My Mom Adores Her Daughter, Remodeled Bathroom Into Princess Room

My mom tells everyone she meets that she's a devoted daughter's mom.

But she has terrible taste. She always dressed me in cheap, mass-produced princess dresses, while she bought my younger brother designer sportswear.

I told myself it was my mother's way of showing love, so I quietly put up with it.

Until my younger brother sneered in my face:

"Lucinda, Mom's been so good to you, you couldn't repay her if you died a hundred deaths!"

"From now on, if you dare say a single no to anything she asks, you're an ungrateful traitor!"

Mom made a show of smoothing it over "A daughter is meant to be pampered" but the look she gave my brother was full of approval.

A chill went through me at once.

Over the years, I've handed over at least two or three hundred thousand in household money, I've never missed a gift on a single holiday, and I still get morally blackmailed on top of it!

So at the housewarming dinner for the new house, when my mother started loudly bragging in front of all the relatives about the princess room she'd prepared for me, I turned it down coldly.

"Mom, I hardly ever come back. A room this nice should go to Josh instead."

Deep displeasure flashed in my mother's eyes, but with a room full of relatives she couldn't let it out. She could only force herself to collect herself and put on a gentle smile.

"Lucy, this is the princess room Mom prepared just for you. How could you give it to your brother?"

"If there's anything you don't like about it, tell Mom, and Mom will fix it."

Her tone grew more and more pitiful. "Just don't throw away all the love I put into it."

Before I could answer, my brother's grating voice blasted in my ear: "Lucinda, don't spit on a gift. What's there to be unhappy about in a room this nice? Or how about the two of us trade?"

My brother shoved open the door to the second bedroom.

Everyone turned to look, and saw that his room didn't even have curtains just a basic bed and dresser.

The furniture wasn't stylish either. Next to my flashy princess room, it looked old and plain.

Only I knew it was a custom bed and dresser made from imported North American walnut expensive, healthy, and eco-friendly.

My room, on the other hand, reeked of formaldehyde from outside the door, and all the furniture was cheap, unmarked MDF. Live in it long enough and you'd probably come down with leukemia.

The relatives, who had no idea, looked on with a pang of pity.

My brother's face twisted uglier still. "Lucinda, Mom coddles you, but I won't!"

"Live in it if you want, and if you don't, get lost!"

Uncle Gerald, who always doted on his nephew, said to my mother with disapproval, "I keep telling you not to spoil the girl so much. What's wrong with living in a room this nice? My daughter slept on the balcony her whole life, and she turned out perfectly fine!"

But what Uncle Gerald left out was that after Vivian started working, she never came home again.

Mom's brow furrowed clearly she was remembering how resolutely Vivian had cut them off and she softened her tone a bit more:

"Lucy, it's fine for you to be a little fussy at home, but don't act so childish in front of the relatives. Stop making a scene now."

Aunt Diane joined in, coaxing me for my mother. "Lucy, your mother is so good to you. She even kept a room for you. Even after you get married someday, you'll have a place to stay when you come back. You should be grateful and not so ungrateful!"

I shook my head firmly and said, "I don't like this room. My brother wants to trade, and I agree."

Mom's mouth fell open, clearly panicked, but my brother was thrilled. "Trade it is, then. No taking it back!"

Josh's girlfriend, Laurel, quickly rushed over. "Yay! I love Lucy's room!"

My brother looked at Laurel, his face full of adoration. "Only my little princess deserves this princess room."

Mom bit down hard on her lip and kept shooting my brother meaningful looks. When he ignored her, she tugged at his sleeve.

Pushed past his patience, my brother slammed his fist on the table. "Mom, can you stop playing favorites? Lucinda and I are both your kids don't I deserve nice things too?!"

Aunt Diane quickly urged my mother, "If both kids are willing to trade, just leave it alone."

Now Mom was truly frantic. "You can't trade, it won't work!"

My brother shot back, "Why not?"

I coughed lightly and said, "Because Mom can't stand the thought of you living in the bathroom."

The moment I said it, Mom's expression turned sour.

Aunt Diane was still defending her. "Lucy, this isn't fair of you. How could you call the room your mother went to such trouble to decorate a bathroom!"

Mom forced a smile. "Lucy, don't talk nonsense in front of everyone. You'll make us a laughingstock."

I gave a little smile, pulled out the floor plan of the new house, and said, "Whether it's a joke or not, everyone will see for themselves."

They all crowded in to look, and were instantly stunned.

This so-called princess room really had been converted from a bathroom!

My relatives exchanged looks, but I stayed perfectly calm.

Because this wasn't the first time Mom had done something like this.

When I was little, Mom loved buying me cheap princess-themed gifts. The toys were terrible quality, and the clothes were never fit to wear outside.

Whenever I said anything, Mom would play the victim, saying she just had bad taste and couldn't manage to find nice things.

