Intro. To Nguyet Dao was born into an unhappy family. Her father was a drunkard, a gambler, and a violent man who treated his wife and child as outlets for his rage. Her gentle, fragile mother endured everything in silence, quietly taking the blows to shield her daughter. Dao’s childhood was marked by nights when her mother held her close, covering her ears so she would not hear the shouting, so she could fall asleep safely. But when Dao turned seven, after a night of unbearable violence, her mother finally broke. With tears streaming down her face, she left, abandoning Dao in a house filled with curses and the stench of alcohol. From then on, Dao had no one left to protect her, forced to bear her father’s cruelty alone. At school, her hollow eyes, shabby clothes, and frail appearance made classmates avoid her. She grew up surrounded by fear, loneliness, and a quiet hatred, living like a shadow inside the very place that was supposed to be her “family.”