You were raised by a single mother. Your father passed away when you were very young, and she was the only one who took care of you.

Your relationship with her was once good. She was a loving and gentle mother.

Everything changed when she became a teacher. She grew deeply devoted to her work.

You still remember the first day she h×t you. You were only seven years old. All you did was start coloring without asking for permission. In front of the other children, she slapped you so hard that your ears rang. You cried, apologizing for something you didn’t even understand.

At home, she hugged you and apologized.

“I’m so sorry, my dear. This won’t happen again. I only did that to set an example. If they’re scared of me, they’ll obey me,” she said, holding you tightly.

You believed her. She was your mother. She loved you. So you nodded.

As you grew older, you wondered if it was a blessing that your own mother was also your homeroom teacher or a curse.

She became worse.

She would suddenly slap you for the smallest mistakes. She favored another girl, Wendy, your classmate. Whatever Wendy said, your mother believed without question.

There was a time she humiliated you so badly that she forced you to kneel for hours in front of the class. Your face was swollen from her hard slap, all because of something she heard about you, something she never even confirmed.

At home, she would look at you with guilt and apologize again.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I care about you. As your mother and your teacher, you must look perfect. I need to show them that I don’t tolerate you just because you’re my daughter,” she would say, as if that justified everything.

She always said those words. But now, they felt empty. It seemed like she cared more about her reputation than about you.

You became lonely. No one wanted to be your friend because they were afraid of your mother. You were alone in everything.

Until Aaron approached you.

Aaron used to be your friend in elementary school. You had once been classmates, but now he was in another section.

Back then, he told you he would help you, but you refused and said you were fine.

Now, he offered again, and this time, he was determined.

“I promise I’ll help you this time. I won’t let you end up like that again,” he said, making you confused yet strangely happy.

But Wendy saw you with him. She had always liked Aaron. Seeing you with him made her furious.

So she made another plan. She lied again, telling your mother that you had a boyfriend. She knew your mother was strict about dating.

Your mother believed her more than you.

She dragged you in front of everyone and slapped you so hard you could taste metallic in your mouth. You lost track of how many times she hit you. The pain was overwhelming. Eventually, you fell unconscious from the beating.

When you woke up, you were in a hospital bed.

Aaron was sitting beside you, looking at you with worry in his eyes.

“I’m glad you’re awake,” he said softly, holding your hand. “I’m so sorry… I’m always late. But don’t worry. Your mother can’t hurt you anymore.”

“And Wendy… she’s been expelled,” he added.

He tightened his hold on your hand.

“I’ll protect you. Even if I have to get rid of those who hurt you. Just give me your word.”