My Pick-Me Mother Tried to Seduce My Fiancé

"Me or your daughter. Choose." My mother is a woman who constantly competes with other females. Before marriage, she competed with every woman she met. After marriage, she started competing with me. Ever since I was in middle school, she loved playing this game of "who looks like the mother and who looks like the daughter." Even worse, she loved pretending to be in danger just to force my dad to choose between her and me. Every time my dad chose her over me, she would look incredibly smug. I got used to her constantly putting me down and telling me I was nothing compared to her. But when she tried to seduce my fiancé just to prove she was more attractive than me, I couldn't take it anymore. "Chloe, look! People online are so funny. They're saying in our photo, you look like the mother and I look like the daughter!" I watched my mother, Vanessa, lounging on the sofa, scrolling through her phone. She laughed delicately and held the screen in front of my face. "Look at this. Aren't these comments hilarious?" I looked at her post. It was a photo of us. I looked absolutely exhausted after working five days of overtime in a row. My skin was pale and dry. Meanwhile, Vanessa had on flawless makeup. She looked radiant, vibrant, and perfectly put-together. Ever since she married my dad, Richard, she had quit her job to be a stay-at-home wife. Of course, my dad never let his "precious little princess" do any chores. Ever since I could remember, I was the one doing all the housework. Looking at the photo, I forced a tired smile. "As long as you find it funny." But Vanessa wasn't satisfied with my reaction. She pouted like a teenage girl. "Oh, Chloe, you're always so serious. Men don't like women with that kind of personality." With that, she leaned languidly into my dad's chest, her body curving like a lazy cat. "Richard, honey, who do you think is prettier? Me or Chloe?" Dad gently tapped the tip of her nose, his eyes full of adoration. "Silly girl. You, of course." Vanessa pouted again, looking both shy and playful. "Are you lying to me? Chloe is much younger than me." "In my eyes, you are the youngest and the most beautiful," Dad coaxed softly. Vanessa’s expression grew even more smug. She cast a sideways glance at me. That single look was enough for me to see the raw triumph in her eyes. "What if we were the same age twenty years ago, and we both met you at the same time? Who would you choose to marry?" Hearing this, I numbly set down my glass of water, turned around, and went back to my room. I had heard this exact question hundreds of times growing up. And every single time, my dad would patiently tell her that he would always choose her."Babe, is everything okay?" I looked at my boyfriend, Adrian, and forced a smile. "Yeah. I just really like the food here." I pretended to focus on my plate, but my eyes darted to the other side of the restaurant. I had just spotted Vanessa and her friends walking in. Adrian smiled, cutting a piece of steak and placing it on my plate. "Take your time. If you like it, I'll bring you here again next time." I nodded and smiled, but I couldn't relax. Hearing my mother's loud laughter from across the room, I wanted to pay the bill and leave with Adrian immediately. But before I could say anything, a familiar voice drifted over. My heart sank. There was no hiding now. "Oh my gosh, Chloe! Who is this? Is he your coworker?" Vanessa’s eyes sparkled as she stared at Adrian. She put a hand over her mouth, playing coy. "Chloe, why didn't you tell me you had such a handsome coworker?" Adrian looked at her, then at me. He remained perfectly polite. "Hello. You must be Chloe's friend." Hearing this, Vanessa smiled even wider. She slid right into the booth, sitting right next to Adrian. "Friend? Oh, no. I'm Chloe's mother!" As she moved, the sickeningly sweet scent of her peach perfume filled the air around us. "Oh! Nice to meet you, Mrs. Miller," Adrian said. "I'm Chloe's boyfriend. We were actually planning when to come over and introduce myself properly. I didn't expect us to run into each other like this." Ever since my mother walked over, I had been staring at her. So, I didn't miss the flash of annoyance in her eyes when Adrian said he was my boyfriend. Adrian was handsome and had a polite, gentlemanly vibe. I knew exactly what my mother was thinking. She thought I didn't deserve him. "Mom, your friends are waiting for you," I said, trying to stop her. She was using her status as my mother to sit incredibly close to Adrian. And because she was my mom, Adrian didn't suspect a thing. If I hadn't spoken up, her hand would have probably landed on his shoulder. Vanessa was clearly displeased by my interruption. She pulled her hand back and sat up a bit straighter. "I'm just so happy to meet your boyfriend for the first time! Chloe, out of all the guys you've dated over the years, he is definitely my favorite." She winked at Adrian. "And the most handsome." My face fell. Adrian’s smile also tightened. After all, no guy wants to hear about his girlfriend's ex-boyfriends from her mother. "Mom!" I spoke up again, my voice