Chapter 2

It was Mom and Dad. They had come back with Liam, carrying big and small shopping bags.

Mom was holding Liam in her arms. He was wearing a brand-new outfit and clutching the latest Transformers toy.

Liam waved the toy around excitedly in her arms.

Mom’s back hurt easily, so whenever I asked for a hug, she would frown and tell me that girls shouldn’t be so clingy.

Since I felt bad for Mom, I never asked for a hug again.

Today, however, she was holding Liam, her eyes full of doting affection. Why was it so different from how she treated me?

“Ellie, look! Mom bought me the newest toy!

“And you don’t have one!”

Liam stood in the doorway of the storage room with his hands on his hips, showing off.

I clearly saw Mom smiling, about to take out the Barbie doll I had stopped to stare at countless times in front of the store display.

My heart instantly felt warm, and a small spark of hope lit up inside me.

But when she heard no response from me, Mom stopped what she was doing and shouted angrily, “She’s been spoiled with no limits!

“Liam is talking to her, yet she’s still acting dead in there!

“Looks like the punishment wasn’t enough!”

At that moment, Dad grabbed Mom’s arm and sighed. “Let it go, Winnie. Ellie is a girl after all. It’s nothing if she’s a little spoiled.”

As he spoke, he picked up the Barbie doll and started walking toward the storage room.

“You’re not giving that to her!” Mom rushed over and snatched the Barbie doll from Dad’s hand.

“I was even thinking about her. I thought she would reflect on herself. Instead, she’s getting worse!”

After saying that, she grabbed the scissors from the table and cut the Barbie doll into pieces.

I looked at the Barbie doll lying on the floor, its golden hair scattered everywhere, its delicate princess dress torn apart. My heart hurt in waves.

That doll was so expensive.

Every time we passed the store window, Mom would see me staring through the clear glass, my eyes full of longing for the doll. She would smile kindly and say that once she got her paycheck, she would definitely buy it for me.

Now that she had finally bought it…

Mom, why did you destroy it?

It would have been better if I had never had it.

Even after cutting the doll to pieces, Mom still wasn’t satisfied. She set it on fire.

In an instant, the doll turned into ashes.

I closed my eyes in pain and didn’t dare to look.

Mom, on the other hand, was still cursing.

“I spent so many years raising you. Do you know how much effort I put in?

“I stayed up late with you night after night, and this is what I get? What an ungrateful child!

“I say a few words, and you ignore me? Fine! Stay in there for the rest of your life! Don’t come out!

“I hired so many tutors for you. Do you know how much that cost? You’ve had it way better than Liam, and you’re still not satisfied!”

Mom’s chest heaved violently. Dad stood beside her, timidly patting her back and softly comforting her.

He only glanced toward the storage room, but he didn’t dare take another step closer.

After she finished yelling, Mom still wasn’t satisfied. She looked up and saw the certificates and trophies I had earned over the years through hard work.

Every time I brought home a certificate, Mom would beam with pride and cook a huge meal for me.

Whenever I saw the proud looks on Mom and Dad’s faces, I worked even harder than before.

Mom used to carefully wipe each certificate and every trophy.

Now, as if she had gone mad, she waved her arms wildly and knocked the certificates down one by one.

The certificates with my name printed on them were torn into countless pieces. Then she smashed the golden trophies I had worked day and night to earn, one after another.

The noise alerted the neighbors downstairs.

Our neighbor next door, Mr. Thompson, loved watching drama. He rushed over to our house right away.

I didn’t like Mr. Thompson.

He was short, with a face full of wrinkles when he smiled. He always smelled strongly of cigarettes, and when he opened his mouth, there were two rows of yellow teeth.

He always looked at me with a strange expression, too.

Sometimes he would grin and offer me candy, asking if I wanted to go to his house to play.

I would nervously glance into his house and notice it was empty. Mrs. Thompson was probably out, and Mandy, who usually played with me, wasn’t home either.

I would always timidly say no.

Because one time, when I went to his house, he did something strange to me.

He even threatened me and warned me not to tell Mom, but I still ran home crying and told Mom everything.

Mom was chopping vegetables at the time. She grabbed the kitchen knife and went straight to his house. Later, she had a fierce fight with Mrs. Thompson.

After that, our two families rarely interacted. Mandy and I even stopped talking at school.