After My Family Broke Me, I Vanished with a Full Scholarship Chapter 04

After My Family Broke Me, I Vanished with a Full Scholarship Chapter 04

I cried for hours. 

Late that night, I finally understood something. 

Real freedom would never come from begging 

them to change. 

It would come from leaving. 

Starting the next morning, I began playing the 

normal child Mom wanted me to be. 

I became obedient again, took care of every chore, 

and stopped fighting back. 

A week later, she brought me home. 

The first thing I saw when I walked into the 

apartment was a sink overflowing with dirty 

dishes. 

“Go wash those. No one’s been helping me these 

past few days, and I’m exhausted.” 

I said nothing, walked over to the sink, and started 

washing the dishes. 

Then she brought me an entire basket of dirty 

laundry. 

Several items were labeled hand–wash only, so I 

had to scrub them one by one in the laundry room. 

sink. 

While I was washing them, Emily pushed open the 

door and tossed two more pieces of clothing into 

the pile. 

She smiled. 

“Lily, you’re finally back.” 

She really was happy, not because she had 

missed me, but because someone was finally 

there to wash her clothes again. 

“All she needed was discipline. Look at her now. She finally knows how to behave.” 

After Emily left, Mom’s smug voice drifted in from 

the living room. 

Even though she knew I could hear her, she did not 

bother lowering her voice. 

I stayed silent and continued playing the obedient, 

well–behaved daughter. 

But Mom still had no intention of letting me return 

to school. 

She wanted to make sure I never forgot what 

happened when I defied her. 

Three days before the exam, Ava secretly brought 

me my exam confirmation letter and photo ID. 

I hid them at the very bottom of my backpack. 

That night, while we were watching television, 

Mom kept studying my face. 

“Everyone else is preparing for the exam. Aren’t 

you jealous?” 

“I am,” I said. 

She smiled with satisfaction. 

“You can be jealous all you want, but it won’t 

change anything. This is what happens when you 

disobey us.” 

I did not say another word. 

On the morning of the exam, I kept watching the 

clock. 

The moment they left for work, I booked a ride and 

went straight to the testing center. 

I took my luggage with me and booked a cheap 

hotel nearby. 

After the first day of testing, I found fifty missed calls from my parents on my phone. 

“Where are you? Did you sneak off to take that 

exam? When are you going to start listening to us? 

Didn’t I tell you that you weren’t allowed to take it? 

Come home right now, and don’t make us come drag you back ourselves!” 

I did not reply. 

I used the rest of the night to study for the next day’s subjects. 

The following morning, I had barely reached the testing center when my parents spotted me in the crowd. 

They shoved their way through the people and charged toward me, but I was still one step ahead of them. 

Mom trembled with rage as she glared at me. 

“Lily Carter, don’t think you’re getting away with 

this!” 

My heart pounded, but I did not look back. 

I ran straight into the exam area. 

That exam was my only chance to escape that 

family. 

I performed well in the first three exams. 

By that afternoon, I thought I would be able to finish the rest without any trouble. 

But they still managed to intercept me at the 

entrance. 

Dad clamped a hand over my mouth, twisted my arm, and dragged me away. 

Mom clearly wanted to hit me, but she restrained herself because people were watching. 

“When are you going to stop causing trouble for 

me?” 

The parents waiting nearby stared at us, unsure whether they should intervene. 

I bit down hard on Dad’s hand. 

The moment he let go, I shouted, “Dad, please let 

me finish the exam! I don’t want you deciding my 

future for me. Mom, I’ll take care of myself from 

now on. Please, just let me back inside!” 

My cries drew the attention of the surrounding 

parents, who looked both furious and confused. 

“How can you treat your own daughter like this?” 

“This exam could decide whether she gets into 

college. Whatever the problem is, can’t it wait until 

she finishes?” 

“Let her go right now, or I’m calling the police!” 

Mom immediately began to panic. 

“Don’t listen to her. She has mental health 

problems.” 

No one believed her. 

Instead, someone said coldly, “You two look like 

the ones with problems. What kind of parents stop 

their own daughter from taking an exam that 

could determine whether she gets into college?” 

Everyone stared at Dad until he finally released my 

arm. 

“Run!” 

Someone in the crowd shouted. 

I spun around and raced back into the testing 

center. 

My parents could only stand outside and watch as 

I disappeared into the exam area. 

For the remaining day and a half, they did not dare 

show their faces at the testing center again. 

The moment the exam ended, my parents arrived 

at my hotel with Noah and Emily, carrying several 

zip ties. 

“What room is my daughter Lily Carter staying in?” 

Dad planted himself in front of the reception desk, his voice hard and demanding. 

They had already decided to restrain me with the 

zip ties, shove me into the car, and take me home. 

Now that the exam was over, they assumed no 

one nearby would interfere. 

They were certain they would be able to drag me 

back this time. 

But the receptionist’s next words left all four of them speechless.