When I stood by the bridge, my phone buzzed again.
Probably the transfer confirmation.
I looked toward the other side of the bridge, at the brilliantly lit luxury villa neighborhood.
Their lives must be comfortable, right?
No daily panic over debt. No lying awake wondering how to pay for treatment. No rationing meals, never sure where the next one would come from.
I looked down again—dozens of yards to the water—and felt nothing.
Just relief. Just numbness.
I climbed over the guardrail. In the deserted dead of night, I let go.
The icy lake swallowed me whole.
At the instant I released the railing, WeChat notifications pinged from my pocket, one after another.
But I didn't have the strength to think anymore.
I just wanted to sink. To disappear forever.
"Ellie, what I'm going to say next might surprise you, but everything Mom says is true."
"Our family isn't short on money. Your dad and I own a publicly listed company."
"Your dad wanted to build your character. Make you understand the value of hardship."
"The test is over now. You passed. You're very filial."
"Remember all that money you transferred to us? Twenty thousand total? We've decided to give you twenty million."