Chapter 3

Clinging to a tiny shred of hope, I hoped he would come to his senses.

“Ding.”

Not a text.

Two images popped up.

I frowned and opened them. My mind went completely blank.

The photos showed a blurry figure showering behind a frosted glass door.

The silhouette was unmistakable. That was me.

[You took pictures of me in the shower? Why did you do that? What the hell is wrong with you?]

Alan’s reply came fast.

[Don’t worry about the why.]

Then came another message.

[Just go along with your sister-in-law’s wishes.]

[She’s the only girlfriend I’ve got. If you drive her away, I’m going to make your life a living hell.]

[That’s illegal, Alan.]

He did not even flinch. [If you scare my girlfriend off, I don’t care if I go to jail. I’ll make sure you regret it.]

I told myself to hold it in and protect whatever shred of reputation I had left. I was going to stop him from actually ruining my life.

Maybe because I had gone silent, Julia thought she had me cornered.

She made a grand announcement in the family group that she was engaged to Alan, which meant I had no choice but to go home.

At the dinner table, Julia glanced at my mom.

“Maggie, I don’t have many demands for the engagement. But we do need a new home. Surely you understand.”

My mother caught on immediately.

“Sofia, you’ve been working for a few years now. Didn’t you buy that little apartment of yours? Great location, too. Well, Alan’s in a bind right now. Just transfer the title over to Alan and Julia for their new home. We’re family. It’s only right for a sister to help out her brother.”

The spoon slipped from my fingers and clattered on the plate.

“What?”

I could not believe what I heard.

“You’re asking me to give them my place as their new home?”

I shot a look at my brother. He just kept shoveling food into his mouth, like none of it had anything to do with him.

I looked at Julia. She wore a smug and entitled smile. There was even a flicker of triumphant defiance in her eyes.

“No!” I firmly refused.

“That apartment is mine. I worked hard for years, pinched every penny, saved every dime to buy that place. Why should I hand it over for Alan as his new home? He’s got two hands and a paycheck. He can buy his own place!”

Julia’s expression turned dark when she heard me.

“Oh, come on. Who’s going to believe that a young girl like you could afford to buy an apartment? Where did that money really come from?”

She swept her gaze over me, dripping with insinuation.

“Your brother’s been slipping you cash behind our backs for years, hasn’t he? Or worse, maybe he’s had you doing God knows what. You bought that place with his money, and now that he actually needs it, you won’t give it back?”

I was about to fire back when my phone buzzed in my pocket.

It was a text from Alan.

[Don’t say anything. If you argue back, I’ll send those photos to everyone in the group chat. Want to save what’s left of your dignity? Shut up and do what Mom and Dad say.]

It was another disgusting, gutless threat.

I thought. “That’s it. I’ve had enough of all of you. Even if it means dragging everyone down with me to hell, I’m going to do it.”

I gripped my phone tight.

I shouted, “Go ahead. Send them. Send them right now! Let’s see who crashes and burns first, me losing my reputation, or you losing your freedom in jail!”

The words landed like a bomb. The whole dining room went dead silent.

My parents stared at me with wide, shocked eyes.

Julia froze. That smug look on her face just shattered.

My brother looked like he had seen a ghost.

No one except my brother knew what had suddenly set me off.

After yelling that, I did not even glance at their shocked faces.

“Do you think my apartment money came from Alan? Take a good look then. I earned every cent here myself. Alan had absolutely nothing to do with any of it.”

Since they loved sending screenshots to the family group chat so much, I pulled it up.

I selected every screenshot of the bank transfers between Alan and me.

I dumped them all into the chat.

[Screenshot 1]

[Screenshot 2]

[Screenshot 3]

The whole family opened the screenshots and went completely speechless.