My Billionaire Parents' Cruelty: My Path to Freedom

On the first day of my senior year of high school, I found my student ID card had no money on it. Meanwhile, my billionaire parents had already jetted off to Switzerland for a vacation with my cousin.

I carefully called them to ask:

Mom, didn't we agree that I'd get my living expenses if I worked at our family's factory over the summer?

She sneered at me, "You ungrateful wretch, do you even have the nerve to ask for money? You made money and didn't even think to buy us a gift. If I don't teach you a lesson this time, you'll be absolutely useless!"

But Mom, the wages you paid me were far below market rate, just enough for me to eat.

That evening, my cousin posted pictures on Ins of her fancy seafood dinner with my parents, while I could only scavenge leftovers in the cafeteria to fill my stomach.

I was just soaking a leftover piece of stale bread in hot water when I saw Chloes post on Ins of her lavish dinner with my parents.

A table covered with all sorts of expensive seafood.

My dad, David, dotingly placed a rich lobster dish onto Chloe's plate.

My mom, Sarah, clinked glasses with Chloe affectionately. The wine they were drinking, one glass cost more than my entire year's living expenses.

Chloe smiled brightly, captioning the photo: "Aw, expressing my love to the best Sarah and David in the world! Because of your love, my diet plan has failed again."

It looked like they were the real family.

I greedily stared at the feast, but all I had to eat was the mush made from cold, stale bread soaked in hot water, accompanied by the salty taste of my tears.

Having been hungry for too long, the food caused a sharp pain in my stomach the moment it entered. I couldn't stand, so I quickly squatted down, knocking over the bowl of bread mush I had just prepared.

The cafeteria was about to close, and all the leftovers on the tables had been cleared. Desperate, I hastily scooped the spilled mush from the table back into my bowl, even licking the residue from my hands.

"Mia, why are you eating that?"

My roommate Lily's astonished voice rang in my ears, and my face instantly flushed red.

It wasn't surprising she was shocked; after all, everyone knew I was the daughter of the wealthiest family in town.

My parents were always known for their generosity, and the school even had a poverty alleviation fund donated by them.

But who would have thought their own daughter was starving, eating other people's leftovers?

They said they had endured great hardships when starting their business, and therefore, I too needed to experience enough setbacks to be worthy of becoming their perfect heir.

To that end, they constantly belittled and suppressed me, their only biological daughter.

Yet, they were almost always obliging to my cousin, just to maintain their image among relatives.

This summer, they proposed that I could only earn my living expenses for senior year by working at our own factory.

I dared not object. After all, to make me appreciate the difficulty of earning money, since I was seven, every penny I spent had to be earned through labor.

Knowing how strict my parents were, despite earning half the wages of a regular worker, I worked diligently. I didn't even dare to rest when I had a fever, fearing they would accuse me of being "spoiled" and use it as an excuse to dock my pay.

Finally, the day before school started, Mom nodded at my daily work hours, which exceeded ten, and promised to deposit the money onto my student ID card before school.

I hadn't even had time to sigh in relief when Chloe suddenly showed up with a small charm she'd gotten from a drink promotion.

"Sarah, David, this is a gift I specifically brought back for you from my vacation."

With that, she hung the small charm on my mom's designer bag.

My mom smiled with satisfaction, pulling a wad of cash directly from her bag and pressing it into Chloe's hand.

"It's rare for Chloe to think of us while away. Sarah doesn't have a gift for you right now, so take this money."

Chloe's face lit up with joy. She glanced at me and spoke.

"I heard Mia earned money working at our factory this summer. Did she think of buying Sarah and David any gifts?"

I smiled awkwardly.

That money was barely enough for me to eat the cheapest cafeteria food. The only pitiful bit left I planned to buy some new underwear because my old ones were falling apart. How could I have any money for gifts?

Seeing my silence, Chloe reproached me.

"Mia, I'm not trying to criticize you, but you're so grown up now. Sarah and David raised you with such difficulty; you can't be so selfish. You should always think about giving back to your parents."

I could only force another awkward smile, not noticing Mom's expression had already changed.

That evening, Mom sternly made me write down every single expense.

Though I didn't understand, I dared not resist, and tremblingly wrote down my spending plan on paper.

Mom read out each item, her face growing uglier. When she reached the item for "underwear," her anger flared. She ripped the paper to shreds.

