The Password They Never Gave Me

My parents gave me a bank card and transferred twenty thousand dollars into it every month without fail.

Everyone envied me for having such a wonderful family.

But they never told me the password.

I couldn't even afford meals at school, so I applied for financial aid.

My mother, Linda Harrison, stormed into the school and slapped me across the face.

"We give you twenty thousand a month and you're still not satisfied? Playing poor for attention, you ungrateful brat!"

Later, I developed a perforated ulcer from starvation and lay in the operating room, desperate for money to save my life.

I begged them to tell me the password.

My mom just laughed coldly over the phone.

"I already told you the password. You just forgot it yourself. Want money to go out and fool around? Not a chance!"

I hung up, utterly heartbroken as I teetered on the edge of death.

Three years later, my brother crossed a powerful heir and desperately needed that money to save his life.

My mom knelt on the ground, crying and begging me to withdraw the money from the card.

I threw the bank card on the floor and smiled.

"Linda, you forgot---you never told me the password. This money can't be withdrawn."

"Ms. Anderson, Summer's financial aid application shouldn't be approved."

My classmate Ryan stood at the podium, announcing loudly.

The entire class's eyes instantly focused on me.

I clutched the filled-out application form, my fingers tightening bit by bit.

Ryan pointed at me, his tone full of contempt.

"Her parents transfer twenty thousand dollars to her account every month. She even posted screenshots on social media. Now she's pretending to be poor to scam financial aid. It's absolutely shameless!"

Ms. Anderson frowned at me.

"Summer, what's going on here?"

I took a deep breath, my voice dry.

"Ms. Anderson, I really don't have any money in my account. I don't even have money for food today."

As soon as I finished speaking, the classroom door was shoved open.

My mom stormed in wearing high heels.

She walked straight up to me and raised her hand.

A crisp slap rang out.

I was knocked sideways, half my face instantly numb.

"How did I give birth to such an ungrateful brat!"

My mom pulled a bank card from her purse and threw it hard at my face.

"We transfer twenty thousand dollars to you every month, and you still run to the school to apply for poverty assistance. Are you deliberately trying to humiliate the Harrison family?"

The bank card fell to the ground with a clear sound.

The whole class erupted.

"Oh my God, twenty thousand a month and she's pretending to be poor?"

"This girl is so fake. She'd do anything for that aid money, even throw away her dignity."

"Disgusting. If I had parents this good, I'd be smiling in my sleep."

Hearing the surrounding discussion, a flash of smug coldness crossed my mom's face.

I stared hard at the bank card on the ground, my eyes stinging.

Yes, she did transfer twenty thousand every month.

But she never told me the password.

I bent down to pick up the card, held it in front of her, my voice trembling.

"You transfer twenty thousand every month, but did you ever tell me the password?"

My mom's expression changed, her eyes flickering, but she quickly raised her voice.

"I already told you the password! You just have a bad memory and forgot! Now you're blaming me?"

"You told me?"

I stared at her, advancing step by step.

"I tried my birthday, I tried your birthday, I tried our home phone number---all of them came up as errors! Do you dare repeat the password in front of the whole class right now!"

My mom was forced back a step. Humiliated and furious, she pointed at my nose.

"How dare you talk back! The password is your brother's birthday. I've told you that countless times!"

"Summer, you're just used to spending money like water. When you run out, you play the victim. How did I raise such a useless daughter!"

After speaking, she turned to Ms. Anderson with an expression of deep regret.

"Ms. Anderson, we've spoiled this child. Please don't approve any aid for her. We can't afford this kind of embarrassment."

Ms. Anderson's gaze turned completely cold.

"Summer, I'm very disappointed in you. Take the application back."

I stood there, watching my mom's arrogant departing figure, my chest feeling like someone had just squeezed it hard.

She was lying.

I had tried my brother Ethan Harrison's birthday.

It didn't work at all.

This card was just a leash to keep me chained.

In everyone else's eyes, I was a rich girl with twenty thousand dollars a month in allowance.

But only I knew that I couldn't touch a single cent of that twenty thousand.

At lunch in the cafeteria, I only had three dollars left in my account.

I bought a plain roll and carried a bowl of free soup to sit in a corner.

Before I'd taken two bites, a bottle of ice water suddenly slammed onto my table.

Soup splashed all over me.

I looked up into the mocking face of Ethan Harrison.

Standing beside him was the fake heiress my parents had adopted, Chloe Harrison.

Chloe wore designer clothes from head to toe, covering her mouth as she laughed delicately.

"Summer, why are you eating this kind of stuff? Doesn't Linda give you twenty thousand a month?"

Ethan snorted coldly, snatched my roll, threw it on the floor, and ground it under his foot.

"Stop playing pitiful! Linda said you caused a scene at school today. She sent me to teach you a lesson."

