Severance

My dad doesn't like me. He called me a liar, said I was just like my mother—always faking illness and playing the victim for sympathy. He only ever loved his childhood sweetheart. Growing up, I was bullied by classmates, abused by the hired help. Dad turned a blind eye. Five years after my mother's death, I finally saw the first person visit her grave. It was Dad. He broke precedent and came home on the anniversary of her death. He handed me a legal document: A Severance of Parental Rights. "I've supported you until eighteen. I've done my duty." I didn't cry or scream. I calmly signed my name, ready to start a new life. Later, on my birthday, he found me holding a strawberry cake, begging softly, "Lily, please come home with Dad, okay?" I shook my head. "No." 1 I was a bastard with no father and no mother. Mom died five years ago. My impression of Dad was blurry and strange. When I was four or five, I tugged at his coat, wanting a hug. He didn't hug me. Later, when Mom died, I cried and screamed. He told the nanny to cover my mouth. When I grew older, Dad stopped caring about me entirely, leaving me to the nannies and servants. I missed him, so I snuck into his office building to find him, then followed him to a small, elegant townhouse. A mother and daughter lived there. The nanny who took care of me said: They were Dad's true love and real family. And I was nothing. Growing up, whenever a parent was needed, he never showed up. In the eyes of outsiders, I was no different from an orphan. I never expected him to come with me to visit Mom's grave today. 2 I grew up hearing that Mom was just a country girl working in a hotel. Vulgar, uneducated. She got pregnant by accident and became Mrs. Vance. But after the marriage, she was depressed because of her husband's neglect. After giving birth to me, she suffered from postpartum depression and died a few years later. Dad only showed a little emotion towards her on their wedding day and the day she died. Other times, this woman was no different from a stranger to him. His heart belonged entirely to his true love, Elena. I'd seen Aunt Elena many times. She was gentle, intellectual, beautiful, and elegant. In her youth, she was the only daughter of a high-ranking official, but her family fell from grace due to corruption. Dad couldn't marry her then. So he could only keep her in his heart, protecting and cherishing her. Aunt Elena was the moon, the beautiful moonlight in the sky that couldn't be touched. Mom and I were weeds in the dirt, left to weather the wind and rain, our lives irrelevant to him. So even when he knew Mom was sick, and later noticed I was bullied by the servants, he never extended a helping hand. Because I was the product of an accident, I shouldn't even share his blood. My existence was a permanent symbol of his betrayal of Elena. 3 When Dad took out the severance agreement, we had just finished dinner at home. Pizza and pasta. These were the favorites of Aunt Elena's daughter, Chloe. Dad subconsciously assumed all girls my age liked pizza. I actually didn't, but to make him happy, I ate two-thirds of it, wiped the grease from my mouth, and said it was delicious. With the severance agreement in front of me, I felt like a rat stealing oil in the gutter, instantly beaten back to my true form. "Lily Vance, you're eighteen now. My supporting you until today is the fulfillment of my duty." Yes. Dad wasn't wrong. He had money. Endless money. He hired servants to take care of me, pick me up from school, prepare three meals a day, and gave them allowances to give me daily. This was his way of caring for a daughter he didn't love. He prepared a room full of dolls for Chloe. No matter how busy he was during holidays, he would be by her side. Before she was fourteen, they traveled the world. Photos of their trips were in his wallet, in his car. That was his way of truly loving. "I know you might blame me, but you can understand Dad, right?" He sighed. I looked up and realized this handsome, dashing man had a few gray hairs at his temples. His voice was full of bitterness. "I ask myself, in these eighteen years, I haven't mistreated you in terms of food, clothing, or shelter." "But your Aunt Elena has followed me for half a lifetime without any status. I don't want her to be lonely and helpless anymore. I should take responsibility and give her a home, a title." 