Part 1The Aunt from Hell

My aunt's favorite pastime? Playing the victim and sowing discord.

Every day, she'd badmouth my mom to anyone who would listen, but in front of my dad, she was a fragile, bullied little flower.

Eventually, her manipulation drove my parents to divorce.

Young and naive, I believed her lies. I grew to hate my mom, becoming a brat who couldn't tell right from wrong under her influence.

Meanwhile, she raised her own daughter to be gentle, elegant, and well-educated.

Her daughter graduated from a top university abroad and became a famous pianist.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on my 8th birthday.

An uninvited guest arrived: my mom.

My aunt tugged at my sleeve, whispering, "Your cheap mom is here. You know what to say, right?"

* * *

"Lynn, what's wrong?"

My mom asked, looking at me with uncertainty.

The relatives around us fell silent. Everyone knew how much I loathed my mom since the divorce.

I snapped back to reality, seeing the gift my mom held.

Her eyes were full of love and worry.

I clenched my fists, trying my hardest not to cry.

My aunt seized the moment to hug me. "What could be wrong? Don't you know? You've been out enjoying yourself for years. How many times have you visited the child?"

She looked down at me, comforting: "Don't be scared, sweetie. Just say whatever comes to mind!"

Her expression was gentle, but her eyes held malice and anticipation.

In this moment, I finally realized this wasn't a dream. I had been reborn.

After her divorce, my aunt had nowhere to go, so she brought her daughter to live with us.

Soon after, my dad was misunderstood as cheating, and my mom left in anger.

But somehow, under my aunt's "mediation," the conflict deepened, leading to their divorce.

My aunt started badmouthing my mom daily.

She said my mom didn't want me anymore, abandoning us to have a son with some other man.

She claimed my mom only came back to trick my dad out of money to raise her "bastard" and tried to kick my aunt out multiple times.

She played the victim to brainwash me, while behind my back, she found excuses to prevent me from seeing my mom.

Over time, I grew to hate my mom and pity my aunt.

Thinking back, my mom was the pitiful one.

Adopted and treated as cheap labor since childhood.

At 18, her adoptive father tried to marry her off to a 70-year-old man. Luckily, he passed away, and she seized the chance to apply for college and escape the village.

Meeting my dad in college was her first breath of fresh air.

I was her only blood relative in this world.

Yet, manipulated by my aunt, I broke her heart time and again.

Thinking of this, my blood boiled.

Suppressing my disgust, I looked my aunt in the eye and sneered: "Auntie, wasn't it you who wouldn't let Mom see me?"