The Fitness Coach Mother Broke Her Daughter With A Watch Chapter 04

The Fitness Coach Mother Broke Her Daughter With A Watch Chapter 04

By two in the afternoon, the sun had grown even harsher.

Heat rose from the ground in waves, and every inch of exposed skin felt scorched.

Even the boys who usually loved playing soccer and roughhousing outside did not dare come out in weather like that.

Bored, they wandered around the indoor market instead.

Flies were drawn to the smell of blood around me.

They circled me, buzzing nonstop.

Annoyed, I lifted a hand to shoo them away.

But my hand passed straight through them without stirring even the faintest breeze.

I drifted into the front lobby to look for Mom.

I wanted to apologize to her and ask her not to be mad anymore.

I wanted to beg her to bring me inside because it was too hot outside.

But she could not hear me.

All I could do was watch her and Mia stay busy at the booth.

She even bought Mia ice cream to help her cool down.

The beaded bracelets on the table were almost sold out.

A student came over and said she had seen her friend’s bracelet and wanted to buy one too.

Mia answered with a bright smile.

“We’re all out!”

“Could you make another one? I can wait.”

Mia looked a little embarrassed.

“Sorry, I don’t know how. I didn’t make these.”

The students left, disappointed.

Mom watched them walk away and seemed to drift off for a moment.

Maybe she had remembered that I had made all of those bracelets.

Back at home, I had even made one especially for her.

Unlike the ordinary beaded bracelets on the table, I had saved my allowance for a long time and bought a lot of pearl beads.

I redesigned it over and over before finally stringing together a bracelet I was happy with.

Excited, I held it out to Mom, imagining how surprised she would be.

What I got instead was a harsh scolding.

“You spend all day wasting your energy on useless things like this. Did you finish your workout today?”

“You still didn’t hit your calorie goal. Don’t think giving me some little gift means I’m lowering my standards for you.”

Then she tossed the bracelet aside and never looked at it again.

Now she touched her own wrist.

The empty feeling brought her back to herself.

When the market ended, my homeroom teacher, Ms. Reynolds, brought Mom the drawing I had made.

“She won first place in the class for this drawing. She reminded me several times not to tell you ahead of time because she wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Ms. Morgan, honestly, we all envy you for having two daughters who love you this much.”

“Especially Chloe. Her last essay contest entry was about you too. She really does love you.”

In the drawing, Mom was holding me, and both of us were smiling happily.

Her gaze seemed to pass through the paper, as if she were looking at something far away.

Then she let out a quiet sigh.

“Ms. Reynolds, I know you’re trying to plead Chloe’s case.”

“But at her age, if I don’t correct this now, she’ll only get worse later.”

“I’ll wait her out in the PE office today. Don’t worry. Nothing is going to happen.”

Since it was a family matter, Ms. Reynolds could not say much more.

She could only leave reluctantly.

Inside the gym teacher’s office, Mom handed Mia her phone so she would not get bored.

Mia watched cartoons and played games by herself.

Mom sat at the desk, staring at the drawing from earlier as she sank back into her thoughts.

Her phone, set to vibrate, buzzed several times, but it did not pull her back to reality.

Mia, annoyed by a call from some unknown number, simply declined it and turned on Do Not Disturb.

An hour later, Mom stood up.

Just as she was about to take Mia home, footsteps sounded in the hallway.

Mia heard them too. She leaned close to Mom and whispered, “Is Chloe coming to find us?”

Mom did not answer.

She sat back down, picked up a book, and pretended to read.

Someone knocked on the office door, then pushed it open.

Mom frowned and snapped, “Did I say you could come in? Do you have any manners at all?”

“Go back out, knock again, and wait until…”

Before she could finish, her eyes lifted from the book to the two people standing in the doorway, and she froze completely.

They were two police officers.

They showed their badges, and the first thing they said struck her like lightning.

“Are you Chloe Parker’s parent? What do you know about her death?”