4 The pen glided smoothly; the paper was crisp. In less than a minute, I signed both copies and handed them to Dad. His face was wooden, perhaps from too much happiness. "Check if there are any issues." He glanced down, then at me, his gaze strange and peculiar. "Aren't you going to make any demands?" "In front of you, I've never had the right to make demands." The Vance family inheritance, the house, the money. I couldn't ask for any of it. If I showed even a hint of greed, Dad's other daughter, Chloe, would be unhappy. Even though she shared no blood with Dad, the love and care she received were forever beyond my reach. Knowing my place was also saving myself some dignity. "True." Dad sighed in relief. "Your grandfather left you quite a bit of money when he passed. That should be enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life." I didn't argue. Calmly, I said, "I'll live in the school dorms from now on. There isn't much of mine here, so I won't be coming back." I dug into my pocket, placed the key on the table. "I'll tell the housekeeper to delete my fingerprint from the lock." Perhaps my calmness exceeded his expectations, and his attitude softened. "You can continue to live here. I won't be coming back anyway." I stood up and put on my backpack, refusing his final act of charity. "Uncle, I have to go back to school." The word "Uncle" came out smoothly. When I was little, in front of outsiders, he forbade me from calling him Dad. He introduced me as a friend's child. Signing this agreement or not didn't make much difference. "I'll drive you." He seemed to feel a pang of guilt again. "It's far from here to the school." "No need." I smiled and declined. "The subway is convenient. I'm used to it." 5 Actually, the subway took two hours. It wasn't convenient at all. But Chloe had moved into an apartment near the school long ago, with Aunt Elena accompanying her. During my three years of high school, I saw them near the school more than once. I secretly followed them into the complex. Security was tight; I snuck in behind a resident. That day, I sat downstairs for a long time. Watching the figures moving in the window upstairs, imagining myself as one of them, eating with them, watching TV and eating fruit after dinner. Dad would remember my tastes, affectionately call me Lily, remind me to dress warmly for the rain tomorrow, remember to bring an umbrella, care about my grades, hire tutors for me. But the lights suddenly went out. The curtains were drawn. The whole world seemed to leave me alone again. I desperately wanted Dad's love, almost masochistically. As a child, I pulled at him, begging him not to leave. Growing up, I imitated TV shows, hurting myself or getting sick, acting like a delinquent to get his attention. Later, I tried to please Grandpa, please the nanny, hoping they would put in a good word for me. But no matter what I did, Dad's attitude never changed. Only when cutting ties did he feel that sliver of guilt. But just a sliver. The next day, I saw his car at the school gate, picking up Chloe. He looked high-spirited, wearing a beautiful tie, not looking like a man in his forties at all. His face beamed with a relieved smile I hadn't seen in years. When he saw me... It froze for a second. 6 I wanted to turn and walk away. After all, my presence would affect his happiness. Walking out of the crowd of students, I buried my head, not wanting to see the reunions around me. But Chloe didn't want to miss this chance to show off. She rushed over, grabbed me, and asked, "Isn't your family coming to pick you up?" I knew she wanted to see me sad. I nodded calmly, granting her wish: "I have no family. Not a single one." Mom died. Dad didn't want me. She gasped "Ah," as if it were incredible, then loudly called my biological father "Dad" right in front of me. "Dad, let Lily eat with us today. She's so pitiful alone." "What's pitiful?" Dad glanced at me coldly. "She has money, she won't starve. Let's go, your mom is waiting." I wasn't surprised he said that. It wasn't the first time. Grandpa said Dad was the first person besides the nurse to hold me when I was born, and the first word I said was "Dada." They say blood is thicker than water, but for him, romantic love far outweighed paternal love. Maybe when I was an infant, Dad loved me. But as I grew up, becoming sensible and independent, his love and responsibility faded. I guess that's where the severance agreement came from. "It's okay, Dad. Lily is your daughter too." "She is not." Taking Chloe's hand, he didn't look at me once, completely denying my existence as his daughter. "Dad only has Chloe as a daughter from now on. Let's go, we'll be late." Dragged away by Dad, Chloe looked back. She stuck out her tongue and winked at me—a provocative expression that said: "See? Even if you're his biological daughter, so what? He can discard you for me." Chloe knew best how to stab someone in the heart. From middle school to high school, we were in the same class. She couldn't stand me. A big reason was we shared the same father. She was loved, grew up in a positive environment, outgoing and cheerful, but she was uniquely hostile to me. Over six