The Wrong Answer Cost My Life

Summary

“How much is one plus one?”

On the darkened interstate, my brother’s voice cut through the hum of the tires. It was a sudden, sharp test.

I hesitated, my small voice trembling. “It’s... it’s...”

Before I could find the answer, my mother’s hand flew across the seat. The slap cracked against my cheek, stinging like fire.

“I have a Master’s from Stanford,” she hissed, her eyes wild with a cold, academic fury. “Your father has a PhD from MIT. Your brother is a certified math prodigy, a straight-A student. And you? You have to think about one plus one? You’re a defect, Chloe. A total failure.”