My Daughter Tried to Kill Me / Chapter 1: Second Chances and Old Wounds
My Daughter Tried to Kill Me

My Daughter Tried to Kill Me

Author: Victoria Humphrey


Chapter 1: Second Chances and Old Wounds

Next →

Back then—what I now call my previous life—the SATs and my daughter’s favorite pop star’s concert happened to fall on the same afternoon.

It was one of those unpredictable spring days in Pennsylvania, the sky wavering between pouring rain and piercing blue, the air thick with that fragile sense of everything teetering between hope and disaster. The memory is sharp: cinnamon from my morning coffee, the concert ticket crinkling as my daughter tossed it across the counter, and the tremor in my hands as she bolted outside, as if escaping a five-alarm fire.

My daughter flung her SAT admission ticket onto the kitchen counter, then bolted out the front door, shouting, “I’m not taking the test. There’s an SAT every year, but after my idol’s comeback, there’s only this one concert today. He even cried at the fan meet yesterday, saying we’re his only light.”

Her words echoed down Maple Heights, past the mailboxes and the row of American flags fluttering in front yards. I half-expected Mrs. Gutierrez to peek out, already dialing her sister with the latest Harrison family drama. Lily’s voice always carried, wild and sharp, like she wanted the whole block to know she was staking her claim to freedom.

I sprinted after her down Maple Heights Road, caught up, and practically wrangled her into a rideshare before dragging her to the test center. In the end, she got into one of the top universities in the country, and everyone applauded her for it.

Even now, my chest aches remembering that run—sandals slapping pavement, keys jangling in my grip, yanking open the backseat of that battered Honda Civic. By the time I deposited her at the test center, sweat had soaked my blouse, but I forced a smile for the proctor, playing my part in the great American family charade. Later, when applause thundered at her graduation, it felt hollow—a trophy with the price etched quietly into my bones.

The very next day, the entertainment headlines exploded: the top pop star was seen holding hands with a mysterious girl at the concert.

The story hit every gossip blog and Twitter feed, little heart icons and exclamation marks pulsing through my daughter’s world. It even played on the TV in the corner at our local diner, where old men sipped coffee and didn’t care, but Lily stared at the screen like the earth had split open.

She saw it trending on Instagram and totally lost it.

Her phone’s cracked screen glowed in her trembling hands as she scrolled, tears brimming and breath hitching. She paced the kitchen, muttering about betrayal, while the fridge buzzed and cicadas hummed outside—only they bore witness to her heartbreak.

At her college acceptance dinner that night, she tore up her acceptance letter, smashed her phone, and screamed at me: “She’s wearing the same dress as me! If you hadn’t stopped me, the person standing next to him would’ve been me!”

Instead of celebrating with store-bought cake and stubborn candles, we watched shredded paper flutter to the floor. The crack of her phone against tile was louder than any toast. The neighbors heard, but nobody came. Her words were acid, burning through the air, and in that moment I saw the abyss between us—a mother and daughter stranded on either side of a broken American dream.

That night, she pushed me off the balcony of our two-story house. The big insurance payout was blown on merch and concert tickets for her fangirl journey.

It’s a small house with white siding, the kind you find in every town across the Midwest, with a wooden deck that creaks under your feet. The fall was fast but the aftermath dragged: hospital beeps, police questions echoing in my ears, and then a life insurance policy that meant nothing but empty boxes of glossy posters and neon lightsticks. My life’s work reduced to a string of online orders and fleeting applause.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day before the SATs.

It felt like waking up from a fever dream—sun pouring through the window in exactly the same way, my favorite mug by the sink, the clock blinking 7:32 a.m. Everything was too familiar and impossibly strange. Like fate—or maybe God—had pressed rewind, handing me a second chance. Or maybe just a cruel joke.

My daughter was hysterically shouting about wanting to go to the concert.

She stomped around the living room, voice cracking, hair wild, desperation etched into every word. Her backpack lay by the door, unzipped and stuffed with Sharpies, a poster tube, and a glittery banner with Jason’s name in bubble letters. It would have been comical, if not for the anxiety blooming in my chest.

I smiled wide: “Go ahead, how could the SATs be more important than your idol?”

I watched her face as my words sank in, confusion flickering in her eyes. For the first time, I felt a strange sense of power—like I was finally rewriting the script of our lives.

