Burned But Not Broken: My Fight to Take the Exam

The night before the college entrance exam, my stepsister poured boiling water all over me.

My forehead, face, and hands were all burned to varying degrees.

The doctor told me I needed to be hospitalized immediately.

I refused. I still had to take the exam. This was the biggest turning point in my life, and I couldn’t miss it.

The doctor shook his head as he prescribed burn cream and antibiotics.

My dad impatiently scolded me: “Why did you provoke her in the middle of the night?”

I was already in pain, and years of pent-up resentment finally burst out!

Standing on the empty street, I shouted: “How did I provoke her? I was sound asleep, how could I have provoked her?”

“Dad, your favoritism is too much! That kettle in our house had just boiled water! She was trying to kill me!!!”

“People in hell always try their best to drag others down with them!”

My dad slapped me across the face.

I was stunned.

The burn layered with the slap, and I was in so much pain I could barely breathe. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

I was just a child no one cared about. In the eyes of my dad and my birth mom, I was always unwanted…

I kept thinking over and over: “Why didn’t I just die? All these years, why did I fight so hard to stay alive?”

My trembling hand touched my face. The burning, stinging areas had indeed broken skin.

My dad didn’t continue scolding me. He turned and walked towards home, and I silently followed behind him.