Chapter 3Mother Knows Best

I paid a computer science major to check my device. He confirmed it.

There was a hidden monitoring app rooted deep in the system.

The admin could see my screen in real-time.

No wonder she let me travel so far.

She bought my train ticket. Before I left, she "checked the schedule" on my phone several times.

She had been installing spyware.

I couldn't uninstall it. I couldn't block it. If the signal went dark, she’d be on the next plane.

But... this was leverage.

As long as I didn't use the phone, I could do whatever I wanted.

My heart started racing. It was the thrill of freedom.

I explained the situation to my roommates. They were sympathetic.

"I'll buy all the dorm supplies," I told them. "You guys just transfer me the cash."

I couldn't buy in bulk, or Mom would get suspicious.

Toilet paper, wipes, body wash—I bought them on my phone, following her strict brand requirements.

Every time I ordered, her approval texts came in.

[Don't buy that cheap brand. Buy the one I told you.]

[Don't be stingy. Buy quality.]

[Send me a photo when it arrives.]

I played the obedient soldier.

I kept the cash my roommates paid me. It became my secret fund.

Using Sarah’s laptop, I submitted the application for the exchange program.

In two weeks, I had saved nearly a thousand dollars in cash.

I used cash to buy spicy noodles. I bought black clothes. I drank bubble tea.

No one stopped me.

I started smiling more.

When Sarah suggested a music festival on the weekend, I actually said yes.

I waited until 10:00 PM—Mom’s mandatory bedtime. I turned off my phone.

Then I put on a black dress and snuck out.

First time drinking alcohol.

First time dancing under stage lights, bass thumping in my chest.

I laughed loud and hard.

This was what being young was supposed to feel like.

We walked back to campus at dawn, buzzing with adrenaline.

But as we reached the dorm entrance, my smile froze.

My mother was standing there.