years, every classmate who played with me eventually became her best friend. Chloe forbade anyone in class from talking to me, treated me as invisible, ignored my existence. Growing up, I learned this was called isolation. No physical harm, but the blow to the soul was fatal. But the current me wouldn't be sad over such small things anymore. Surviving the last three months, leaving here forever, leaving this nominal father, was what I truly needed to do. I turned my back. Walking against the crowd. Behind me was Chloe's coquettish voice: "Dad, what are you looking at?" "Nothing. Let's go." 7 After moving out of the villa, I lived in the dorm. The dorm wasn't big, but it was clean. The single bed was narrow, but it was truly mine. Unlike the house I grew up in. It was big, tall, but standing inside, the bricks were cold, the air was still. Many nights I woke up from nightmares. Staring into the bottomless darkness, I even wished there was a ghost in the house to keep me company, to talk to me. But even ghosts have companions. I could only talk to myself in the mirror. Lights out at 10:30 PM sharp. The phone by my pillow suddenly lit up. My phone was an old model. Unlike Chloe, who changed hers every release. Low memory caused lag; it took some time to open the new message. It was from an unfamiliar number: "Lily, why aren't you back at the villa?" That tone. I guessed it was Dad. Funny enough, growing up, I never had Dad's contact info. I once secretly looked through Grandpa's phone, memorized his number, and called with a trembling heart. I was eight, didn't have a phone, so I ran to a payphone. It was raining outside the booth. Inside the receiver was Aunt Elena's voice. She asked: "Who is this?" In the fuzzy background was Dad's laughter. "Up you go, horsie ride for the little princess." I hung up. Another time I called was because of the nanny's bullying. I called crying, only to get Dad saying: "Lily, where did you get my number?" Later, he changed his number. Every time I was helpless, I called, pouring my grievances to a number that would never connect. But now, Dad texted first. I couldn't muster any excitement. "Yes." I replied. Dad seemed unhappy. "Even if we cut ties, you didn't have to run away from home." Where was I supposed to go? Don't want me. Won't let me leave. Was I supposed to be trapped in that cold cage without family or love forever? Where should I go to not be an eyesore to him? "Lily, stop being stubborn. This does you no good. If you think this will gain my sympathy, you're too naive." Rare. Dad educating me. When the nanny stripped me naked and whipped me with a hanger; when I wore my fingers raw scratching the door begging for a bite to eat. When I was almost raped by the nanny's boyfriend, and she slapped me afterward, calling me a seductress slut like my mother. In those moments of agony and despair, how I wished he would come back and look at me. Even to scold me for being weak, for being cowardly. As long as he was by my side. But no. My pleas never received a response from him. Birthing but not raising, yet demanding I live as proudly and healthily as Chloe—Dad was a bit greedy. "Your sympathy is worthless to me, and my business is none of yours." I took a deep breath, finally determined to mentally cut off this lukewarm kinship. "Your sympathy is worthless to me, and my affairs are none of your business." After sending the message. I casually dragged the number into the blacklist. People who have cut ties don't need to contact each other anymore. 8 Having made me suffer in front of Dad last time, Chloe was happy. Her targeted bullying permeated my life. Especially at school, it intensified. My seat was in the last row, alone. No one wanted to sit with me. Looking up, I could see Chloe's back. She was always surrounded by a crowd. She raised her wrist, showing off the new bracelet her family bought her. "Pretty, right? My dad bought it specially from abroad." "I know this brand, it's super expensive." "So envious. When will my dad be this generous?" "Chloe, your dad treats you so well." After signing the severance agreement, I completely gave up hope on Dad. Whatever new clothes or jewelry he bought Chloe, I couldn't muster any interest. But Chloe wouldn't let me go. I didn't know how her new bracelet ended up in my bag. When she cried and accused me of being a thief, I almost wanted to laugh. She was still so childish. Childish enough to use the same trick from childhood without getting bored. Because of Chloe's tears, the homeroom teacher convicted me almost instinctively. "Lily Vance, theft is a serious offense. Since you did this, I have to call your parent."

? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "390983", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel