My heart leapt with joy; this was the chance I had longed for, the opportunity to leave this family and begin a new life. But then his tone shifted.
“But you must first settle the matters at home.”
“This time I fined you 800, not because I truly wanted to, but to silence those who are eyeing your position.”
“If your family keeps causing trouble and it affects your work, next time I won’t be able to cover for you.”
Of course, I understood, and I quickly nodded. “I understand. I’ll definitely resolve this problem.”
Leaving the company, I exhaled a long, heavy breath. Although the project’s success gave me hope for freedom, the thought of the chaos at home still pressed heavily on my heart.
When I returned and stepped through the door, I immediately heard Mom sobbing in the living room, as if the world had wronged her in the cruelest way.
My brother sat next to Mom, gently trying to calm her. “Mom, don’t cry. Eleanor just doesn’t get it yet.”
“She’s still young. Once she gets married and has kids, she’ll understand your good intentions.”
Dad sat on the sofa, smoking with a dark look on his face. When he saw me come back, he crushed the cigarette in the ashtray, stood up, and started scolding.
“So now you’ve grown bold, huh? You dare ignore the phone?”
“Do you know how many times your mom called you? She was so worried she couldn’t eat or sleep!”
Mom lifted her tear-streaked eyes. “Eleanor must think I’m annoying. Maybe I do worry too much sometimes and just want to care for her more, but I never thought…” Her voice broke off as she wiped her tears again.
Martin shot up, his voice sharp. “Eleanor, aren’t you going to apologize to Mom right now?”
“Look how upset you’ve made her!”
I looked at the three of them, a heavy wave of helplessness crashing over me.
This was my family: always on Mom’s side. No matter what she did, I was always the one in the wrong.
But now, I couldn’t afford to fight head-on. All I wanted was to get through this quietly, and once I moved to Palmer, I’d never have to deal with them again.
With that in mind, I gave a quick, clear apology.
“Mom, I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have ignored your calls. I promise it won’t happen again.”
Hearing this, Mom’s crying slowly eased.
“Eleanor, Mom only does this for your good. You’re a girl, working so hard outside, I just can’t help worrying.”
Martin gave a cold sneer: “So now you know you were wrong? Better remember it next time.”
Dad leaned back on the sofa, his tone a little softer.
“Alright, since Eleanor admits she was wrong, let’s leave it here. But it can’t happen again.”
I nodded over and over, and only then did they look satisfied. Back in my room, I dropped onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The next day, I locked myself in my room, throwing all my focus into preparing for the tests and online interviews for the headquarters transfer.
This was my chance to leave this family, and I couldn’t afford even one mistake.
But Mom kept knocking on the door.
“Eleanor, let Mom clean the floor for you. Your room is such a mess. How can you focus on your interviews like this?”
I had just turned her down when she knocked again, not long after.
“Eleanor, Mom made soup for you. You need to eat well; studying uses up a lot of energy.”
I opened the door, frowning, and said clearly, “Mom, I can’t be interrupted right now. Can’t we do all this after my interview?”
The moment she heard that, her face fell, her eyes quickly filling with tears.
