My Mother Called Me a Liar

To avoid being accused of favoritism, my mother forced me, despite my severe anemia, to participate in the school's group blood donation drive.

After only 100 milliliters, my vision started going dark.

I reached for the needle, trying to stop the procedure, but the young nurse immediately grabbed my wrist and pinned it down.

"Only 100 milliliters and you already want to quit? The other students all donated 400."

She glanced at my pale face, her eyes full of disgust.

"Donating blood is something honorable. Selfish people like you, pretending to be sick just to get out of it, deserve to have double drawn as punishment!"

Nearby, my mother watched me coldly, disappointment written all over her face.

"Briana Hayes, is this really how I raised you?

"Everyone else donated. Don't think you're special.

"You will finish these 400 milliliters today, even if it kills you!"

I gasped for air, my heartbeat pounding so violently it felt like my chest would explode.

By the time they reached the third bag, my vision had completely blurred, and I collapsed heavily onto the floor.

My soul slowly drifted upward as I looked at my mother with guilt in my eyes.

I'm sorry, Mom.

I really wasn't lying.

This time I truly couldn't hold on any longer.

Chapter 1

A suffocating feeling, like death itself gripping my throat, suddenly crashed over me. My vision went black and my body collapsed onto the blood donation table.

The needle shifted with the impact, and blood began flowing backward through the tube.

The nurse drawing my blood, Sharon Jones, shoved me impatiently and yanked the needle out.

"I'm trying to draw blood here. Can you stop moving around? Now I have to stick you again!"

When I did not respond, a flash of disgust crossed her face. She gripped the needle and drove it hard into my arm.

"Oops, missed the vein. You don't mind, right?"

Sharon deliberately stabbed me several more times before finally stopping, leaving my arm bruised blue and purple.

However, by then, I could not feel pain anymore.

"Well, I'll give you credit for enduring it. No sense of collective spirit at all. Everyone's donating blood and you're here pretending to be sick and fainting.

"It's only 400 milliliters. Everyone else donated. You're the only one acting delicate."

She switched out the blood bags without even looking up, muttering under her breath.

"Mrs. Cole is such an outstanding person. How could she possibly have a daughter as selfish and irresponsible as you?"

The students lined up behind me began whispering among themselves.

"I heard she has severe anemia and still came to donate blood. Did she actually die?"

"No way. Didn't the nurse say she was faking it to get out of donating? Besides, Mrs. Cole dotes on her so much. If something had really happened, would she still be standing there acting so calm?"

As they talked, the looks they gave me became even more contemptuous.

I floated in midair, panicked, turning desperately toward my mother.

Her brows were tightly furrowed as she stared at me with disappointment and disgust.

"Briana Hayes! Stop pretending already! All your classmates are watching. Get up this instant!"

However, I remained motionless.

Sharon paused, her hand still pressing against my arm, then sighed toward my mother.

"Mrs. Cole, if she refuses to cooperate like this, should we even continue drawing blood? We've only taken 100 milliliters so far. The other students all donated 400 and none of them made such a huge fuss.

"She even threatened me earlier, saying she's the director's daughter and demanded I record other students' donations under her name. Otherwise she'd report me to the hospital.

"Maybe we should just forget about taking her blood this time."

Instinctively, I tried to explain.

However, no sound came out.

My mother's face darkened. She suddenly drove her foot hard into my lower back.

My body was already limp. The kick sent me crashing heavily onto the floor.

"You've truly disappointed me. Since when did you learn to bully people with your status?

"How did I end up raising a daughter like you?"

Chapter 2

I lay motionless on the ground.

Trembling with rage, my mother stepped forward and stomped hard on my wrist.

"Briana, pretending to be dead in front of everyone just to embarrass me. Are you very proud of yourself?

"Do you think being my daughter means you get special treatment?

"The biggest mistake of my life was insisting on giving birth to you in the first place!"

Several people nearby gasped sharply.

Sharon covered her mouth, but the delight in her eyes was impossible to hide.

My heart clenched painfully, like someone had twisted it with both hands.

Mom had gone through IVF three times before finally conceiving me. I had seen the dense marks from injections covering her stomach. I knew how much she had suffered just to bring me into this world.

Then I was born premature and developed chronic anemia.

To take care of me, she learned massage therapy and nutritional cooking. She filled notebook after notebook with handwritten notes. Every time I got sick, she would stay awake all night in fear.

However, after I entered university, everything changed.

She was the department director at this school.

On the first day of term, she sat me down and told me that at school, we needed to avoid favoritism and maintain absolute fairness.

To avoid suspicion, she gave away the national scholarship that should have gone to me and handed it to the second-place student instead.

"You're my daughter," she said calmly. "If you win this award, people will say I abused my position. You need to understand."

To avoid suspicion, she also handed my provincial competition spot to an underprivileged student, even though I had earned it myself.

"Briana, don't blame me," she told me. "There are too many people watching me in this position."

