Chapter 3The Receipt Reel: How I Destroyed My Daughter’s Victim Narrative

Chloe froze for a second, then grit her teeth. "Mom, what else can you twist? If you just apologize to me, I'm willing to forgive you. As long as you stop blocking my streaming career."

[Asian parents will spend their whole lives avoiding an apology.] [I'm crying. I've spent my life begging for a 'sorry'.]

I smiled. "Since you put it that way, let me help you recall why I beat you that time."

Date: January 30, 1998. Lunar New Year, Day 3.

Entry: I didn't want to bring Chloe to her grandmother's, but Grandma missed her. This time, we didn't let her near the altar. My brother was chopping wood with a large axe. Chloe wanted to try. My brother pushed her away, saying it was dangerous, and told her to go play. Chloe insisted on helping. My brother refused, saying the logs were too big, but promised she could help with kindling tomorrow.

Chloe nodded innocently. I let my guard down and went to the kitchen. Suddenly, I heard my mother scream.

I ran out to the yard. My mother had fainted (again). My nephew was wrestling Chloe for the axe. And on the chopping block lay my father's wooden memorial tablet, split perfectly in two.

Chloe got a severe beating that day.

[Fortune Teller: You have two tribulations after death. Grandpa: Huh?] [Who chops up their grandpa's spirit tablet for firewood?!]

My daughter was losing her mind. She cried, snot and tears flowing freely.

Just as I was about to ask if I was being too harsh, she looked up, eyes bloodshot. "These were mistakes I made when I was little! But why did you murder my dog, Buster? Just because Dad gave him to me?!"

The chat boiled over instantly. This time, they attacked me.

[She's venomous. Anyone who abuses pets deserves to be struck by lightning.] [I can't stand this. The mother is psychologically twisted. The daughter's mistakes were childhood ignorance, but the mother is an adult killing animals? That's terrifying.] [I had a pet rabbit once. My mom cooked it and forced me to eat it.]

Chloe seemed certain I had no evidence for this. She grabbed my hand, stopping the mouse, and screamed, "Answer me! Don't use your fake evidence to distract everyone! Just answer one sentence: Did you kill Buster? Yes or no!"

I looked at my daughter's sad face, seeing the calculation in her eyes.

I nodded and admitted it. "Yes, it was me."

[Holy sh*t, she admitted it. So gross. Some people are just sick. No wonder the daughter wants to kill her.] [An unhappy childhood really takes a lifetime to heal. The daughter is so gentle, only asking for an apology.]

Seeing the support rolling in and convinced I had no proof, Chloe’s voice grew firmer.

"Mom, you will always be my mom. As long as you admit you wronged me all these years, and call Dad to apologize to him too, I'm willing to let everything go and live with you again."

[The streamer is too kind. A villain like this mom deserves to die, just like the dog she killed.] [So Asian parents only care about grades, not their child's mental health? They don't care about anything except achievement.] [She probably killed the dog because it distracted the daughter from studying. Right in front of her face, too.]

Chloe’s eyes were swollen red, snot dripping as she yelled, "Mom, is apologizing to me that hard?"

I looked at my suffering daughter, my heart as still as water.

[God, look at that cold expression. Is that really a mother looking at her daughter?] [The mom doesn't know how lucky she is to have such a good daughter.]

I spoke calmly. "Are you so sure I don't have evidence from back then?"

Chloe went rigid. Her voice trembled. "Your so-called evidence is just you typing on a keyboard! You can type whatever you want!"

[True. Text evidence isn't convincing. Especially regarding animal abuse, text won't convince me.] [This person isn't fit to be a mother. She's an animal.]

I smiled faintly, remembering all the losses I suffered with her deadbeat father because I didn't keep receipts.

"Of course I have more than text..."

I shook off Chloe's hand and scrolled to Slide 157.

A photo of my daughter and the so-called "puppy."

The word "puppy" obscured the key information. The "puppy" was actually a massive, aggressive breed, sitting as tall as ten-year-old Chloe.

When Buster's photo appeared, the chat jumped.

[That... is a puppy? Feels like it could bite my head off.] [Don't be scared guys, that dog eats people and leaves.]

I stared dead at Chloe. "Do you want me to repeat why Buster was euthanized?"

She dodged my gaze. But thinking of something, she stared back. "Mom, even if Buster chewed up your purse, you didn't have to kill him!"

The chat was led astray again.

[Big or small, abuse is wrong!] [This woman is scary. A few words and a pic almost swayed me, but the point is she killed a pet!]

I looked at my unrepentant daughter and dropped the Hammer.

I scrolled to the next slide.