Before I could react, a sharp slap landed squarely on my face.

"You ungrateful wretch! Your dad and I raised you for nothing. You don't care about us at all, you're even worse than Chloe, our niece!"

"You get money and don't think about giving back to your parents, but you're thinking about buying underwear? Disgusting! You're shameless. Is this how David and I raised you? I think you're looking for a boyfriend!"

She even started wiping away tears, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Years of resentment pressed in my chest, and I couldn't help but murmur a quiet complaint.

"But the living expenses you gave me were only enough for food, there was nothing left. And I needed new underwear because my old ones were worn out."

Mom, hearing my rebuttal, began to tremble with even greater fury. She hysterically screamed for my dad.

"David! David! I can't handle her anymore, your daughter is rebelling!"

The door opened, and Dad stood in the doorway.

My dad sat on the sofa and gently asked,

"Mia, do you think we gave you too little money?"

He adopted the pose of a concerned father.

But I shivered, too terrified to speak.

Because I knew my dad's methods were a hundred times scarier than my mom's!

"Speak up, you good-for-nothing!"

He suddenly slammed the table, his voice abruptly rising.

I steeled myself and roared out all the bitterness in my heart.

"Yes! You gave me too little money, less than half of what the poorest student in my class gets! I can only afford the cheapest food." My voice grew quieter, "I can't even eat enough."

My voice trailed off, because I saw my dad suddenly sneer.

The next second, I was kicked in the abdomen, the intense pain making me fall to my knees.

Immediately after, an extremely brutal slap landed on my face.

"That slap is to teach you manners! Our Miller family has always valued respect for elders, yet you made your mother cry and yelled at me. Is that any way to show respect?"

Before I could react, another solid slap landed on my face.

"That slap is to teach you gratitude! Do you know how much hardship your mother and I endured to build this family fortune? We worked tirelessly to raise you, ensuring you never worried about food or clothes since childhood. What right do you have to complain about it being too little?"

Another violent slap followed.

"This slap is to teach you shame! You get money and don't think about giving back to your parents, but you're thinking about buying underwear. What kind of thoughts are you harboring, a young girl like you? Have you no shame?"

By now, my right cheek was severely swollen, and blood seeped from the corner of my mouth.

But they only left me with a single command.

"You will kneel here and reflect."

And so, I knelt on the cold living room floor all night.

I dared not resist again, hoping they would calm down and give me the money as promised, seeing that I was obedient.

But it wasn't until they boarded their flight to Switzerland that I discovered my card was completely empty!

"I can't even afford to eat anymore."

Tears streamed down my face, my heart filled with despair.

After hearing my story, Lily's eyes also welled up. She pulled out her own meal card and slipped it into my hand, gently comforting me.

"Mia, you should still call your parents tomorrow and beg them. You're their only child, no matter what, they'll surely feel pain seeing you suffer."

I held Lily's meal card in my hands, this kindness from an outsider making my heart ache even more.

Yet, a tentative hope began to rise within me.

Would they really feel pain?

The next day, filled with unease, I dialed their number.

Before I could even utter the words "I'm hungry," cheerful laughter reached my ears.

It was Chloe and Mom shopping.

Chloe whined, "Sarah, do I really look good in this dress? It's almost fifteen thousand dollars. Won't it be too much of an expense for you?"

Mom laughed in response, "If you like it, buy it. Don't worry about the money."

Then, turning her attention to me, Mom's voice sharpened as she asked why I was calling, a stark contrast to the soft tone she used with Chloe.

I cautiously brought up the subject of living expenses.

Worried they were still angry, I spoke in the most humble tone possible, apologizing profusely and promising to buy them gifts the moment I received the money.

To my surprise, I was met with another furious torrent of insults from Mom.

A barrage of profanities assailed my ears. Just as I was nearing my breaking point, Dad's steady voice finally came through.

"Alright, since you know you were wrong, we'll give you the living expenses."

Hope surged anew in my desperate heart.

I cried tears of joy, immensely grateful for this hard-won concession.

But when I swiped my card and saw the balance, my heart sank instantly.

It was only half of what they had promised!

I frantically called again to ask.

Dad, however, sneered, "We pampered you too much before, which made you lose all concept of money. So, your mom and I decided to give you another test: you'll earn the other half of your living expenses yourself this senior year."

"Only by understanding the difficulty of earning money are you worthy of being our child!"

