The year my mother remarried, she took me, just ten years old, to the Vital Records Office. "Your new dad already has a son and a daughter. It wasn't easy for me to find someone, so I didn't tell him I have a daughter too." I looked up, confused and innocent. "Mom, then what about me?" The new household register was issued. My mother gestured for me to open it. My grandparents had become my legal "mother and father" in the relationship column, while my mother had become my legal sister. "You should call Grandma 'Mom' now," she said, pocketing the document. "Take the bus back to Grandma's house yourself. I have to go pick up my daughter from school." I clutched the register and lowered my head. I knew the daughter she spoke of wasn't me anymore. From that day on, I never saw my mother again. In my junior year of college, my grandparents passed away. My mother, who had vanished for 11 years, suddenly appeared at my grandparents' house, a real estate agent standing beside her. "I'm the only daughter. What belonged to the old folks is mine. I have the right to sell this house." I stepped forward, pulling out the household register. "Sister, you're not an only child. You have a little sister, remember?" 1 The real estate agent took the register, glanced at it, and immediately exploded at my mother. "What are you playing at?! You said you were an only child, and now a sister pops up? You wasted half my day! If this deal falls through, it's on you!" "I already found a buyer! They're driving over right now! How am I supposed to explain this?!" Still furious, the agent glared at me before turning away to call the buyer, his voice dripping with apologetic fawning. My mother turned, glaring at me. "Ava, what is the meaning of this?!" I shrugged, holding up the register. "It means this house is mine." "For the past two years, while Grandma and Grandpa were bedridden, I was the one cleaning them, feeding them meds, wiping their bodies. Where were you? Where were you then?" My mother rushed to defend herself. "I was busy!" "I have a new family to take care of, step-siblings to manage. Where would I find the time? Besides, this house should be mine. I'm their biological daughter!" "Biological daughter?" I laughed. "You disappeared for 11 years." "You haven't stepped foot in this house for 11 years. You never cooked a meal or poured a glass of water for them." "Now that they're gone, you show up with an agent to sell the house? And you call yourself a daughter?" My mother's face went from red to white, then white to green. She stepped closer, lowering her voice. Indeed, it wasn't something to be proud of. "Ava, how can you fight me for a house? We're only sisters on paper, but you're my real daughter, the flesh and blood I carried for ten months!" Real daughter... I remembered the first Lunar New Year after she remarried when I was ten. I took a scarf I knitted myself to her new home. The whole way, I anticipated her reaction. Would she apologize? Would she wish me a Happy New Year? But when she saw the scarf, she tossed it aside carelessly, turning to hug a girl slightly taller than me, adjusting her wool scarf. The girl looked at me curiously. "Mommy, who is she?" My mother said, "Just a distant poor relative. We're not close." I stood shivering in the cold wind, wanting to call out "Mom," but was forced back by the icy glare she shot over her shoulder. That day, I stood downstairs at her new place for a full hour, my heart frozen solid. After returning from her house, I caught a chill and ran a fever of 104 degrees, deliriously calling for Mom. Grandma, heartbroken, called my mother. I clearly heard her say one sentence. "I have to watch cartoons with my daughter. I don't have time to take care of outsiders." Then, she hung up. So, in her heart, I was just an outsider. From then on, my mother was no longer "Mom" in my heart. Over countless days and nights, I told myself: Ava, you don't have a mother anymore. Thinking of this, I looked up. "I am not your daughter." "From the day you made me your sister on paper, from the day you made me take the bus alone while you picked up someone else's daughter, I haven't had a mother." My mother was speechless. Just as she was about to speak, footsteps and laughter came from the stairwell. Her stepdaughter, stepson, and new husband appeared. The girl threw herself at my mother the moment she entered. "Mom! We're here! Where's the agent? How's the house sale going?" "You promised to use the money for my dowry! Don't play favorites and give it to my brother!" The boy laughed. "Don't worry, Sis, I'll take care of you. I won't fight you for the dowry." "But Mom, after selling the