Again and again, I chose to understand her. Again and again, I swallowed the unfairness.

However, this time, just to avoid suspicion, she forced me, someone with severe anemia, to participate in the blood donation drive.

"Precisely because you're my daughter, you should be setting an example. Everyone else is donating. If you refuse, what will people think of me?"

And now, she was saying she regretted giving birth to me.

I floated in midair, staring down at my own body lying on the ground.

My arms were covered in needle marks, bruised purple and blue.

I was not pretending to be dead.

I was dead.

Sharon carried the blood bag over and gave my body a few fake, performative tugs.

"Briana, please get up. There's only two hundred milliliters left to draw."

Instead of pulling me up, she stumbled backward and fell dramatically onto the floor.

The blood bag slipped from her hand and flew across the ground, dark red blood splashing everywhere.

My body, which had just been half-lifted, crashed heavily into the pool of blood.

The white shirt was soaked through instantly, making me look even more like a corpse.

Sharon bit her lip, her eyes suddenly reddening.

"Briana, why are you making things difficult for a little nurse like me? I was only trying to help you up. Why did you have to push me?"

"Now look what happened. All the blood we just collected has been wasted. Mrs. Cole cared so much about you, and this is how you repay her!"

Her shoulders trembled as she sobbed, as though she had suffered some unbearable injustice.

"You have no idea how jealous I am of you for having such a wonderful mother. We're about the same age, but you get to enjoy campus life carefree, while I work myself to death as a nurse, only to get bullied by you."

Standing beside them, I could only feel absurdity.

How could a dead person push her?

However, Mom believed her.

She walked over, gently wrapped an arm around Sharon, and patted her back comfortingly.

"Don't cry. As long as I'm here, I won't let her bully you again."

I froze.

I stared blankly at my mother.

Then she turned toward my body on the floor, disgust filling her eyes.

"Since she insists on pretending to be dead to avoid donating blood, I won't cover for her anymore.

"The blood that spilled can be drawn again. Reinsert the needle and continue. Let's see how long she can keep up this act."

The students waiting in line behind us immediately began criticizing me.

"So she really was faking it. Mrs. Cole is usually so gentle, and even she got angry."

"She's only acting out because her mother is the director and she thinks she can get special treatment. Good thing Mrs. Cole doesn't indulge her."

"Seriously, it's just a blood donation. Did she really need to pretend to die? There are so many people waiting behind her. What a waste of time."

At that moment, the dean arrived outside the blood donation bus after hearing the commotion.

The second he saw me lying there surrounded by blood, his expression changed drastically.

"Mrs. Cole, what happened to this student? Should we call an ambulance?"

Mom turned around and sighed softly.

"Sir, this is my daughter. She's pretending to be dead to avoid donating blood. The blood on the ground is from her deliberately throwing the blood bag during a tantrum.

"There's no need to worry about her. The more spoiled and unreasonable she acts, the more I need to discipline that bad temper of hers."

Chapter 3

Hearing that, the dean tried to calm my mother down.

"Mrs. Cole, blood donation should be voluntary. If she really doesn't want to do it, then forget it."

With that, he turned and left.

Mom lowered her head and glanced at me. The anger in her eyes only burned hotter.

"So you're still not getting up? Fine. Then stay on the ground while they draw your blood.

"Sharon, just draw it like this. Once you're done, leave her there. If she wants to lie there pretending, let her. Don't let her hold up the students behind her."

After saying that, Mom did not even spare me another look before walking away.

Sharon picked up the needle and blood bag, then jammed the needle viciously into my vein. She did not stop until she had drawn the full four hundred milliliters.

When she finished, she nudged me with her foot.

"You can get up now. The blood's already been drawn, there's no point acting anymore. Besides, Mrs. Cole isn't even here. Nobody's watching your performance."

When I did not move, Sharon let out a mocking laugh and called toward the line behind her.

"Can I get two strong male students over here? Carry this drama queen outside so she doesn't affect everyone else donating blood."

I floated there in midair, watching my body get dumped onto the sidewalk, bitterness swelling in my chest.

Two hours later, the blood drive finally ended.

Some students rubbed their sore arms while glancing in my direction, sympathy flickering in their eyes.

"Briana's pretty weak physically. If they leave her out there in the sun like that, won't something happen?"

Sharon happened to be walking past with the donation records in hand. She rolled her eyes dismissively.

"I know you mean well, but she's obviously faking it.

"You'd better stay away from her too. Be careful she doesn't scam you into paying medical bills. I've seen people like that plenty of times."

Another student who had witnessed the whole thing chimed in immediately.

"Briana just relies on the fact that her mom's a department director. She acts like a spoiled princess all the time and expects everyone to cater to her. Now she's pretending to pass out and embarrassing the entire school."

"Exactly. She's just shameless. She wants everyone to pity her and coax her again."

The students who had been worried about me immediately backed away after hearing that, afraid of getting dragged into trouble themselves.

