After Damian grew up, she bad-mouthed me to him every day, as if I was the reason for their poverty.
Damian came to see me as his enemy.
On one visit home, he secretly slipped rat poison into my drink, which killed me.
Snapping out of it, I saw Tiara's expectant eyes and smiled, saying, "Just do what you think is best. I trust you."
Whether or not your son could get into a top university, or whether you made a fortune, none of it had anything to do with me anymore.
Seeing me so agreeable, Tiara was thrilled.
She accepted the formula and then pulled Ansley aside for a chat.
After the celebration ended, my mom started checking the gifts while scolding me.
"You're his aunt, and yet your gift is worth less money than a stranger's."
"Mom, drop it. Leticia hasn't got a job since she got a postgraduate degree. She can barely take care of herself."
Off to the side, Marcus Proctor chimed in gleefully while eating some snacks.
Sure enough, hearing him say that, my mother started nagging again.
"What's the point of a girl getting that much education? I think you'd better come back and get married soon. What's so good about the big city? Wait too long, and you'll be an old lady that nobody wants.
"Look at your brother. He's so capable. So what if he didn't get into college? He still makes money and marries a good wife. Now, he's even given me a chubby grandson!"
After belittling me, she started praising her son again.
It had been like that my whole life, but I'd gotten used to it.
I frowned but said nothing. They all thought I hadn't found a stable job since graduation.
Little did they know, I'd joined a research team, earning tens of thousands in bonuses from just one experiment.
In the past life, after I told them about this, they kept an eye on me constantly.
Every expense in the family, including Damian's books and tuition and my mother's medical bills, fell on me.
In the end, not only were they ungrateful, but they also cost me my life.
This time, I wouldn't be that stupid.
After leaving my hometown, I threw myself back into the research project.
And I worked late every day.
My mom still had her mind set on marrying me off, constantly sending me pictures of men.
They weren't much to look at, but she kept praising them.
I didn't reply to her.