand for missing one shrimp? Why doesn’t this woman just rob a bank directly? I’m soft when people are soft, but I’m fierce when they’re fierce. I wasn’t about to indulge someone like her. “Ms. Albright, whether my daughter eats shrimp is her business. If your daughter chooses to imitate her, that’s a failure in your parenting, and it has nothing to do with us.” With that, I hung up, refusing to give her another chance to spew venom. This sudden incident left me tossing and turning all night. Having Ivy as a classmate of Ms. Albright’s daughter wasn’t a long-term solution. I decided to move Ivy to a different preschool. “Mommy, but Ava wants to go to school today. Yesterday, my friends and I promised we’d bring them cookies today. Ivy doesn’t want to be someone who breaks her word.” Seeing my daughter’s little face scrunched up, my heart melted. I couldn’t bear to disappoint her. Fine, one more day it is. As for Ms. Albright, she was probably just a paper tiger. After all, there were teachers in the preschool, and surveillance cameras everywhere. Thinking this, my heart settled a little. “Ivy, if anything happens, you *must* call Mommy, okay?” “Okay, Mommy! Bye-bye!” To be safe, I specifically sent a SnapChat message to Ms. Jenkins, asking her to keep an extra eye on Ivy. After doing everything I could think of, I threw myself into work. We had a new project bid coming up, doubling my usual workload. I was busy until past 1 PM before I finally had time to sit down and drink some water. I opened SnapChat and instinctively checked my chat with Ivy’s teacher. To my surprise, the conversation was still stuck on the message I’d sent that morning. Ms. Jenkins was usually busy, but she’d always reply within two hours at the latest. Not like this, with four or five hours passing without a word. A knot of dread tightened in my stomach. I quickly made a FaceTime call to Ms. Jenkins. But no matter how many times I dialed, there was no answer. I then called Ivy. The voice that responded was, *“The number you have dialed does not exist!”*
A strong, terrible premonition surged through me. I forgot about lunch, driving straight to Ivy’s preschool. As soon as I entered, I spotted Ms. Jenkins, Ivy’s homeroom teacher. Like a drowning person grasping a lifeline, I rushed up to her. “Ms. Jenkins, where’s Ivy?” “Ivy’s mom, Ivy’s napping right now. Is something wrong?” Ms. Jenkins was as cheerful as usual, but as she saw me, a flicker of panic clearly crossed her eyes! I didn’t bother with pleasantries and walked straight in. “Ivy’s mom, the children are all sleeping now. You can’t just barge in.” Ms. Jenkins tried to stop me, but a mother’s fierce instinct took over. Her slender body was no match for mine. “Ivy, Mommy’s here to take you home!” I shouted as I walked. Normally, if I called her more than twice, Ivy would immediately respond. But now, there was nothing. I searched room after room. Not only was Ivy gone, but there were no other children either! More and more teachers emerged to try and dissuade me. “Where have you taken my Ivy?!” “Ivy’s mom, please calm down. This is a school. Please don’t make such a scene. We can discuss whatever happened calmly.” “That’s right, Ivy’s mom, you’re being too aggressive.” Instead of helping me find my daughter, they started to criticize me. I was the victim, yet they were accusing me of causing trouble and being unreasonable! If she wasn’t in the nap room, I’d check other places. The office, the cafeteria, the classrooms… I turned every place I visited upside down. “Ivy’s mom, if you keep this up, I’ll call the police!” “Go ahead! I dare you!” The air fell silent for a moment. Just then, I suddenly heard a cry! It was coming from the storage room around the corner! The teachers clearly heard it too; their faces turned frantic. “Ivy’s mom, this is for staff only. You can’t go in there!” At this point, I couldn’t hear their pleas. All I wanted was to break through that door. The door was locked from the inside, so I slammed my body against it. Finally, the door burst open. Seeing the scene inside, my eyes blazed with fire. I wanted to kill. My daughter was on her hands and knees, bound hand and foot. Someone was holding her mouth open, forcing shrimp into it! “What are you doing?!” Hearing my voice, Ivy struggled harder, but her strength was too little, and it was useless. I frantically tried to rush to my daughter’s side. But a group of people surged forward, forming a barrier between me and Ivy. The woman sitting in the middle, smirking triumphantly. I recognized her. It was Ms. Albright! “Ivy’s mom, last night I told you to teach your daughter a lesson, but you didn’t listen. So, it falls to an outsider like me to do it, doesn’t it?” As she spoke, she continued to shove shrimp into Ivy’s mouth. By now, Ivy’s face was covered in red rashes, her lips swollen and red. She no longer had the strength to speak. My heart ached with every beat. Ivy had grown up, and I had never laid a finger on her. Now she was enduring such inhuman torture! “Ivy’s mom, don’t worry so much. Ms. Albright is a doctor. She’s giving Ivy desensitization therapy.” Ms. Jenkins blocked me, her face a picture of sincerity. “That’s right, Ivy’s mom. See, even Ms. Jenkins says so. You can relax.” “The preschool is a shared environment, not a place for special exceptions. Why can everyone else eat shrimp, but not your child? If this corrupts our children, can you bear the responsibility?” I knew some parents had limited understanding. But the teachers? They were educated professionals. How could they allow such an absurd thing to happen?
I fought to push forward, but there were too many of them. Ms. Albright had clearly come prepared; there were easily a dozen parents. They formed a human wall, making it impossible for me to reach my daughter. My heart was pounding with anxiety. “Let go of my daughter! You’re going to kill her!” Ivy’s cheeks were already severely swollen, and her breathing had become rapid. Yet, she used every ounce of her remaining strength to reassure me. “Mommy, Ivy’s okay. Ivy doesn’t hurt.” Ms. Albright gave a wicked smile. “See? I told you she’s fine. Be a good girl, Ivy. Eat ten more shrimp, and Auntie won’t make your mommy pay for Ava’s nutrition, okay?” “Okay, Auntie, you promise you’ll count!” “No!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. “Ivy, don’t eat it! Listen to Mommy, don’t eat it!” Ivy hesitated, closing her mouth again. But the next second, Ms. Albright yanked her hair, forcing her mouth open. Someone saw this and immediately rushed over to help. Several strands of Ivy’s hair were torn out, and she cried out in pain. “You psychos, let go of my daughter! If anything happens to her, can any of you bear the responsibility?!” “I’m telling you, I called the police on my way here! Every single person here will face consequences. Get ready to go to jail and become a lifelong stain on your children’s lives!” Everyone’s expressions shifted, and they began to waver. The human wall weakened, and I spotted an opening, ready to charge through. Then I heard Ms. Albright say, “What can the police do? Capitol City is run by the Vances!” “Quick, stop this madwoman! If you do, I’ll put in a good word with Julian, and you’ll be first in line for any future Vance family collaborations.” The Vance family? Julian? Julian Vance! Isn’t he my husband? When did he become *hers*? I hadn’t even processed what was happening before I was pushed back again. Someone eager to earn big favors grabbed my daughter’s hair and began slapping her hard. “That’s what you get for not eating shrimp, for being so stubborn!” Ms. Albright smugly lifted her chin. Seeing this, everyone followed suit. Ivy swayed like a falling autumn leaf, on the verge of collapsing. I roared, my voice raw. “She’s a liar! She’s not Mrs. Vance, because I am!” Ivy was beaten until she gradually lost strength, her breathing becoming shallow. “Ivy’s mom, lying is bad. No wonder Ivy is so disobedient; she learned it from you, didn’t she?” Ms. Jenkins deliberately fanned the flames, and I slapped her across the face. “Shut your mouth!” “If you don’t believe me, I can make a FaceTime call!” Ms. Albright nonchalantly stood up and walked over to me. She scoffed. “What’s so credible about a video call? AI can fake those, you know. To prove something, you need actual evidence.” “Besides, you called the police ages ago. Do you see even one police officer here?” It had been over an hour since I called the police. Even with slow response times… At that thought, my heart sank. She watched my expression, covering her mouth with a triumphant laugh. “To tell you the truth, this place has already been sealed off by the Vance family. Unless… your precious daughter eats all hundred pounds of this shrimp, nobody’s leaving!” “Mr. Harrison, please bring in the gift I prepared for Ivy.” The moment she finished speaking, a man walked in. When I finally got a clear look at his face, my eyes widened! It really was Mr. Harrison, Julian Vance’s personal assistant!
I didn’t immediately grasp the impropriety of his presence, my mind consumed only by Ivy. I gripped his arm tightly. “Mr. Harrison, quickly, get me and Ivy out of here! If we don’t leave now, she’ll die!” But Mr. Harrison looked at me as if he’d never seen me before, prying my fingers off his arm. “I apologize, ma’am, but I only follow orders from our CEO, Mr. Vance’s wife, Ms. Celeste Vance.” I felt a bucket of ice water dumped on me, standing frozen in place. CEO’s wife, Celeste Vance? A sudden image flashed through my mind. It was then I realized: Julian Vance’s waist tattoo, “YQ,” wasn’t the initials of his mother’s name, but *Celeste Vance’s*! What about me then? What about our nearly ten-year marriage? Celeste Vance chuckled, seeing my distraught expression. “Some people, born in the slums, always dream of living a fantasy. Ivy’s mom, do you still insist you’re Mrs. Vance?” “Please, Mrs. Vance, I beg you to show mercy and spare my daughter. I promise I’ll discipline her properly from now on.” As I spoke, my knees buckled, and I knelt before her. Although Julian Vance and I were legally married, my daughter’s life was in danger. I couldn’t risk further angering Celeste Vance. The more subservient I was, the happier Celeste Vance would be. And the less my daughter would suffer. “Like mother, like daughter. The mother is a compulsive liar, and the daughter is just as vile!” “Mrs. Vance, you can’t let her off that easily! She made our children not eat shrimp and wasted so much of our time. You must uphold justice for us!” Someone brutally kicked me from behind. Blood surged into my chest, and a mouthful of fresh blood splattered onto my daughter’s already shattered smart watch. The thought of Ivy trying to call me for help, only to be abused and destroyed by these psychos, made my heart feel like it was being squeezed in a vice. Breathing became difficult from the pain. “Since you all put it that way, I suppose I’ll reluctantly help you out. For every shrimp this little wretch eats, I’ll reward her with a million dollars.” I snapped my head up, my eyes bloodshot. This Celeste Vance, she truly intended to kill Ivy! “No! She’ll die if you do that!” But they ignored me, swarming forward and encircling my daughter. Ivy was shoved back and forth, trapped in the middle, her terrified cries drowned out by their clamor. “I am Seraphina Sterling! The biological daughter of Mayor Sterling of Capitol City! If you stop now, I will let you off the hook. Otherwise, every single one of you will face severe consequences. You won’t get away with this!” Ms. Jenkins let out a small laugh. “Ivy’s mom, using the same trick twice makes you look foolish.” “Mrs. Vance, I think we should just perform a tongue-cutting surgery on Ivy. That way, when she grows up, she won’t be a liar like her mother.” Celeste Vance smirked disdainfully. “Since Ms. Jenkins suggested it, I’ll offer Ivy’s mom this service for free.” With that, she pulled out a knife. She crouched beside Ivy. “No! Celeste, you lunatic, stop it!” Ivy was already semi-conscious, like a rag doll, completely at their mercy. Hearing my voice, she forced her eyes open and looked in my direction. But I was pinned to the ground by four or five people, unable to move, forced to watch helplessly. Celeste Vance first slapped Ivy hard, then roughly pulled out her tongue. She measured it with her eyes, then sharply raised her arm and thrust the knife towards Ivy. Just in the nick of time. The door suddenly burst open. “What are you doing?!” It was Julian Vance!
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