house, shouldn't you pitch in for my new car?" The man walked up to my mother, glancing at me. "You must be Jane's little sister?" "Oh, we came in a rush, didn't bring a gift for the sister-in-law." I didn't even look at them. I took a deep breath and cleared my throat. "Sister, Brother-in-law." "This house is mine. All of Mom and Dad's inheritance belongs to me. You have no right to touch it." The room went silent. The girl's smile froze. The boy's face darkened. The man frowned at my mother. My mother, humiliated by everyone's gaze, glared at me, speaking with hidden menace. "Ava! Don't go too far!" She was threatening me, but didn't dare reveal our twisted "sister" relationship. "This house belonged to my parents. How could it be yours?" I held up the register. "Why not? Just because I'm the younger 'sister' doesn't mean I don't get a share, right?" "Before 'Mom and Dad' passed, I was the one taking care of them. You didn't lift a finger or contribute a cent." "Legally or morally, this house is none of your business." The girl got anxious. After all, my mother had promised her the money for her dowry. She yelled at me. "This house belongs to my mom! My mom is Grandpa and Grandma's daughter, so it's hers! Who do you think you are to fight her for it?" I stared at her. "I am also 'Mom and Dad's' daughter. I am your mother's sister on paper." "If we're talking qualifications, you don't even have the right to stand here and speak." My mother quickly shielded the girl, as if I would eat her alive. "Don't you dare yell at my daughter!" As if truly angered by my "rebellion," she pointed at the door: "Get out! This is my parents' house! It's not your place to act wild!" "Get out?" I shook my head. "This is the home I've lived in for over ten years. It's where I cared for 'Mom and Dad' until they died." "The ones who need to get out are you." The man narrowed his eyes at me for a few seconds, then tugged at my mother's arm. "Let's go. We'll talk later." My mother was still fuming and refused to leave. "Why leave? It's my house!" The man's voice was low. "Making a scene here won't work." He glanced around, clearly afraid the neighbors would hear and gossip. My mother froze, then glared at me viciously before turning to follow the man. The boy and girl followed reluctantly. As the girl passed me, she deliberately bumped into my shoulder. "Psycho. Cheapskate." I ignored her. Just as they reached the stairs, the man stopped and turned to me. "Little sister-in-law, don't get too cocky. The house isn't necessarily yours." "At most, you get a majority share. Your sister is the biological daughter. Blood is blood; inheritance rights can't be erased." He smiled confidently. "We have plenty of time to drag this out. But you, a little girl still in college, can you afford it?" With that, they left without waiting for a response. His meaning was clear. So as soon as he left, I started organizing evidence of my care for my grandparents. I dug out their medical records, filled with my signature. I found receipts for medicine and hospital bills from over the years. Stacks of them piled up on the desk, filling two file folders. I also contacted the caregiver who helped before and the neighbors; they were willing to testify for me. It was enough to prove that for the past three years, I was the one meticulously caring for the elderly couple, while my mother never showed her face. I organized the evidence, made copies, and consulted the legal aid center at school to understand the relevant laws. Days passed. I attended classes while waiting for their next move. Sure enough, a week later, I received a court summons. My mother sued me. She demanded the court confirm her inheritance rights to the property and divide the other assets. On the day of the hearing, the courtroom was quiet. I sat down, and soon saw my mother and her entourage walk in. The trial began. The judge verified identities, then asked the plaintiff to state their claim. My mother's lawyer stood up, stating that my mother was the biological daughter and legally entitled to inheritance, and I shouldn't monopolize the estate. When it was my turn, I stood up. "Your Honor, I disagree with the plaintiff's claim." "First, I legally enjoy equal inheritance rights with the plaintiff. Second, the plaintiff never fulfilled any support obligations during the illness of the two elders." The judge flipped through the thick stack of evidence I prepared, nodding repeatedly. My mother, however, came prepared. She suddenly stood up, pointing at me and shouting. "Ava! What right do you have to claim equal inheritance? You aren't even my parents' biological daughter!" Her words silenced