With that, he abruptly hung up the phone.

My heart turned to ice.

With university applications approaching, I didn't even have enough time for studying. How could I earn money?

I cried all the way back to the dorm.

My roommates had already heard about my situation and gathered around, concerned, asking what was wrong.

I choked out, "I might have to take a leave of absence for a while." To go out and earn enough for living expenses.

The dorm room instantly erupted.

"Mia, your grades are so good! This is a crucial time for aiming for elite universities, you absolutely can't drop out!"

"That's right, Mia. I'm trying to lose weight right now, let's eat lunch together from now on."

"Oh! I brought so much fruit and milk from home, it's going to spoil if I don't eat it soon. Mia, help me out!"

"Hehe, Mia, you know I'm lazy. Can you help me get late-night snacks tonight? I'll pay!"

Everyone talked at once. I heard the subtle help in their words, and a warm feeling surged through me.

Roommates, who shared no blood relation, were offering me a helping hand, while my own parents were trying to drive me to a dead end!

In that moment, my last shred of hope for parental love was completely shattered.

Over the next month, though living expenses were tight, with the help of my roommates, I managed to get by.

I thought that after this period of turmoil, I could at least smoothly face my university applications.

But then my homeroom teacher, Mr. Harrison, suddenly found me.

"Mia Miller, your tuition has been overdue for so long, why haven't you paid it yet?"

Tuition? Didn't Mom pay it before school started? She transferred it to the school-issued bank account, waiting to be deducted. I saw her do it with my own eyes.

Did she withdraw the money to punish me?

If that were the case, I truly had no options left. Even with my roommates' utmost help, the high tuition fees were something a high school senior like me couldn't possibly raise.

Extremely desperate, I had no choice but to try and overcome my fear, dialing Mom's number once more.

Sure enough, when I mentioned the unpaid tuition, I was met with an even more furious torrent of insults.

"Liar! Thief!"

"You must have stolen and spent that money!"

"Do we look like the kind of parents in your eyes who wouldn't send their child to school? Your dad and I poured so much effort into your education since you were little. Asking that question is so disrespectful and it's like stabbing me in the heart!"

"Tell me, where did you secretly spend that money?"

I was terrified, my mind racing. A memory suddenly flashed in my mind.

"It was Chloe. She was there when you transferred the tuition and secretly watched you enter the transfer PIN." I had seen it with my own eyes, but I didn't understand what she intended then and didn't think much of it afterward.

At these words, a dreadful silence fell on the other end of the phone.

After a long while, Mom finally coldly squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth.

"Not only stealing money but also slandering others, Mia. When did you become so wicked?"

The next day during morning self-study, my parents stormed into the classroom and dragged me to the school gate.

I was completely bewildered, only hearing Dad's unchallengeable tone saying,

"Kneel."

The next second, a heavy kick landed behind my knees.

I knelt at the school gate in front of everyone, with people coming and going, all turning to stare.

Dad's heartbroken and furious voice came from above me.

"I, David Miller, am a failure for raising such a morally corrupt daughter. Not only did she steal money, but she also slandered her own relatives. Today, right in front of all of you, I'm going to teach her a good lesson."

With that, he took out his belt and whipped me, lash after lash.

People gathered around in circles, many of them parents dropping off their children. I heard them say,

"Isn't that the famous Mr. Miller? What did his daughter do to make him so angry?"

"She stole tuition money and even slandered her cousin. This Mia usually seems so honest, I never expected her to be this kind of person. So rich, yet doing something like this. She's inherently evil. I need to keep our children away from her."

"Mr. Miller is truly amazing, such a powerful man, yet he doesn't spoil his child at all. I don't envy people like him with money, because he's fair-minded."

"Mr. Miller! A good lesson!"

"Bad kids need to be disciplined like this, or they won't learn their lesson! Mr. Miller is awesome!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd, and at the same time, gazes of contempt were cast upon me.

Listening to the praise from the crowd, my dad's face showed a proud expression. It seemed playing the role of a strict father in front of others greatly pleased him, and the force of his hand unconsciously grew heavier.

An unprecedented humiliation and intense pain utterly shattered my dignity.

I finally made up my mind to execute a crazy plan I had been devising for a long time.

Looking at my smugly smiling parents, I closed my eyes in disgust.

You despise me, your daughter? Good, because I don't want you as my parents anymore either.