7
332words
At home,she hugged me warmly,ate with me,chatted,and walked with me,recording for her show.
Her captions read:
“I want you to grow,but cherish every moment.All I can do is love you endlessly.”
“Hugging you,my darling daughter.You mean the world to me.”
Fans praised her as the perfect mom—responsible,loving,and devoted.
I lowered my guard.
Then I noticed her phone buzzing constantly,and she called others“sweetie.”
One day,she received a message and rushed out.
Curious,I followed.
At a café,a frail girl hugged my mom’s tightly.
“Mrs. Harper,my grandma’s sick,and I can’t afford treatment.She’s my only family…”
My mom comforted her.“Sweet girl,I have a solution,if you’re willing.”
“Really?”The girl wiped her tears,and looked up.
My mom’s lips formed a faint smile.“Of course,Heartfelt Mom never lies!”
The girl hugged her tightly.“You’re the best!”
My mom glanced around,then led her to a community center.
I followed.
At the end of a hall,a door was ajar.I crept closer,and heard a man’s curses,the girl’s sobs,and my mom’s voice.
“Sophie,trust Heartfelt Mom.This won’t hurt you.”
“Heartfelt Mom,I don’t want the loan!Can you delete those photos?”
The man snarled,“Don’t play hardball with me,kid!Or I’ll send these pics to your teachers and friends—show them what you are!”
My mom played good cop, and bad cop routine,until the girl’s cries faded.
“Heartfelt Mom,is this really okay?”
“Sweetie,would I lie?I love you.”
The girl signed a legal contract shakily .
It clicked—my mom and this man were scamming desperate girls into predatory loans,using compromising photos.
I couldn’t stand by.
I kicked the door open.All three of them turned.
“Mom,stop this!”
The man leered.“Fiona,she’s cute.Does she need cash?Let Uncle help!”
She rolled her eyes,then grinned at me.“Emily,why’re you here?This is your Uncle Gary.Pretend you saw nothing—I’ll explain later.”
I glared and raised my phone.“I recorded everything.I’m calling the cops.No more girls will suffer!”
She lunged for my phone but missed,furious.“Emily Harper!How dare you?Hand it over,or you’re not leaving!”
