Part 3Putting the Carefree Stepdaughter in Her Place

So, she knew going to college was in her best interest after all.

But what did that have to do with me?

I ignored her muttering and went straight to my bedroom for a nap. Cooking or cleaning? Let it all "take life as it comes."

The next morning, as I was getting ready for work, Quinn Harper blocked my path.

She held up her phone, showing me her Instagram Stories.

Post after post from her classmates:

“Finally graduated high school! Thanks, Mom!”

“New phone from Dad—ready for college!”

Her smug reminder brought back memories—I’d lived through this moment before.

Right on cue, Quinn spoke. “I don’t need anything fancy. Just something that works.”

“Something that works,” huh?

In my past life, feeling guilty, I took a day off work to buy her a tablet.

At the store, she picked up the most expensive Apple model and said with a casual tone, “Taking life as it comes means going with the first thing I see. This one will do.”

Not wanting to embarrass her, I gritted my teeth and bought it.

Later, when a colleague visited and saw the tablet, they remarked, “Wow, you really spoil your daughter.”

Before I could respond, Quinn scoffed, “She just wanted to show off. I would’ve been fine with anything.”

This time, I wasn’t playing along.

I picked up her phone and examined it. “Looks like this works fine. Why get a new one?” I smiled.

Quinn looked ready to argue but held back.

I added, “Don’t worry so much about appearances. Taking life as it comes should be enough for you, right?”

Her composure cracked, and she stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

She didn’t come home that night.

The next morning, she returned dressed head-to-toe in designer labels, carrying shopping bags with a brand-new laptop and phone.

She made a show of setting them prominently on the table, then loudly started unboxing them.

When I didn’t react, she finally broke the silence. “Pretty lucky, huh? I bought a lottery ticket and won $20,000.”

“Taking life as it comes really pays off. Being stingy never gets you anywhere.”

I mentally calculated. Her college tuition was $20,000 a year, and her living expenses would cost at least the same.

That $20,000 wouldn’t even cover a semester if she kept up this lifestyle.

But I kept my thoughts to myself and casually said, “$20,000 should cover your college expenses.”

Quinn’s expression turned dismissive as she stood up, her gaze icy.

“Don’t you get it? When you live life as it comes, the universe helps you. People like you, burdened with distractions, only hurt themselves. Just look at us.”

I didn’t bother responding.

Reasoning with someone like her was pointless.

When the holidays ended, Quinn left for college, and I turned my focus back to my career.

I majored in nursing in college.

After graduating, I went straight into the field, working as a nurse.

Among the colleagues who joined the hospital the same year as me, most either switched careers or moved on to other hospitals.

Even the least successful of them had climbed to become charge nurses in secondary wards.

Meanwhile, I was still stuck in the same place, treading water.