Chapter 2

“No!” I was holding back tears as I fought back. The strange thing was that the ache in my heart got milder as I spoke.

“You’ve always done everything for Tyler. I always just came along for the ride.”

I pushed my chair back and stood up. My hands clenched into fists.

“Where are you going?” Mom shouted at me from behind.

I did not answer her and made my way to the door.

When I stepped out, I turned back for a look.

Tyler was patting Mom on the back to console her. They formed their little circle of two, walling everyone else out.

Cold air assaulted me. I took a deep breath, letting the chill sting my lungs.

My phone buzzed with a notification from the bank. Money had been deducted from my account.

I froze.

[Family card expenditure: $98,750.000. Current balance: $3.42.]

There was a limit on the family card, and Mom typically used it up halfway through the month. That was why I linked it to the account that received my salary.

That way, she could keep spending with the same card even after the family card’s limit was exceeded.

This time, she had spent everything in one go, and I was left penniless.

The cold air cut like a knife across my cheeks. I knew that I had nowhere left to go.

A hotel? I needed money for that.

Friends? I had no friends left in this little town I had grown up in.

Growing up, I had spent all my time studying to become a model kid that parents liked to brag about.

I turned around and walked back the way I had come.

When I opened the door, I found the place empty.

There were plates and cutlery left scattered on the dining table. I turned on the light and walked to my own room.

After I opened the door, I froze on the spot.

The room was piled high with miscellaneous junk: old boxes, unused furniture, and stacks of old magazines.

In a corner, there were some black trash bags thrown haphazardly.

From the open end of the bag, I could see my own books, photo frames, and clothes.

All my things were dumped like trash.

Pain wrenched through my heart, and I only managed to stay standing by holding onto the doorframe.

I slowly rifled through my things in the bags.

There were trophies from college, a memento from my first project at work, and poetry collections I had kept like precious gems for years.

It was 1 a.m. when Mom and Tyler came back with shopping bags weighing down their arms.

When she saw me sitting in the living room, the smile on Mom’s face turned brittle.

“You haven’t left?” Her voice was mocking. “It’s Christmas! Do you have to make the whole family unhappy?”

Behind her, Tyler tugged on her sleeve. “Don’t scold Skyler, Mom…”

“Am I wrong?”

Mom dumped the shopping bags on the floor. “Do you know how much money I spent raising you? You’re so ungrateful. You embarrassed me in front of the whole family on Christmas!”

Holding back the urge to cry, I asked, “Did you buy all these with my money?”

Mom’s face twisted. Instantly, she was enraged. “Your money? Where did you get that money? If I hadn’t raised you and paid for your schooling, would you be where you are now? What’s so wrong about spending my son’s money? Is it against the law?”

“You spent $100,000.” I raised my phone. “You spent $100,000 in one night. It took me three years of scrimping to save that much.”

“You were scrimping?” Mom sputtered out a laugh. “You wear branded clothes and sit in an office for work. Don’t talk to me about scrimping and saving money. Tyler has been letting you have your way since you were a child. It’s your fault he hasn’t amounted to anything.”

I did not even know what to say anymore.

Tyler said gently, “You can make more money, Sky, but you can’t buy Mom’s happiness. As long as Mom’s happy, I don’t mind doing whatever it takes. What’s a bit of money?”