the courtroom. Everyone's eyes focused on us. My mother pulled a document from her bag and held it high. "Your Honor, I have a DNA test report here. It proves that Ava and I are biologically mother and daughter!" "She isn't my parents' daughter; she's my daughter! She has no right to inherit my parents' estate!" The courtroom erupted. "Wow, that mother is ruthless. Remarried and didn't even want her daughter?" "Why didn't she take her when she remarried? Maybe the kid was bad from the start." "Yeah, look at her now. Pretending to be confused just for money. Shameless." Murmurs rose from the gallery. The judge frowned, accepting the DNA report. I was stunned. I had prepared so much evidence, but I never expected my mother to expose this publicly. I turned to look behind her. Her new family showed no surprise. Instead, they wore smug expressions, as if they expected this. In that moment, I understood everything. Why my mother dared to admit I was her daughter in public, why her husband and stepchildren weren't angry. It wasn't motherly love. It was because I was a junior in college, about to graduate. They could skip all the child-rearing costs and pick up a daughter ready to contribute to the family. Of course they agreed. It was all benefit, no cost. They could claim the inheritance and bind me to the moral high ground of filial piety. I suppressed the urge to scream. The twisted "sister" relationship with my mother was the deepest scar of my life. And now, she tore it open in public, bloody and raw. She didn't care about my pain, only how much blood she could suck. My mother looked at my shocked face triumphantly. "Ava, what do you have to say now? You are my daughter. I gave birth to you." "Now that my parents are gone, this house naturally belongs to me, the only daughter. Stop dreaming." You are my daughter. The identity I once craved was realized in such an absurd way. My heart pounded violently. I looked at my mother's smug face, memories flashing through my mind. Her coldness when I was young. Her heartlessness when my grandparents died. Everything she did these past few days to steal the house. A massive rage welled up inside me. The judge banged the gavel, silencing the room, then looked at me. "Defendant, do you have any objections to the DNA report submitted by the plaintiff?" I looked up. "The DNA report is real. I don't deny I am her daughter." The judge continued, "Then regarding inheritance rights..." With bloodshot eyes, I pulled a document that shouldn't have seen the light of day from my bag and held it up. "However, I still have inheritance rights!" 2 I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "Because, besides the notarized will, I also have a notarized adoption agreement left by my grandparents!" This sentence plunged the courtroom into shock again. My mother's smile froze. She looked at me in disbelief, her voice trembling. "Ava, what adoption agreement?" "Impossible! How did I not know about an adoption agreement? My parents never told me." I looked at her coldly. "Of course you didn't know." "This agreement was signed specifically with you by my grandparents when I was 10. You were just too busy with your new kids to read it carefully." "The agreement clearly states that you voluntarily gave me up for adoption to my grandparents. From then on, they exercised guardianship and support obligations, and you no longer had any responsibility for me." This agreement was notarized and legally binding. I handed the yellowed document to the judge. "Your Honor, from the day I was adopted, I had no legal mother-daughter relationship with her. My legal parents were my grandparents." "Since she signed the adoption agreement, she lost custody and rights over me long ago. Similarly, she has no right to deny my relationship with my grandparents because of biology." Another commotion in the gallery. The whispers grew louder. "A real adoption agreement? What a twisted family." "Signed the agreement and still came back for the inheritance? That's thick-skinned." "Look at that girl, her hands are shaking. She must be heartbroken..." "No kidding. I bet she didn't plan to use this until her mom aired all that dirty laundry." I looked at my mother, stunned in the plaintiff's seat. "You can't believe it, can you? When you pushed me to my grandparents to please your new husband, did you never think of today?" "You say I'm your daughter, but do you deserve to be a mother?" "When I was ten, you changed my status to your sister, made me take the bus alone while you picked up someone else's daughter. Did you treat me as a daughter then?" "When I had a fever of 104 and Grandma called for help, you hung