Mother and daughter as enemies
Chapter 1
My daughter hated my guts.
I put her in dance classes, and she said I
didn’t care about her.
She got a boyfriend, a real punk, and when I
told her to break up with him, she screamed
about her freedom and how I was suffocating
her.
She became a star after winning a dance
competition, but in the post–competition
interview, she tearfully accused me of being
cruel.
Later, I was in a car accident, critically injured
and near death. She not only decided to
withhold treatment, but she also gave the
driver who hit me a signed waiver.
After taking all my inheritance, she flushed
my ashes down the toilet.
Reborn, I decided things would be different.
No more dance classes. No more relationship
advice.
And after losing the spotlight I had provided,
she regretted everything.
1
I had barely registered being back when I got
a call from my daughter, Chloe’s, dance
teacher.
Г
“Mrs. Miller, the dance competition is only
three months away, and Chloe is the most
likely to win. You have to make sure she stays
focused.”
“Maybe send her to dance camp so she won’t
be distracted by things at home.”
Chloe was naturally gifted, a true dancer. Her
teacher, Ms. Johnson, saw her as a star pupil
and was constantly checking in, worried
about anything that might affect her chances
of winning.
Ms. Johnson had called me like this in my
past life too, urging me to prioritize the
competition. I was afraid of jeopardizing Chloe’s future, so I did what she said.
At the time. Chloe’s dad John was suing mo
く
At the time, Chloe’s dad, John, was suing me
for custody.
I refused, so he brought people to harass me
at my office, which got me fired.
I had just bought a house for Chloe and me,
draining my savings.
But for her future, I swallowed my pride and
borrowed money to send her to dance camp.
Chloe spent three months there, receiving Ms.
Johnson’s personal guidance.
At the competition, she became an instant
sensation, not only winning but also getting
accepted into the prestigious Juilliard School.
Watching her shine on stage filled me with
<
Watching her shine on stage filled me with
pride.
Just when I thought things were finally
looking up, Chloe gave that interview.
Sobbing, she told the world I was the worst
mother imaginable.
She said I was controlling, keeping her from
her father.
She said I was cruel, forbidding her from
being with the boy she loved.
She said I was using her for my own vanity,
forcing her to dance when she didn’t want to.
Finally, eyes red, she screamed at the
camera, “Mom, if you don’t love me, why are
you trapping me in the name of love?”
<
The interview went viral.
I was doxxed and cyberbullied.
Everyone called me a monster, a mother who
treated her child like a machine.
Hounded by strangers, I was eventually hit by
a car driven by someone who had seen the
interview.
As I lay dying, Chloe made the decision to let
me go. She signed a waiver for the driver.
She said, “They were standing up for me. I
can’t let innocent people go to jail because of
me.”
Innocent people standing up for you? What
about me?
L
For seventeen years, I dedicated my life to
you, driving you to dance classes, rain or
shine.
You said you’d be hurt if I remarried, so I
rejected the man I loved.
I gave you everything.
And this was how it ended.
Later, with her father, she claimed my
inheritance and flushed my ashes down the
toilet.
Then she posted a picture on social media
with her dad and his new wife, captioned
“Family of three.”
The irony. The daughter I cherished with my
く
life treated me like this.
A chill ran through me. I gripped the phone.
“Ms. Johnson,” I said softly, “I can’t help with
Chloe. She’s with her father. Maybe you
should call him.”
Ms. Johnson sighed, about to say something
more.
I excused myself and hung up.
I knew what she wanted. She wanted me to
grovel, to put everything aside for the
competition.
But not this time.
She loved her daddy, didn’t she? Let him
handle it.
Г
I wouldn’t do it anymore. I wouldn’t waste my
energy on something so thankless.