sharp. "Those were just friends. Adrian is my first boyfriend." But Vanessa just giggled and gave me a knowing look. "Oh, right~ Is that what you told Adrian? Don't worry, Adrian, she's right. You're definitely her first love. My bad, I must have misremembered." I felt a surge of pure anger. "Adrian, I'm full. Let's go," I said, standing up. Adrian looked at me, then back at my mother with an apologetic smile. Hearing my words, Vanessa looked deeply hurt, though she still tried to act magnanimous. "It's fine. I shouldn't have interrupted and made Chloe angry. Adrian, you two go ahead." I dragged Adrian out of the restaurant. Vanessa didn't try to stop us. But I knew she only did that to keep up her image of being a perfect, sweet mother in front of Adrian. She loved competing with other women, and her ultimate goal was always to get men's attention—no matter who the man was."Do you believe what my mom said?" I asked Adrian as we walked. Adrian gently stroked my hair and shook his head. "No. But now I finally understand why you were so hesitant to bring me home." I bit my lip and held his arm tighter. Adrian and I had been classmates in both high school and college. We had been together since college, so we knew everything about each other. I asked him that question not just to hear his reassurance, but to see how he felt about my mother. Thankfully, Adrian didn't disappoint me. "Once we're married, we'll move out and live our own life," Adrian said, his eyes filled with warmth and reassurance. His gentle nature was what I loved most about him. I nodded and hugged him tightly. With his promise, I began to look forward to our future. But when I got home and saw my mother crying in my dad's arms, I sighed. Tonight was going to be a nightmare. "So you finally decided to come home! Apologize to your mother right now!" Hearing my dad's roar, Vanessa glanced at me, then sobbed even more pitifully. Normally, I would have just apologized to keep the peace. But not tonight. "I didn't do anything wrong." My defiance only made my dad angrier. "Nothing wrong?! Do you have any idea how much you hurt your mother's feelings with your attitude? Are you even human?!" "Richard, honey, don't," Vanessa whimpered. "Girls grow up and leave. Chloe is a big girl now. She cares more about an outsider than her own mother. I'm just not important to her anymore." The sadness in her voice pushed my dad over the edge. He pointed a finger at my face and screamed, "Are you really this desperate for a man? Throwing yourself at a guy at such a young age. Let's see what happens to you. No decent family would ever want a piece of damaged goods like you!"Even though I knew my dad would always side with my mother, hearing those vicious words from his mouth made my entire body shake with rage. But my dad only yelled louder. "You are going to break up with that guy right now, and then you're going to get on your knees and apologize to your mother! I'm telling you, if you keep seeing him, you are no longer our daughter!" I closed my eyes. Adrian's warm, smiling face appeared in my mind. When I opened my eyes again, I stood up straighter. "I'm getting married." "To whom?!" I wasn't surprised by his fury. "To Adrian." "In your dreams!" Dad's eyes went wild with rage. The sheer hatred in his expression made me shudder. In my entire life, I had only seen my dad make that face twice. The first time was when I was eight. I had gotten into a fight with a classmate, and the school called my parents. My dad felt humiliated. That was the first time he looked at me like that. The consequence was that he beat me so badly I had multiple fractures and spent months in the hospital. From that day on, I became extremely cautious at home. I did whatever they told me to do. I never dared to say no. And the second time was right now. Slap. A sudden, violent slap sent my head spinning. My cheek burned, and my ears started ringing. The pain hit me like a thousand needles. I wiped the corner of my mouth and realized I was bleeding. "Oh, Richard, honey, don't be so angry. How could you hit Chloe?" I heard Vanessa's voice. I looked at her. She was standing right next to my dad. Though she said those words, her hands were resting calmly by her side. She had no intention of stopping him. When our eyes met, I saw a flash of pure schadenfreude in her eyes. "You are just too kind! You spoiled her, and now she has zero respect for her elders!" Dad pointed at me, his nostrils flaring with anger. "What's with that look? I'm your father! It is my right to teach you a lesson!" My dad was strong. If I fought back physically, I would lose. If I stayed here, I would end up in the hospital again. I slowly backed toward the door, forcing a smirk. "Go ahead and be angry. Hit me all you want. Adrian and I already got legally married at city hall this afternoon. Under the law, we are already husband and wife." I watched my dad's face contort into something monstrous with absolute rage. It felt amazing. I knew provoking him wasn't the smartest move, but... why shouldn't I? The moment my dad reached for the baseball bat near the table, I bolted out the door.