Chapter 4

Mom was quick to notice. "What are you doing?"

"Calling the police."

Her face went pale, and she lunged forward to grab my phone. "Don't you dare!"

I dodged her, speaking clearly into the receiver. "I need to report an emergency. I have individuals trespassing on my property, and I've just been assaulted."

Cody's expression shifted from anger to panic. "Eileen Allen, have you lost your mind?"

I ignored him and gave the dispatcher my address.

Ten minutes later, the police arrived. By then, a small crowd of curious neighbors had gathered in the hallway.

When the officers questioned Cody, he was still trying to talk his way out of it. "I'm her brother! What's wrong with a brother keeping his sister in line?"

The officer frowned. "It doesn't matter who you are. You don't lay your hands on someone."

Mom immediately started wiping away tears. "Officer, please. We're a family. This is just a private family matter. There's really no need to blow it out of proportion."

Dad spoke up too, his tone significantly softer than before. "Our daughter is being unreasonable. We'll take her home and handle this ourselves. Sorry for the trouble, officers."

The officer turned to me. "Miss, how would you like to handle this?"

The distinct, red outline of a handprint was still burning on my cheek.

I looked at Cody. His eyes were full of resentment and unspoken threats, but there wasn't a shred of remorse.

"I want to document my injuries, and I want to press charges."

In the end, Cody was taken down to the station to be booked.

Mom and Dad followed closely behind. Before Mom stepped into the elevator, she looked back at me with a complicated gaze. "You really are… a deeply selfish child."

I didn't say a word. I just shut the door.

The next day, I called in sick. The swelling on my face was too severe to cover up with makeup.

By the afternoon, my phone started buzzing. It was Alice.

"Eileen, you need to look at the company group chat right now!"

My stomach dropped. I opened WhatsApp, and the unread notifications were already past 99.

Someone had dropped a photo into the group chat. It showed Mom standing outside our office building, holding a huge cardboard sign.

The sign had a few large words on it. "Ingrate Eileen Allen abandoned her parents! Shame on her!"

Below, in smaller letters, it said I had forgotten my roots after getting married, let my parents go hungry, forced my sister-in-law to return to her parents' home, and called the police on my brother.

Coworkers were tagging me left and right. "Eileen, is this actually your mom?"

"Is this real? Did you seriously neglect your parents?"

"She looks like such a sweet, harmless old lady. She's been standing out there all afternoon, drawing a massive crowd."

"Eileen, you need to come out and explain this."

My hands began to shake violently.

Alice sent me a private message. "Do not reply to anyone! HR is already on it. They sent security to ask your mom to leave, but she refuses to budge. She's just crying and telling everyone that you disowned her…"

I didn't reply.

A few minutes later, a text from HR popped up. "Eileen, we've been made aware of the situation outside. Regrettably, this is reflecting poorly on the company.

"There's a large crowd gathering, and people are already filming and posting videos online. Why don't you take a few days off? We can revisit this once you've sorted things out."

It was phrased politely, but the subtext was crystal clear. Taking a few days off was a euphemism for a suspension.

I typed back a single word. "Okay."

Then, I opened a local news app. Sure enough, someone had already uploaded a video clip.

The headline read, "Corporate Employee Shamed Outside Office by Elderly Mother for Neglect".

The comment section was a toxic wasteland.

"How is this woman still employed?"

"Fire her immediately!"

"You're better off raising a dog than a daughter like that."

As I scrolled through the comments, I felt the last remnants of my warmth drain away.

These people were my flesh and blood, yet they were entirely willing to destroy my life.

Right then, Hector called me. "Come to Solvane."

I nodded. "Okay."

I booked the next train to Solvane. At the same time, I submitted my resignation email to HR.

I didn't want anything to do with this city anymore.