Chapter 2

Mom and I looked up at the same time.

Guilty, Dad looked away under our furious stares.

"A house is a prerequisite for marriage! Abigail is young, after all, and she's never had a hard day in her life. I can't exactly have her living on a construction site, can I?

"It works out perfectly, anyway. You go over and handle the cleanup. It saves money on a professional deep clean, and doesn't that help you out too?"

Acting casual, he reached out to grab Mom.

"Don't worry. You'll get to live there too when you help Abigail keep the place running after the baby is born."

Mom dodged his hand, her eyes growing even redder.

"She's already pregnant? What about Bailey?

"Bailey has lived on a construction site for six years! Why didn't you buy her a house?"

Feeling embarrassed in front of Abigail, Dad snapped, displeased. "Who do you think earned all the money? You two haven't gone hungry, so what is there to be dissatisfied about?"

"It's not like the construction site is unlivable. Why do you insist on wasting money on a house? Plenty of people out there have to sleep on the streets!"

I looked down at my dirt-caked fingernails, which looked so ugly next to Abigail's perfect, glossy manicure.

For as long as I could remember, I had lived in a corrugated tin shack that was freezing in the winter and scorching in the summer.

The roaring noise outside never stopped, which had severely damaged my hearing.

My body was always covered in a thick layer of dust. The neighborhood kids avoided me for being dirty, calling me a beggar.

I used to think the surrounding skyscrapers were impossibly expensive. It turned out Dad could actually afford a place like that...

Mom wiped away my tears and told them to get the hell out.

Dad suddenly whipped out two hundred dollars from his wallet and threw them at her. "It's about money, right? Here, take it!"

The two bills fluttered down onto the filthy floor.

Mom hesitated for a second, but she still picked them up. She had to, because that was enough to buy me new clothes for over half a year.

Dad then shoved a bank card and a new set of car keys into Abigail's hands.

"There's twenty thousand on the card. The PIN is my birthday. Go shop and buy whatever you like."

Mom's eyes instantly widened.

"That... Is that my card?"

Dad shot her a disdainful look. "What's yours is mine. I can't believe you were secretly hiding money! I guess I usually give you too much!"

"That's Bailey's tuition money! Give it back!"

Panic-stricken, Mom lunged forward to grab it, but Dad shoved her hard to the ground.

Abigail looked on with utter disgust. "Only twenty thousand? What can I even buy with that?"

Dad immediately pulled out his phone. "I just transferred fifty thousand more. If it's not enough, just ask!"

Only then did Abigail leave happily.

Dad dragged Mom and me into his minivan.

It was the first time I had ever seen such a beautiful house. It was huge and bright, and opening the windows revealed a view of the river.

Dad rushed Mom to start working right away. But then Abigail called, saying she had gotten into a car accident, and Dad hurried off.

Mom took me to a high-end restaurant and ordered a lavish main course. "Eat slowly. Mom has to take care of something. I'll be right back."

By the time Dad rushed back in a fit of rage, I found out that Mom had completely wrecked the house's brand-new interior.

Covered in mud, her eyes bloodshot, she screamed at Dad.

"I don't have any money to pay you back anyway! Go ahead and call the cops if you think you're man enough. Let's blow this whole thing up!

"That way, everyone can see exactly how you abuse your own daughter!"

Dad’s chest heaved. He pointed his finger at Mom for a long time, unable to utter a single word.

"Get the hell out!"

Mom looked at him, completely calm. "I was planning to leave with my daughter anyway, but you need to pay me my wages first.

"Hiring someone to cook outside costs at least five thousand a month. I did it for five whole years. You owe me three hundred thousand!"

Dad gasped.

"Mandy Price! You really are money-grubbing! How dare you demand three hundred thousand? You are shameless! I truly misjudged you back then!"

I remembered a worker once telling me that Dad used to be timid and let people walk all over him. It was Mom who stood up for him to demand the wages he'd been shorted.

"The way your dad looked at your mom back then was pure worship."

I didn't understand why adults were so complicated.

Mom was clearly just fighting for her wages too, so why was she shameless?

However, Mom didn't argue back, with only tears in her eyes.

"Fine, I'm shameless. But it's not like you're any different. So what pride do I have left to keep by staying with you?

"If you don't give me the money, I will make a scene in your neighborhood every single day! I'll make sure you and your mistress never have peace!"

Dad’s face turned bright red with rage. He looked at Mom, then looked at me.

Suddenly, he scooped me up in his arms. "Fine! You want to fight me? Then don't even dream of keeping the kid!"

Before I could even react, Dad had already carried me far away.

The security guards he called pinned Mom to the ground, leaving Mom's face and hands scraped and bleeding.

I struggled and screamed with all my might, but Dad lied to the crowd, claiming Mom was a child trafficker.

The people in the neighborhood started whispering and pointing fingers at her.

Dad leaned in close to Mom, threatening her. "My name is on her birth certificate, and you don't have a dime to hire a lawyer. No court is going to give custody to a homeless woman!

"If you ever want to see her again, you'll behave yourself and go to the hospital to take care of Abigail. Otherwise, you'll never see your daughter again!"

"Mom..."

Looking at me as my voice went hoarse from crying, Mom finally gave in.