Chapter 4

My whole body was covered in bruises from my father's belt.

And afterward he sat there dabbing ointment on them himself.

"Sweetheart, your mom and I doing this to you, it doesn't mean we don't love you."

"It's because we need you to make us proud."

"We poured everything into raising you."

"All so we could watch you succeed."

"So why on earth would you go and steal?"

Tears ran down my face without a sound. My voice shook. "I didn't steal..."

"Still won't admit it?"

My father's brow creased.

"I really didn't steal it. How am I supposed to admit to something I didn't do?"

My mother's palm cracked across my face.

"You little wretch, why do you have to be so stubborn?"

"Would it kill you to just admit it?"

I lowered my head and stopped defending myself.

At dinner.

My parents had gone out of their way to invite my uncle's family over.

"What, come to plead for your daughter, get us to drop the charges?"

My younger cousin cut in quickly, "We'll drop them..."

"You shut up!"

My uncle glared at his son. "You're young, you don't understand. You think hundreds of thousands come easy?"

"She lifts a finger and steals hundreds of thousands."

"One day when we're old."

"Everything we leave to you, she'd just steal all of it, wouldn't she?"

My cousin stared at him, lost. "Dad, it's not that serious..."

"People are worse than you'd ever imagine."

Then.

My uncle turned to my mother. "Sis, this needs to be a lesson she never forgets."

"Otherwise, once she's out of college, who could control her?"

My mother nodded. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you're satisfied with how this ends."

After that.

My aunt even went and hired a lawyer, dead set on pressing charges.

With my parents cooperating.

I was taken to the station again.

This time my mother's attitude was even harder, even more resolute.

And the lawyer backed her every step.

Before my file was fully entered into the justice system.

The officer asked my parents, "This is really just a simple family dispute. You could easily settle it between yourselves. There's no need to insist on opening a case and ruining your child."

"As long as I haven't entered the file into the system, you still have a chance to take it back."

My mother waved her hand and said coldly, "Enter it now. We're not taking anything back."

"Mom, please, don't..."

I'd barely begun to beg.

My mother glared at me. "This is your lesson!"

A while later.

The officer said, "It's in the system now. The file is officially created."

And that was it. I didn't have even a sliver of a chance left.

My mother, thoroughly satisfied, gave my uncle's family her promise again.

Once we got home, she'd force me to say where the watch was.

She guaranteed it would be "returned to its rightful owner."

But.

By the time we got home, before they could even start in on me.

The National Defense University called.

Because I was the perfect-score valedictorian, the school had kept close watch on me.

The moment the justice system created a file on me.

They were notified.

After review, the school had decided: I would be permanently barred from admission.

My mother flatly refused to believe it. "My daughter's a perfect-score valedictorian. She just made a little mistake. Don't try to scare me with this 'permanently barred' nonsense."

The school's representative hung up.

My mother sneered. "Scam calls these days. More brazen every year."

I wept and screamed out in despair, "You destroyed my future with your own hands!"