up saying you had to watch cartoons with your daughter. Did you treat me as a daughter then?" "Now you remember I'm your daughter?" "Is it because I'm graduating and can be free labor? Or because I'm in the way of you dividing the inheritance for your new son and daughter?" I got more agitated as I spoke, 11 years of grievance and anger exploding. "How dare you use a DNA test to deny my relationship with my grandparents?" "They raised me. They gave me a home when you abandoned me." "And you are just a stranger who gave birth to me and threw me away!" My barrage of questions left my mother trembling, pale, lips quivering without a word. The judge carefully checked the adoption agreement and the will, asked a few key questions, then banged the gavel. Silence. I held my breath, waiting for the verdict. The judge announced: "The court finds that a legal and valid adoption relationship exists between the defendant Ava and the decedents, evidenced by the notarized adoption agreement." "Simultaneously, the plaintiff, as the biological daughter, failed to fulfill support obligations during the decedents' illness without valid reason." "The defendant fulfilled major support obligations, and the decedents left a notarized will explicitly gifting the property and all assets to the defendant." The judge scanned the room, eyes landing on my mother. "Therefore, the judgment is as follows: The plaintiff's claims are dismissed. The property and all assets under the decedents' names belong to the defendant, Ava. The plaintiff has no inheritance rights." "This judgment is final and effective immediately." Bang! The gavel fell. My mother blacked out and collapsed onto her chair. Her husband rushed to support her. Her daughter screamed hysterically: "My dowry is gone!" Her son's face turned green, kicking the chair next to him. The gallery erupted again, this time all condemning my mother. I stood up, straightened my clothes, bowed deeply to the judge. Then, holding my evidence and the verdict, I walked out of the courtroom. But just as I stepped out, my wrist was grabbed tight. I looked back. It was my mother. She had woken up, the pallor gone, replaced by a tearful look. She pulled my hand, begging. "Ava, my good daughter, Mom was wrong. Mom shouldn't have fought for the house. Forgive Mom, okay?" I shook her off hard. "Don't call me daughter. I have nothing to do with you." "Also, the judge ruled. The house is mine. You have no right to covet it." My mother wiped her tears. "I know, I know!" Then, she tried to kneel before me. I blocked her quickly. Her husband and stepchildren stood nearby, looking ugly but not stepping forward. Seeing she couldn't kneel, she slumped on the ground. She cried and complained. "Ava, I never told you, but Mom has had it hard these years." "In that house, I have to watch your stepdad's mood, take care of your stepsiblings. If I don't get this house, they'll look down on me. I can't stay there anymore!" I interrupted: "Stepdad? Was he a dad to me for one day? Did he fulfill any responsibility?" My mother ignored me, continuing her wailing. "Just pity Mom, give the house to Mom. Mom will make it up to you later, buy you whatever you want!" Watching her act, I felt nauseous. I sneered. "Make it up to me? With what?" "Make up for 11 years without a mom? Or make up for being treated as your sister?" "I'm telling you, I don't need your compensation, and I definitely don't need your fake tears!" 3 The lawsuit was over, and I had to return to college. Unexpectedly, my mother followed me to campus. She acted like a different person, running to my school every day. Bringing breakfast in the morning, waiting at the cafeteria at noon, following me to the dorm at night. She dressed plainly, hair combed neatly, greeting my classmates enthusiastically. "I'm Ava's mom. We had a misunderstanding before, I'm here to make amends." My classmates looked at me strangely. Every time, I ignored her, throwing her gifts on the ground. "Stop acting like a loving mother. You're bad at it." But she acted like she didn't hear, coming every day, playing the long-suffering mother treated cruelly by her daughter. But I knew, for a selfish person like her, the kindness was an act that wouldn't last long. Sure enough, after a week of my indifference, she showed her true colors. That night, she blocked me downstairs at my dorm, the gentleness gone. "Ava, don't be ungrateful! I've done so much, what more do you want?" "You must give me the house. I promised to sell it for your sister's dowry!" "If you don't agree, I'll have no status in that house. Are you going to watch me suffer?" I leaned against the wall, crossing my arms