Next →

You may also like

My Daughter Framed Me for Her Betrayal
My Daughter Framed Me for Her Betrayal
4.7
I sacrificed everything to give Natalie a safe, happy life—only to watch her choose a cruel family and sell us out piece by piece. When I finally drew the line, she branded me an abuser in front of my college and the whole town, shattering my reputation overnight. Now I have to decide: do I fight for the daughter I raised, or let go before she destroys us all?
He Killed Me, But I Won’t Stay Gone
He Killed Me, But I Won’t Stay Gone
4.9
My own father strangled me to death—but that’s not where my story truly begins. Emily Walker spent her whole life as the family scapegoat, blamed for her father’s failures and haunted by the loss of the only person who loved her: her mother. After years of tiptoeing around Leonard’s rage, Emily claws her way out with nothing but determination and her mother’s last words echoing in her heart. But freedom comes with a price, and Leonard isn’t done with her—not when there’s money on the line, and not when the past refuses to stay buried. When your own blood is your biggest threat, how far would you go to break the cycle? And what if the only way to survive is to become the villain in your own family’s story?
My Daughter Hates Me for Loving Her
My Daughter Hates Me for Loving Her
5.0
Lisa devoted her life to raising her stepdaughter Natalie, only to be branded a homewrecker and publicly cut off after Natalie’s academic triumph. Betrayed by the family she built, Lisa faces humiliation, heartbreak, and a life-altering accident—until she wakes up years earlier, determined not to be destroyed again. But as old wounds resurface and new choices beckon, can she finally break free from the chains of the past?
My Daughter Is the Reborn Heroine
My Daughter Is the Reborn Heroine
4.7
When my rebellious daughter suddenly became obedient, begging for private school tuition, I thought she’d finally changed. But pop-up comments only I can see reveal she’s the heroine of a second-chance romance, scheming to run away with her bad boy boyfriend—and in her last life, I was the villain who ruined her happiness. Now, as she plots behind my back and strangers invade my home, I must decide: fight for her future, or let her go and risk losing everything—including my own life.
Buried My Daughter Alive for My Son's Future
Buried My Daughter Alive for My Son's Future
4.7
Twenty years ago, I locked my daughter in a cabinet and walked away, haunted by guilt ever since. Now, with my son's high-society wedding on the line, the past claws its way back—my daughter's voice echoing from the grave, demanding to be found. If I can’t face the horror I buried, my family’s future—and my soul—may be lost forever.
She Jumped—But I Wouldn’t Let Go
She Jumped—But I Wouldn’t Let Go
4.8
She jumped, and the world froze. My mother’s fight for survival began on a rooftop, but the real battle was inside our home—against a father who broke us, a grandmother who cursed us, and a town that wanted us to fail. I was the daughter they called worthless, the girl nobody wanted. Yet every time Mom nearly let go, I pulled her back. Together, we endured betrayal, violence, and humiliation, clinging to hope in the darkest nights. When Dad’s mistress arrived with his ‘perfect’ son, we risked everything for freedom. But the past isn’t so easily escaped—and justice has a long memory. Will our love and defiance be enough to break the cycle, or will old ghosts drag us down again? What does it take for a mother and daughter to claim a life that’s truly their own?
My Mother’s Love Went Viral—and Destroyed Me
My Mother’s Love Went Viral—and Destroyed Me
4.9
She was the internet’s favorite mom—and my personal nightmare. In the glow of her viral breakfast videos, my life was staged for strangers, every emotion twisted for likes, every private moment a new performance. Behind the camera, I was trapped in a cage of love so tight I could barely breathe. My father fled, my classmates turned away, and my secret crush became Mom’s next headline. When her obsession with online validation ruined my last hope for normalcy, I was forced to choose: keep playing her perfect daughter, or risk everything for freedom. But even after I broke away, her betrayal followed me across the internet, and the world had to decide who to believe. Can I reclaim my story before her version goes viral forever?
Sold My Daughter’s Death for Blood Money
Sold My Daughter’s Death for Blood Money
4.7
When his bullied daughter is pulled lifeless from the river, Derek refuses an autopsy and takes hush money from the rich girls’ families—earning the town’s hatred and his ex-wife’s scorn. But behind his cold mask, Derek is hunting for the truth, even as the parents of the guilty turn to violence and revenge. In a town obsessed with SATs and status, how far will a father go when justice is for sale?
My Father Killed Me—So I Saved Us All
My Father Killed Me—So I Saved Us All
4.9
Death was just the beginning. My father’s hands stole my breath at twenty-nine, but fate gave me a second chance—and I swore I’d rewrite our story. Born the daughter no one wanted, I watched my mother die from heartbreak and my father parade his ‘real’ son, leaving me with nothing but scars. But when I woke up in my childhood bedroom, on the very day I could save my mom, I seized the moment. Now, armed with memories of betrayal and survival, I’ll outsmart the man who destroyed us—turning his golden boy against him, risking everything for a future that’s finally mine. But as my past hunts me and danger closes in, will this new life be enough to break the cycle, or am I doomed to repeat my fate? One thing is certain: this time, I’m not running—I’m fighting for us all.
My Dead Mother Came Back for Revenge
My Dead Mother Came Back for Revenge
5.0
Natalie’s life shatters when her beloved mother dies and her cold, powerful father replaces her with a lookalike daughter. On her sixteenth birthday, humiliated and alone, Natalie receives a mysterious phone call—from her supposedly dead mom. As secrets unravel and loyalties are tested, Natalie must decide if she’ll fight for her place in a family that wants her gone, or finally break free.
Cut In Line, Cut My Daughter's Dream
Cut In Line, Cut My Daughter's Dream
4.6
When a ruthless tour guide hijacks the roller coaster line for his fifty guests, I watch my daughter's special day crumble in the heat. Humiliated, outnumbered, and desperate to keep my promise, I gamble everything on a Fast Pass—only to become the villain in a twisted showdown of entitlement and blame. How far would you go to keep your child’s dreams alive when the world says you don’t belong?
My Daughter Lied, An Innocent Man Died
My Daughter Lied, An Innocent Man Died
4.8
When five girls accuse the beloved neighborhood bus driver of molestation, one father’s world shatters. As evidence unravels and a mother’s suicide rocks the city, he discovers his own daughter started it all—with a single, devastating lie. Now, with an innocent man in prison and the truth threatening to destroy his family, he faces an impossible choice: expose the secret or protect his own blood.