And then she'd needle me with how I wasn't as good as my brother, who'd wear anything, was easy to raise, and wasn't picky at all.

But the designer sportswear Mom bought my brother, one piece was worth ten of mine, so of course my brother didn't need to be picky!

Under the questioning looks of the relatives, Mom said sullenly, "It's all my fault for being so careless and letting the contractor do whatever they wanted. By the time I found out Lucy's room had been converted from a bathroom, it was already too late."

Mom took my hand, tears about to spill over. "I'm sorry, my darling daughter. It's all my fault, I'm useless, I couldn't give you the princess room you wanted. It's all my fault..."

My brother couldn't stand it and stepped forward.

He shoved Mom behind him and said self-righteously, "So what if your room was converted from a bathroom?"

"Didn't Mom make it all pretty for you?"

"Making Mom lose face over a little thing like this, you're such an ungrateful traitor!"

Mom leaned against my brother, wiping her tears as she said, "Girls are just more sensitive. Don't blame your sister."

I clenched my fists, my head aching with rage.

I'm the one living in a bathroom, they're the ones lying, so how did I end up the villain?

I couldn't take it anymore. I walked over and flipped the princess bed over in one motion.

The bed board was flimsy, thin as a sheet of paper.

With the sound of cheap planks snapping, the toilet hidden under the bed appeared before everyone.

I pointed at the toilet, my eyes cold. "This was an accident too, right?"

Earlier I'd noticed the princess bed sat a little high. Sure enough, there was something going on underneath!

A chill went through me.

I'd assumed that at most there'd be a storage platform under the boards, somewhere for Mom to keep odds and ends.

After all, shrewd as Mom was, if I wasn't living at home she'd never waste an empty room.

But it turned out she actually planned to

When I was home, this room would have someone living in it.

When I wasn't, it would go right back to being a bathroom!

The nerve of it.

Mom's face went red, then pale, and after a long moment she said guiltily, "The contractor said this thing was hard to take out... Why don't you just stay in the guest room for now..."

"Why should she get the guest room!" Before Mom could finish, my brother's shout cut in.

"Lucy isn't coming back to live here anyway, why waste a whole room?"

He said bitterly, "She should sleep in the bathroom. You've favored her so much all her life, what's wrong with letting her lose out just once!"

My brother planted himself sideways in front of the guest room door and said to me, "If you want to switch rooms, then you'd better make up all the years of favoritism Mom showed you, an equal share, right down to the last detail!"

"That's rightcough up whatever extra you ate, and give back whatever extra you took!"

Laurel, my brother's girlfriend, echoed the cry.

One stone raised a thousand ripples.

Moved by my brother's tearful accusations, all the relatives present chimed in to back him up.

Uncle Gerald said, "I've lived most of my life, and I've never seen a family treat their only son this badly!"

In Uncle Gerald's worldview, no matter how many daughters a family had, as long as there wasn't a second son, that one son counted as an "only child."

No wonder Vivian had run off.

Aunt Diane spoke up too. "It really isn't right. When you raise kids, you have to hold the bowl of water level for everyone."

Surrounded by the relatives, Mom put on a troubled face, but her eyes glittered with triumph.

She made a show of tugging Joshua back. "You're brother and sister by bloodwhy let it get so ugly?"

Joshua shoved her off and said, "Blood siblings still settle their accounts clearly!"

He stared right at me, not giving an inch. "Either you transfer the money right now, or you settle in nice and quiet in the toilet room!"

"It's not the money I want," Joshua added. "What I want is compensation for all the years Mom played favoritesfor the mother's love I never got!"

"Well said!" Laurel cheered, opening a local livestream and going live right there in front of us.

"My future sister-in-law's whole family are devoted daughter's parentsam I supposed to become one too?"

"My future mother-in-law has been bled dry by her older daughter for twenty years and still won't wake up. Ladies, how do I even talk sense into her?"

"My boyfriend's childhood was full of bullying from his own sister. Someone with real say has finally stepped up, and today I'm going to fight this out for him!"

Just as I was about to make Laurel shut off the livestream, Mom quickly grabbed me. "Lucy, stop making a fool of yourself. Whatever you want to say, we can talk about it later. Just say yes to your brother first!"

I shook my head. "Every dollar I've earned all these years has gone straight to supporting you. Where would I have any money left?"

I pulled up the balance on my bank card and showed her. "You asked for so much last month that I even went into debt on payday loans. How about you pay off my loans for me first?"

Before I came to the housewarming today, I'd already moved the money off my bank cardI wanted to see how Mom would react.

When Mom saw the zeroed-out balance, her face fell with disappointment.

A faint hope stirred in my chest: would Mom finally stop here?

After I started working, I'd given my family so much support. Joshua didn't know about it, but Mom did!

No matter how big her appetite was, she should have had her fill by now!

But the next second, Mom said, "Don't worry, Lucy. Mom has a way."