I stared at the trampled roll on the floor, anger suddenly flaring inside me.

I stood up abruptly, staring hard at him.

"Ethan, tell me the password."

"What password?"

He froze for a moment, then sneered.

"How should I know the password? Linda said you're a spendthrift with no self-control. The money in that card is being saved for you. She'll give it to you when you really need it."

"I need it now!"

My voice was hoarse, almost shouting.

"I can't even afford to eat, and I'm a week late on my dorm fees. How am I supposed to survive!"

Chloe sighed, putting on a concerned expression.

"Summer, stop pressuring Ethan. If you really don't have money, I'll lend you a hundred dollars."

She pulled a bill from her twenty-thousand-dollar handbag and tossed it on the table like she was giving charity to a beggar.

Students around us pointed and whispered.

"Chloe is so kind. She treats her sister so well."

"Summer is so ungrateful. She has such a good sister but always has that sour face."

I stared at that hundred-dollar bill, my fingers tightening bit by bit.

I didn't take the money.

I turned and walked out of the cafeteria with my back straight.

That afternoon, my advisor called me to her office.

"Summer, if you don't pay your dorm fees today, you'll have to move out tonight."

I opened my mouth but couldn't say a single word.

Bank card: one dollar and fifty cents.

PayPal: two dollars and thirty cents.

Combined, I couldn't even rent a bed.

I stood in the hallway and called my parents over a dozen times.

No answer.

I opened my mom's Instagram.

She'd just posted a minute ago.

"Bought Chloe a new necklace. Girls deserve to be spoiled."

The photo showed a diamond necklace worth thirty thousand dollars.

I stared at that post, my eyes gradually stinging.

So they weren't broke, and they weren't stingy.

They just didn't want to spend money on me.

That night, the dorm supervisor kicked me out.

It was pouring rain outside.

I dragged my suitcase down the empty street.

My stomach cramped with pain.

I squatted by the roadside, cold sweat instantly soaking my back.

The pain in my stomach felt like a knife twisting inside.

I clutched my abdomen, trembling even as I breathed.

My stomach problems came from long-term starvation.

These past few years, refusing to bow to them, I'd worked multiple jobs and often ate only one meal a day.

I leaned against a bus stop sign, shaking as I dialed my father's number.

The phone rang for a long time before someone answered. I could hear the TV in the background.

"David..." My voice was so weak I could barely hear it myself. "My stomach hurts really bad. I might not make it. Tell me the password. I need to go to the hospital..."

Two seconds of silence on the other end.

Then my dad's impatient cursing came through.

"Summer, will you ever stop! Pretending to be poor at school during the day, pretending to be sick at night! Do you have to push us to death before you're satisfied!"

My throat tightened, tears instantly streaming down.

"I'm not pretending... it really hurts..."

"Then deal with it!"

My dad cut me off mercilessly.

"Linda said you just want to scam money to go out and party. I'm warning you, don't even think about touching a cent of that money!"

With that, he hung up directly.

Listening to the dial tone on my phone, I felt a chill shoot from my feet to my head, my entire body going cold.

These were my biological parents.

I writhed on the ground in pain, my vision growing increasingly blurred.

I don't know how much time passed before a taxi stopped in front of me.

The driver saw my condition and quickly helped me into the car, rushing me to a nearby hospital.

In the emergency room, the doctor did a preliminary examination, his expression grave.

"Acute gastric perforation. You need surgery immediately. Go pay the five-thousand-dollar deposit first."

Five thousand dollars.

I lay on the hospital bed, in too much pain to even straighten my back.

I grabbed my phone and went through every lending app.

Because I was a student with no stable income, all my credit limits were zero.

I bit my lip and dialed home again.

This time Chloe answered.

"Summer, what's wrong at this late hour? Linda and David are already asleep."

Her voice was sweet and dripping with smugness.

I bit my lip hard, quickly tasting blood in my mouth.

"Put Ethan on the phone."

There was rustling on the other end, then Ethan's voice came through.

"Middle of the night, what are you freaking out about now?"

I took a deep breath, my voice hoarse.

"Ethan, I'm in the hospital. Acute gastric perforation requiring surgery. Tell me the password. I'll pay you back."

Ethan laughed mockingly.

"Gastric perforation? Who are you trying to fool? You were standing in the cafeteria yelling at me this afternoon."

"I'm not lying!"

I got agitated, trembling all over from the pain.

"The doctor says they can't operate without payment. I'm really dying!"

Silence on the other end.

Then my mom's voice came through, thick with annoyance.

"Just tell her! Isn't she just trying to scam money? Tell her the password is Chloe's birthday!"

"Take the money and get lost. Don't call here bothering us again!"

The phone was slammed down.

I stared at the darkened screen, tears silently streaming down.