coldly. "What does your suffering have to do with me?" "You chose to remarry, you chose to please them. This outcome is your own doing." "As for your promise to that daughter, that's your problem. Don't bother me. She's not my sister. I won't give you an inch of the house." My mother was furious, pointing at my nose. "You ungrateful wolf!" "I carried you for ten months, and you won't even help with this? If I knew you were this cold-blooded, I shouldn't have given birth to you!" I fired back without weakness. "Yes! You should have aborted me, saved me from seeing your disgusting face now!" "From the day you put me on the register as your sister, we had no kinship." "Now that Grandma and Grandpa are gone, we are completely cut off!" Speechless, my mother stared at me for a long time, then suddenly smiled viciously. "Fine, Ava! Since you're so heartless, don't blame me for being nasty!" I thought she was just talking. The next morning, she made a scene in front of the main building. She held a sign: [Ungrateful Daughter Ava Occupies Grandparents' Inheritance, Drives Biological Mother to Death] She cried and screamed, attracting a crowd. "Everyone look! This Ava, a junior here, is heartless! She took the inheritance that should be mine and kicked me out! I'm homeless!" She picked her words carefully. "I painfully sent her to live with her grandparents so she could have a good life. Now they're gone, she turns her back on me, won't even acknowledge her own mother!" The crowd grew. "Ava? The one from Economics? She won a national scholarship last year." "Yeah, didn't expect her to be like this. Stealing her mom's inheritance." "I'm in the volunteer club with her. She looks quiet, didn't know she was so cruel." "You never know a person's heart. Who knows what she does to roommates? Better be careful." Listening to the gossip, I felt calm. After everything, I was numb. Soon, my counselor saw me. He walked over quickly, frowning sternly. "Ava, what's going on? Your mother is making a scene, it looks very bad!" "The whole school is talking about you. Handle this quickly, or your scholarship and awards will be cancelled!" I looked at him calmly. "I did nothing wrong. Why should I handle it?" "She's lying, slandering me. I'm the victim." The counselor was angry. "Right or wrong, she's your mother! Get her to leave! We can't have this disturbance!" "If you don't handle it well, don't blame the school for following regulations." He threatened me with my scholarship. I knew this was the effect my mother wanted. She succeeded. But only halfway. I sneered. Since she wants a scene, I'll give her one. I went back to the dorm, opened a document, and wrote down everything. From changing my status to "sister" to remarry, to abandoning me. From ignoring my grandparents' illness to stealing the house after their death, and finally slandering me at school. Every detail was clear. Titles? Easy. [Shocking Twist! Mother Abandons Daughter to Remarry, Steals Inheritance After Death, Slanders Daughter at School! Who is the Real Monster?] I printed hundreds of copies and walked to the main building. My mother was still crying there, surrounded by students. I said nothing, went to the third floor, opened the window, and threw the papers down. "Read it, everyone! Justice is in the hearts of the people!" Students caught the papers. The murmurs died, replaced by gasps. "OMG, so that's it!!" "This mom is ruthless. Changing her daughter to her sister to remarry." "Poor Ava. Abandoned and now slandered." "Taking a pic and posting to the confession wall to clear her name. Call me a hero!" My mother saw the papers, her face changing instantly. She tried to snatch the evidence from students, but there were too many. Students stopped her. "Auntie! Stop twisting the truth!" "Exactly! Too much! How dare you make a scene here!" They pointed fingers at her. My mother looked at the accusing crowd, then up at me. She knew she lost. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed, arrogance gone. The counselor started scolding me. I turned. "Sir, I can't swallow insults." "I don't care about awards, but I care about myself, about justice. I had no choice." The counselor fell silent, holding a copy of my statement. He read it for a long time, pushed up his glasses. "I'll handle the school side." "Student Ava, you've been wronged." I went downstairs, walking up to my mother. I looked down at her. "I'll tell you one last time. The day Grandma and Grandpa died, we were done." "From now on, we have no connection. If you harass me again, I'll call the police." I turned and walked away, never looking back.
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