Chapter 2Mother Knows Best

Mom didn't text again.

I grabbed my spicy beef noodle soup from the delivery rack and snuck it back to the dorm.

I put on a trendy idol drama to watch while I ate.

Just as I was grinning at a romantic scene, a notification banner dropped down.

[Stop watching that brain-rot TV show. Use your downtime to study.]

I froze.

A chill crawled up my spine.

I scanned the dorm room. It was just me and two roommates.

Did she install a micro-camera when she helped me move in?

I tore the room apart looking for a lens but found nothing.

Suddenly, a woman’s voice shouted from the hallway.

"Who is Chloe Jiang? Phone ending in 2215!"

"Chloe Jiang!"

I rushed out. "That’s me. What’s wrong?"

A woman wearing an apron with the spicy noodle shop’s logo looked at me with relief.

She shoved a wad of cash into my hand.

"Finally. Here. $23.50. That’s your refund."

"Where are the noodles? Give them back. Now."

"Your mother called my shop over a hundred times! She said my food is poison and she’d keep calling until I took it back."

"I can't take it anymore! I’m not doing your business!"

I stood there, paralyzed.

The woman spotted the takeout container on my desk. She rushed in, grabbed it, and snapped a photo.

She pulled out her phone. I saw the chat window.

It was my mother’s profile picture.

"Ma'am, I took the food back. Your daughter only ate three bites."

She sent the voice note, then looked at me with a mix of pity and annoyance.

"Kid, if your mom doesn't let you eat spicy food, don't order it. You’re making me run back and forth for nothing."

Her words felt like a slap in the face.

Students were gathering in the hallway, watching the drama.

I slammed the door and dialed Mom, my hands shaking.

"It was just soup! It wasn't poison! Why did you harass the shop owner?!"

Mom’s voice was calm, righteous. "This is the price of lying."

"If you had listened and canceled the order, or eaten something healthy, Mommy wouldn't have had to do that."

She twisted it back on me. My anger exploded.

"I am eighteen! Can you stop controlling me?! Can't I have a shred of freedom?!"

"How do you know everything I’m doing?! Tell me!"

Silence on the other end. Then, a heavy sigh.

"Chloe, I don't like it when you yell."

My throat clicked shut. Conditioned reflex.

Since I was a toddler, I knew the rule: My emotions didn't matter. Only hers did.

I couldn't cry, couldn't be annoyed, couldn't get mad.

Because if I did, her reaction would be ten times worse.

Sure enough, she started sobbing.

"I feed you, I clothe you, I suffered so much to raise you, and this is how you treat me?"

"If it weren't for you, I would have divorced your father years earlier. I endured him for you!"

"Your father has no conscience, he cheated on me, and now you won't even empathize with me? I should just die."

The familiar, suffocating guilt washed over me.

I hung my head.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I was wrong..."

Hearing my apology, she sniffled, satisfied.

She nagged me a bit more, then hung up.

I buried my face in my hands and screamed silently.

I was a thousand miles away, and I was still in her cage.

My roommate, Sarah, patted my back. "Don't cry, Chloe."

"Your mom is... intense. Hey, maybe you should apply for the study abroad program?"

"I asked Professor Hayes. Freshmen can apply."

"Your mom might be powerful, but she can't micromanage you from London or Tokyo."

"But..." Sarah paused, looking confused. "There are no cameras here. She doesn't know us. How did she know which restaurant you ordered from?"

Right. And she knew what show I was watching.

I forced myself to calm down.

When Sarah mentioned studying abroad, Mom didn't text to stop me. She didn't hear that.

TikTok, delivery apps, streaming apps... it was all on my phone.

A terrifying thought crossed my mind.

I opened a delivery app and ordered a bubble tea.

The second the payment went through, a text arrived.

[Bubble tea is bad for your body. Cancel it!]

I frantically hit 'Cancel'.

Instant reply:

[That’s Mommy’s good girl.]

I threw the phone across the room like it was a venomous snake.

My eyes widened in horror.