"I've got a coworker who got divorced before the new year, and he's been asking me to help him find someone. He's a bit older, sure, but he's a steady, honest manperfect for you!"

My heart dropped. It was a long moment before I said, "Mom, just say it plainly. How much of a bride price is he offering?"

Mom clapped her hands, delighted. "That college education wasn't wasted after allone hint and you get it."

"He and I already have it settled: if you're willing to marry him, he'll give me a 300,000-dollar bride price!"

I laughed in fury. "Three hundred thousand? I'm really worth a fortune!"

"Aren't you, though? Did our Lucy go to college for nothing?" Mom said gleefully.

She took my hand and coaxed me along, step by step. "It's true I favored you more, growing upno wonder your brother's upset."

"So here's what we'll do. For the sake of family harmony, you marry Stanley and give the 300,000-dollar bride price to your brother."

"That way everyone's happy!"

Mom immediately turned to ask Joshua what he thought.

Joshua gave a grudging nod. "Over the years, Lucinda's definitely cost more than three hundred grand more than me... but let's just leave it for now. I don't want to keep quibbling about it."

Laurel lit up on the spot. "That's wonderful, sweetheart! Then I'll get the full set of gold jewelry, my wedding dress will be a Vera Wang, and we'll book the honeymoon in Hartley City..."

Joshua said dotingly, "Buy, buy, buy! I'll buy it all for youit's like throwing a feast for the kid I used to be."

"I had it rough growing up, but that's okay, as long as you're happy!"

Then Joshua turned back to me and said in a charitable tone, "Fine, you can stay in that guest room, but don't put too much stuff in there."

"And if we have company over, you clear out right away!"

Watching the whole family basking in their cozy little moment, I don't know why, but my chest went bitter, and I almost wanted to laugh.

All these years, Joshua never held down a real job. Most of the time he just sat at home, a freeloader living off the family.

And in the end, I have to get his permission to spend three hundred grand on a house at my own parents' place?

Seeing how dark my face had gone, Mom's eyes darted, and she said with a smile, "Lucy, get the bride price back first, and I'll buy you extra bedding for your dowry."

"Besides, if you're good to your brother, why would your family ever forget about you after you're married? If Stanley treats you badly, your brother will stand up for you!"

I gave a cold laugh. What exactly would my family think about me?

They wanted my paycheck; they wanted me to keep bleeding myself dry for my brother, right?

Aunt Diane started trying to smooth things over. "This is good, really. Both the son and the daughter are settled now."

I cut Aunt Diane off flat. "You spoke too soon. I never agreed!"

I held out my hand and said, "When did I ever cost three hundred grand more than my brother? Show me the proof!"

The second Joshua saw me take it back, he panicked. "What proof do you need? Everything I suffered growing up is the proof!"

Mom joined in. "Lucy, everything you ate and everything you wore growing up, I bought it all for you. Don't I know?"

Uncle Gerald let out a cold snort. "It's the man's family paying, not you. You're not even married and you're already taking your husband's family's side. Your mother might as well have raised a dog instead of you. Even a dog knows to love its home!"

I was about to fire back when my phone suddenly rang. I picked up, and it was a coworker. "Lucy, did somebody put you up online? The boss saw it!"

"He just stood in front of the whole office and said you're spoiled, selfish, and not fit for anything serious."

"When you come in tomorrow, be really careful. Don't give the boss anything to use against you, or you could get fired."

"He's still watching, I've got to go. Take care of yourself!"

I glared at Laurel, who was gripping her phone, a smug look all over her face.

Just now she'd pulled off a whole routine, deliberately filming only the clips that favored her.

Add in her narration, and one livestream later, she'd flipped black and white completely.

At this point, there was no way I could just smooth things over and let it go.

If I backed down, what waited for me was a career built over years destroyed in an instant; selling myself for a bride price; following a divorced old man and being a blood bag passed back and forth between my parents' family and my in-laws; one step into the fire pit, with no day of freedom ever again!

And I finally saw the truth behind the so-called devoted daughter's mom act.

It was raising your daughter at the least possible cost, "pampering" her into adulthood, and then devouring her whole, skin and flesh and all!

I looked coldly at every one of them and said, one word at a time, "I won't give a single cent!"

Smack!

A slap landed across my face, stinging hot.

Mom had swung so hard her palm was flushed red too.

She couldn't keep up the act any longer. She jabbed her finger at me and cursed:

"I must have been blind, playing favorites for an ungrateful traitor like you!"

"My poor brother of yours, all those years of suffering for nothing!"

Mom dropped down onto the floor and started wailing to the heavens, sobbing, and all of it became fresh material for Laurel's livestream.

Joshua propped Mom up, and facing Laurel's camera, he roared with his eyes full of pain, "Lucinda, if you don't pay back the money today, don't even think about walking out that door!"

And I tossed out an old ledger, every word landing hard:

"Today, let's add it all upexactly how much I owe you!"