Listening to all this, Sharon felt much more satisfied.

She turned and walked into Mom's office with the donation records.

"Mrs. Cole, these are today's blood donation records. If everything looks fine, just sign here."

Mom's eyes landed on the line showing I had donated four hundred milliliters, and the tension in her brow slowly eased.

"Where's Briana? Didn't I assign her to help you as a volunteer too?"

Sharon lowered her head, hesitating as though she did not know whether she should speak.

"As for her... I kindly asked someone to help her up earlier, but she said unless you personally went to comfort her, she wasn't getting up."

Mom's expression instantly darkened.

"Mrs. Cole, Briana's been lying there for a long time already. This really can't go on. Why don't you just give in a little? At least get her up first."

Mom slammed the donation records onto the desk, fury erupting in her voice.

"I've spoiled her too much. That's why she's developed such a terrible temper.

"If she refuses to give in, then let her stay lying on the ground forever!"

Chapter 4

Under the blazing sun, the temperature kept climbing.

Students around campus gradually stopped lingering outside and hurried back to their dorms.

The smell of decay slowly began to seep from my body, drawing over several stray cats that roamed the school grounds.

I lay there completely helpless, unable to run, unable to call for help.

All I could do was watch as they tore at my flesh with their teeth.

It hurt so much.

My soul desperately drifted toward my mother's office, only to find her happily chatting with Sharon.

Sharon flipped through my mother's notebook with wide-eyed amazement, her face full of envy.

"Wow, Mrs. Cole, are these all the nutritional meals you made for Briana?

"Every dish has instructions and health benefits written down. You must've been keeping this notebook for years."

The moment I saw the notebook in her hands, my eyes stung.

My mother had started writing in it the day I was born. She always said that as long as she followed the recipes inside, I would grow up healthy and strong.

Mother stared at the thick notebook, her gaze briefly turning distant.

Looking at those yellowed pages, she seemed to sink into old memories.

After a long pause, she sighed softly and gently rubbed Sharon's hair.

"If only she were even half as sensible as you."

Just then, the dean hurried into the office.

"Mrs. Cole, isn't your daughter still lying outside? It's over thirty degrees out there. I heard your daughter's in poor health. If she gets heatstroke, it'll be a real problem."

Mother's hand paused briefly on Sharon's head before she replied indifferently, "She's incredibly spoiled. There's no way she'd actually let herself suffer in the sun."

"Sir, I know my own daughter. She's just throwing a tantrum on purpose. The more attention I give her, the more dramatic she gets. Once she gets tired of lying there, she'll get up herself."

The dean shook his head helplessly, sighed, and left the office.

A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door.

For a brief moment, Mother visibly relaxed. But when she saw the students who entered, disappointment flickered across her face.

I knew it.

She was waiting for me.

However, she would never see me again.

The students had come to collect their scholarship certificates and provincial competition awards.

Mother smiled as she took the certificates out of the drawer, encouraging them to keep working hard in the future.

The students exchanged uneasy glances, guilt flashing through their eyes.

"Mrs. Cole, we should actually be thanking Briana."

"She gave these opportunities to us."

The smile on Mother's face froze instantly.

The air itself seemed to solidify.

Watching her suddenly stiffen, I let out a bitter laugh.

She had always believed that avoiding favoritism meant being fair. But now everyone knew the truth.

Those honors had belonged to me.

I was the one who gave them up.

And she had become the mother who stole her own daughter's achievements, all to preserve her image of fairness.

Mother's expression darkened, her voice filled with disdain.

"You don't need to thank her. She never deserved first place in the first place. She secretly went through my computer before the competition. That's how she won.

"You're the ones who truly earned those awards."

The students looked awkward and quickly took their certificates before hurrying out of the office.

It felt like someone had driven a knife straight through my heart.

Then the office door knocked again.

Sharon immediately looked pleased with herself.

"Mrs. Cole, it must be Briana coming to apologize to you."

Mother cleared her throat, carrying herself with the confidence of a victor.

"Wasn't she acting all stubborn lying on the ground earlier? Now she finally knows to admit she was wrong?

"Briana, if you really know you were wrong, then tomorrow you'll apologize publicly to Sharon in front of the entire school. After that, write an essay on self-criticism about pretending to be dead and damaging the group's reputation, then post it on the bulletin board.

"Otherwise, don't call me your mother anymore."

The knocking continued.

This time it was faster, more urgent.

Annoyed, Mother stood up and yanked the door open.

The moment she saw who was outside, her entire body froze.

Two police officers in uniform stood at the door, their expressions grave.

"Are you Briana's mother?"

Mother paused briefly, irritation flashing across her eyes.

"I am. What is she causing trouble over now? Is she still lying on the ground refusing to get up? Did someone call the police?"

The lead officer did not answer her question.

He simply looked at her heavily and said, "Please accept our condolences. Briana Hayes has passed away."