Chapter 3

He’s been looking for me all these years?

How could that be possible?

I could hardly believe my ears.

Ethan didn’t notice the change in my expression and continued talking.

“I told you, I actually have an older sister! But I’ve never met her.

“Dad says she’s a really sweet and well-behaved girl. But more than ten years ago, Dad’s ex-wife took her and ran away.

“Dad has been looking for her all these years, but he still hasn’t found her.”

My mind went completely blank.

There were so many questions.

Why had Dad said that Mom had taken me and run away? He was the one who had left behind divorce papers and disappeared.

Mom had fallen apart because Dad had abandoned us without a word.

So who was lying?

When Ethan saw that I wasn’t responding, he pulled me into another room and pointed at the beautifully decorated space.

“This is the room Dad kept for my sister! He said she’d have a room waiting for her if she ever came back.

“Dad also said orange is her favorite color, so he made the whole room orange!

“I even picked out the curtains! Aren’t they pretty?”

I forced down my discomfort and walked around the room.

Then I spotted a yellowed photograph on the desk.

It was a picture of Dad holding me in his arms when I was little, the two of us standing together on a grassy field.

Suddenly, a gentle voice came from the doorway.

“That’s my husband and his ex-wife’s daughter. Isn’t she adorable?

“It’s such a shame. No matter how much Nathaniel has sent his ex-wife over the years, she’s never let him see their daughter.

“Just last month, Nathaniel sent her another two hundred thousand dollars as a gift for their daughter’s college entrance exams.

“I wonder how the girl is doing now. Nathaniel hasn’t been able to sleep peacefully for a single night all these years.”

I followed the voice and saw a kind-looking woman standing in the doorway.

She must be Dad’s current wife.

For a moment, I wondered if I had misheard her.

Dad had actually been sending Mom money all these years?

Then why had Mom forced me to work several part-time jobs and hand over every cent I earned, leaving me with only fifty dollars for food?

There had been several times when I had a high fever and couldn’t even afford to see a doctor. All I could do was endure it until it passed.

Why had Mom been lying to me all these years?

As much as I wanted to tell them immediately that I was Nathaniel’s daughter, I needed to find out what had really happened first.

Why had Mom lied to me and allowed me to suffer all these years?

I didn’t reveal the truth to Ethan. Instead, I came up with an excuse and left.

After taking a week off from college, I hurried home.

The moment I opened the door, the strong smell of alcohol hit me.

Mom was slumped on the couch, surrounded by empty bottles.

When she saw me suddenly come home, she froze for a moment before grabbing a bottle and throwing it at me.

“Shouldn’t you be washing dishes at the restaurant at this hour? What are you doing home?

“You’re going to have no money for food next month! And when that happens, don’t blame me for taking your entire paycheck. This is what you get for being lazy!

“Remember, I ended up like this because of you! You owe me for the rest of your life!”

Normally, I would have cleaned up the room for Mom and silently endured everything.

But today, I didn’t want to do that anymore.

I walked up to her, stared straight into her eyes, and asked slowly,

“Mom, today I couldn’t even afford the $1.50 it costs to add vegetables to my meal at school.

“Starting next month, can you give me ten more dollars for food?”

Mom froze for a moment before exploding in rage.

“Don’t you know whether we have money or not?! We’re broke because of you, you little curse!

“It’s all because you were born a girl and drove your father away! Otherwise, I’d be living a life of luxury with your father by now!

“And you still want ten more dollars? Dream on! Ten dollars is enough to buy me a bottle of liquor!

“Starting next month, I’m cutting your food money by another ten dollars! If you can’t afford your meals, go eat plain bread! Don’t think I don’t know your college gives out free bread!”

Looking at Mom’s vicious expression, the last thread holding me together finally snapped.