I died on the spot, and before I could even find peace in death, my parents helped her dismember my body and feed me to alligators. There wasn't a trace of me left.

When devotion became a weapon and morality became a cage, who would still want to play the role of the dutiful child?

Now that I've been given another chance at life, I'm living it for myself. This time, no one is going to stop me.

"Why aren't you answering? Your sister's gone! Are you just going to leave your mom without anyone to take care of her? You expect me to do it?

"Amy, weren't you always the responsible, dutiful one?

"You can always go back to school later, but if your mom dies because you didn't come home to take care of her, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"

My dad's frustration grew as I stayed silent. He wasn't even trying to fake it anymore. His irritation leaked through the phone.

I hummed a few times into the receiver, pretending the signal was bad.

"Hello? Sorry, bad reception... what did you say? I think my phone's out of service…"

Then, I hung up.

Without another second of hesitation, I grabbed my suitcase and rushed to register for classes. I clutched the money I had saved up over the summer from my part-time job and paid my tuition.

Yale had a strict entry system—facial recognition was required to go in and out of campus. I used an excuse to avoid registering my face in the system. When my advisor asked why, I explained that I preferred using my ID for access. He didn't ask too many questions. After all, in a big university, everyone had their quirks, and as long as I wasn't causing any trouble, he let it slide.

When I arrived at the dorm, my three roommates were already there. Emma Reid and Amelia Stone greeted me with smiles, but Jessica Rees barely acknowledged me. She had been laughing and chatting with the other two, but the moment I walked in, her face hardened, and she climbed up to her bed without a word.

I wasn't sure what I'd done, but I put it out of my mind. After saying hello to my dorm mates, I placed the small gifts I'd brought for them on the table and left to find a part-time job.

I couldn't help but remember the summer after high school graduation when my parents practically kicked me out of the house and demanded I find work. They called me ungrateful and selfish for not earning money to support them, even though I had just turned eighteen.