The family decided to stay in a cheap hotel for the night.
Mira sat on the side as her parents counted their remaining savings.
They had barely spoken to her in the past few days. Apart from giving her food and a place to sleep, they ignored her most of the time.
There were no harsh words, no scolding, no anger. Only silence—still as water in a glass cup.
Mira wanted to lash out at them—shout, argue, or even run away just to make them regret everything—but she had no capital, no strength, to do so.
Besides being heavily pregnant, she was completely penniless. All this time, she had been leeching off their savings.
The shame weighed on her, making her feel utterly worthless.
The clock struck eleven, yet Mira still couldn't sleep. Thought after thought swirled around her mind, leaving her awake and restless.
"They're my parents… how can I hurt them? I'm doing this for their own good."
After repeatedly convincing herself, her heart finally settled, and she drifted into sleep.
Before dawn, Mira woke up with a start, her eyes sharp, showing no signs of drowsiness.
Her parents were still sleeping peacefully on the other bed of the small double-bed hotel room.
Quietly, she picked up her father's phone. After transferring most of their remaining money to her own account, she gave them a complex, unreadable look—then resolutely left the room.
Mira's heart pounded. Only she knew whether it was guilt or excitement.
She kept convincing herself that she wasn't a bad daughter—that Aeris was only targeting her, not them—and that her parents would be better off without her.
She never stopped to think how difficult it would be for middle-aged people to find a new job at their age … or how her parents, who had no skills other than teaching, would survive with the little money she left behind.
Or perhaps she did know.
But she was too selfish to acknowledge the suffering she was causing, even to her own parents.
The room returned to its earlier stillness.
Pale orange sunrays slipped in through the glass window, passing through the thin curtain and falling gently across the couple's faces.
The couple slowly got up from their bed.
"Where is Mira?" Amelia asked, noticing the empty bed beside them.
"She must have gone to get something to eat. Don't worry about her," her husband replied.
Amelia felt it made sense and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.
Five minutes later, she came out.
"Husband, I'm done. Freshen up quickly, I'm hungry."
Silence.
She turned—only to see her husband holding his phone with a trembling hand, his eyes bloodshot, his jaw clenched as if suppressing immense anger.
"What's wrong?" Amelia asked with concern.
"…."
Finn didn't answer. He just kept tapping on his phone, his fingers stiff with panic.
"Husband, you're scaring me. Tell me what's going on."
"What a good daughter we raised!" Finn finally spat out, his voice trembling with disbelief and fury. "She transferred all our money to her account. Her clothes are gone. She ran away with the money!"
He hurled the phone onto the bed.
"Impossible!! You must be mistaken. My daughter would never be so heartless!" Amelia protested, reaching for the phone.
Yet her shaking hand betrayed her fear.
It was true.
Her daughter had proven her wrong.
Amelia's spirit collapsed as the truth was too harsh for a mother who had always put her daughter first in everything.
"Let's call her," she whispered, voice breaking. "She shouldn't have gone far…"
The call connected.
The couple breathed in relief.
Finn inhaled deeply, trying to contain his anger.
"Mira, where are you?" he asked naturally without the expected fury.
"Your mom is hungry. Let's go down to the restaurant below… or if you're already outside, just wait in the lobby. We'll come down and meet you there."
"…Dad," Mira's voice finally came through—soft, hesitant, distant.
"I… I want to live alone for a while. Don't worry about me. I'll be careful. You and Mom… take care of yourselves."
Finn could no longer remain calm. He exploded.
"You took all the money! How are your mom and I supposed to live?"
With concerned hidden behind his fury, he continued " And you're about to give birth soon—how are you going to manage alone? You're not a child anymore! Stop being willful and come back right now!"
"Dad! Aeris won't target you if I leave your side. You and Mom can always find teaching work somewhere else. After I give birth, I'll look for a job and pay back the money I took from you."
Finn's voice trembled.
"What if you're wrong? What if he still doesn't leave us alone? Have you ever thought of that? Just come back. No matter what, your parents will stand with you."
"…I'll transfer some money later. Dad, just give me some time alone.okay?"
"Mira, mom won't be angry with you anymore. Like your dad said, no matter what happens, we'll face it together. Just come back, okay?" Amelia pleaded, her voice trembling.
"Mom, I am sorry. I am not a good daughter.…I'm hanging up now. Dad, take care of Mom. And you… take care of yourself."
The call ended.
Amelia broke down completely, crying bitterly—each sob filled with heartbreak and disbelief.
The daughter she had so carefully raised had stripped them of everything… and abandoned them on the road.
Finn's clutch his chest as he felt a slight stinking pain on his chest.
Even if they had blamed her for their recent misfortune, never once had they thought of abandoning her. Not during the debts. Not during the shame. Not even now, when she was pregnant and helpless.
But the opposite happened.
She had abandoned them instead.
Ding dong..
It was a notification of Mira transferring money to them.
Seeing the amount, Finn's face turned pale What can 5000 do in this age. It will be gone in a couple of meals.
How heartless!
What an irony.
Finn was completely disheartened by Mira.
"From today onward," Finn said through clenched teeth, "let's assume we never had a daughter."
His voice was hoarse, strained, as he fought back the tears shimmering in his eyes.
"Don't answer her calls. Don't look for her. If she wants to cut ties, then so be it. It will be just us from now on."
Amelia neither agreed nor disagreed.
She simply stood there—broken, hollow, unable to speak.
It took a long time before the couple could gather their scattered emotions. Their steps were heavy and unsteady as they finally walked out of the hotel.
Just then, a young boy came running toward them.
He thrust a piece of paper into their hands before sprinting away without a word.