Part 1Accepted by Juilliard: My Father Threw Me into a Septic Tank

I got accepted into Juilliard, the world's number one music conservatory. But my father burned my acceptance letter to ashes. My eyes wide with disbelief, I asked him in a trembling voice why he’d done it. He clamped his hands around my throat, veins bulging on his forehead.

"You damned wretch don't deserve to go to such a good school!"

Mom rushed over, not to help me, but to bind me with a thick rope. Tears streamed down my face as I looked at her.

"Mom, didn't you always dream of me getting into a good school?"

Mom didn't respond. She took a pair of scissors and stabbed me repeatedly. Blood painted my pants crimson. I was in agony beyond measure. When I was barely clinging to life, Dad dragged me to the edge of a septic tank. He threw me in, discarding me like refuse.

The blackness consumed me, stealing my last breath.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I received my acceptance letter.

…

Dad’s gaze was fixed on the letter in my hand. "Hand over that acceptance letter, now!" he demanded. "What if you go abroad and never come back? What about your mother and me, if we miss you?"

His urgent voice pulled me back to reality. I glanced at the calendar on my phone, confirming it: I had truly been reborn. And it was the very day I’d received that acceptance letter.

In my previous life, from the moment I’d set my mind on getting into Juilliard, Dad had begun to dote on me, meticulously taking care of my every need. From dawn till dusk, he’d prepare four nutritious meals for me. No matter how busy he was at work, he’d personally drive me to and from school. For Dad, my acceptance into Juilliard was more important than his own life.

But after I was accepted, Dad’s demeanor abruptly shifted. He snatched my acceptance letter, holding a lighter to it until it turned to ash. My eyes, wide with disbelief, locked onto his. My voice trembled uncontrollably.

"Why?!"

"This is a top-tier institution with an acceptance rate of only 6.0%!"

Dad’s hands clamped around my throat, veins bulging on his forehead. He roared, his voice laced with fury. "You damned wretch don't deserve to go to such a good school!"

"The biggest regret of my life is spending money on your music lessons!"

I gasped for air, my face growing paler and paler. Just then, Mom returned from buying groceries. I cast a desperate glance her way, pleading silently, "Mom..."

To my horror, she didn't help. Instead, she retrieved a thick rope from the cabinet. Mom bound me tightly, leaving me unable to move. Tears of despair fell, one by one. I couldn't help but ask her, "Mom, didn't you always hope I'd get into a good school?"

"Now that I've been accepted, why would you..."

Before I could finish, Mom plunged a pair of scissors towards my private parts. I screamed in agony. Mom only pressed harder, continuing until a crimson tide stained my entire pants. Only then did she stop. By now, I was barely clinging to life.

Mom turned to Dad, her voice chillingly calm. "Throw her in the septic tank!"

"That way, the police won't be able to trace it back to us!"

My body went numb with terror. Mom knew about my claustrophobia, how I’d been locked in an elevator as a child and was terrified of the dark. Yet, she chose to use the very thing I feared most to end my life. I mustered every ounce of strength, clutching at the hem of Mom's clothes. "I'm the child you carried for nine months!"

Mom flung my hand away, her face contorted in a grotesque, triumphant smile.

Dad dragged me to a septic tank on the outskirts of town. It was a secluded spot, far from any prying eyes. Indeed, a perfect place for someone to vanish without a trace. Dad's eyes held a chilling, sinister gleam. "After you're gone, I'll visit your grave and offer prayers."

With that, he lifted me with both hands and threw me into the septic tank. I thrashed desperately in the suffocating darkness. Soon, my breath gave out. To my dying moment, I couldn’t comprehend why my parents, who had always urged me to study hard, would want me dead after I got into the most prestigious music conservatory.

The suffocating sensation from my previous life swept over me again. I clenched my fists, my gaze resolute. This time, I had to uncover the full truth!