Chapter 1

I took the deed to my mother, my voice trembling. "Can you explain why Erik is the sole heir to this house?"

A hush fell over the living room.

My brother was the first to break the silence.

"Why wouldn't my name be on it? It's my house. I bought it," he snarled.

I turned sharply to my mother. "Then where did all the money I've been wiring you over the years go?"

My mother's face darkened. "Maybe you should explain why you were rummaging through Erik's things. This house is meant for him after he gets married! Why can't he be the sole owner?

"You willingly offered to help pay for his house! Are you seriously asking him to give you the money back now?"

Beth Hart, Erik's future wife, sneered, "You're about to get married, Vicky. Why are you still pining after a house we own? Go live with your husband or something. I'm sure you have more claim to his house than ours."

My mother suddenly burst into tears. "I'm sorry, but I just... I'm so upset, okay? I worked all my life to provide for you. I paid for your education. I helped you get your job.

"Instead of showing some gratitude to the family that supported you, you're demanding money from your struggling brother!

"This is all some calculated scheme to siphon off every last bit of wealth we have before you happily marry into another family, isn't it?"

I clenched my fists. I'd paid for my brother's shiny new car. I'd paid for the renovations to the house. I'd even contributed a substantial amount to his wedding.

Yet when it came time for my wedding, my mother had been all too eager to argue, "Look, his family is doing really well, right? Why can't he contribute more? It's all about financial capacity, and let me remind you, we don't have that kind of money."

The injustice of it all was becoming unbearable. I'd kept so much bottled up inside, and I saw less and less reason to stay silent.

Hence, I didn't.

"So this was always supposed to be his home after he got married?! Despite all the money I've been paying for years?! Do the math yourself! I paid 2000 bucks every month for over eight years!

"And you people said this house was a family effort. You said it was supposed to be my home too!"

My mother wiped away her tears and leaped to her feet.

"But why should it be? You won't even keep your maiden name after you get married! I don't see why your husband's family can't provide you with a house or share their wealth with you!" she snapped, pointing an accusing finger at me.

"Erik is your younger brother, for God's sake. Back in the day, the eldest child was expected to do far more to protect and provide for their younger siblings than you've ever done.

"They hardly complained as much as you do! Modern women like you fancy yourselves rebels, don't you? But for what?!"

Erik snickered.

"I didn't know you could be this miserly, Vicky. If I were you, I'd have treated all the money I'd been wiring my parents as repayment for raising me," he said. "Besides, I've got my own wedding coming up, and I can't do that without money. So how about you hand over that 50,000 dollars already? We're wasting daylight here."

Even Beth felt compelled to chime in with another brain-dead remark.

She rolled her eyes. "Look, I'm trying to be fair here, but they're right, Vic. I've never seen a sister as miserly as you.

"You're about to marry into someone else's family, yet you can't even find it in your heart to let Erik and I have a roof over our heads. You just have to stake a claim on it, don't you?"

I'd never seen more disgusting faces in my life.

Blood rushed to my head as my heart sank beneath the weight of bitter disappointment.

I drew a deep breath. "Good luck getting that 50,000 dollars you need, folks. In fact, good luck paying off your mortgage. It's your house, so it's your problem."

My mother went livid.

She lunged at me and grabbed me by the collar. "You ungrateful brat! You will not stop giving us money, I swear it!

"If you so much as threaten to do that... none of us will show up at your wedding tomorrow! I can't wait to see the look on your in-laws' faces when they realize even your own flesh and blood has disowned you!"

I slapped her hand away and stared at the absurd rage twisting her face.

Strangely enough, I felt unfazed. "Sure. I guess there'll be more food for the rest of us, then."