Chapter 2

"January 15th, 2015. I contributed 2,000 dollars to the family's living expenses for the first time," I read out loud calmly, though my hands were trembling.

Mom's fork stopped midair, and her expression began to change.

"March 22nd, 2016. Dad was hospitalized after a sudden heart attack. The surgery costs 32 thousand dollars, which I paid upfront. That day, I was preparing for my final exams when I got the call and rushed to the hospital.

"I took out all the money I had saved for tuition. Mom held me and cried, saying, 'Brittany, once your father is discharged, I'll pay you back the money.' But it's been nine years now, and I haven't seen a single cent."

Dad's face turned dark and stormy, the veins on his temples throbbing violently.

"June 8th, 2017. Stephanie needed a deposit of 30 thousand dollars for an overseas exchange program. Mom said the family was tight on funds and asked me to cover it first.

"I applied for a student loan at school and worked two jobs for two months. I attended classes during the day, washed dishes at a restaurant at night, and didn't get back to my dorm until 2:00 am.

"One time, I was so exhausted that I collapsed on the side of the road, and a kind stranger took me to the hospital. Stephanie's already back, but where's the money?"

Stephanie turned pale as a ghost, her phone slipping from her hand and clattering to the floor.

"September 23rd, 2018. Gregory drove drunk and crashed into someone. The other party wanted to settle privately. Combined, the hospital bills and the car repairs cost a total of 50 thousand dollars.

"Dad called me and said, 'Brittany, Gregory's in trouble. We really can't come up with the money, so please help us.' I'd only been working for three months. How could I possibly have 50 thousand dollars?

"So, I borrowed from a loan shark. The man who lent me the money looked at me like I was prey. Despite that, I gritted my teeth and signed the contract. Later, I paid the interest every month for a full year and a half.

"Dad said back then that it was a loan and he'd pay me back. But where's the IOU? Where's the money?"

Gregory's smile had completely frozen on his face, his hand gripping his fork tightly.

I continued flipping through the pages, reading each entry one by one. With every entry, my voice grew calmer. Yet, the tears wouldn't stop streaming down my face.

"December 2019. I contributed 20 thousand dollars to the home renovation."

"July 2020. Gregory wanted to change cars, but he was short 15 thousand dollars. So, I covered it again."

"March 2021. Stephanie's business venture failed, and I helped her pay off the 25 thousand dollars she owed in credit card debt. That month, I couldn't even afford my own rent and ended up sleeping in the company's conference room."

"October 2022. Dad's old friend was hospitalized, and Dad wanted to give a gift, which cost 8,000 dollars."

"May 2023. Mom bought a necklace worth 12 thousand dollars for her own birthday. She told everyone it was a gift from me. But the truth was, she pressured me into buying it.

"She said, 'Stephanie always buys me designer brands. If you give me something so cheap, how am I supposed to hold my head up in front of my friends?"

With every entry I read aloud, Mom's face grew paler.

After reading the last entry, I closed the ledger.

"Every month for the last ten years, I contributed 2,000 dollars for living expenses. That's a total of 240 thousand dollars. With various loans adding up to another 192 thousand dollars, that brings the grand total to 432 thousand dollars."

The entire dining room fell deathly silent, with only the sound of my sobs echoing in the air.

I couldn't hold it in any longer. Ten years of pent-up frustration and repression all burst out at this moment.

I pushed the ledger toward Mom before pulling out my phone and opening the calculator app. My hands were trembling so much I had to press the numbers several times to get them right.

"Since you insist on settling accounts, let's do it properly. Over the past ten years, applying a conservative annual interest rate of 2%, the total—principal plus interest—comes to 518 thousand and 400 dollars.

"But since we're family, I'll round it down to half a million dollars. Mom, Dad, please pay me back immediately."

Stephanie shot up from her chair, pointing at me. "Brittany, have you lost your mind?" she shrieked. "You've actually been keeping tabs for ten years? When did you become so calculating and evil? You're not the sister I used to know!"

I wiped away my tears and looked at her.

"You're right. I have changed. But you're the ones who taught me how. Weren't you the ones who just insisted on settling accounts? Heck, Mom even charged me three dollars for an extra helping of pasta. So, it's only fair that I go through every single expense from the past ten years."

Dad abruptly stood up. Then, he walked over to me and swung his hand back. The next thing I felt was a vicious slap across my face. My head turned to the side, blood trickling from the corner of my mouth.

"You ingrate!" he roared, his voice trembling with rage. "How dare you put a price on our sacrifice? Your mother and I raised you for 20 years, and this is how you repay us?"

Clutching my cheek, I looked up at him.

Tears mixed with blood dripped down my chin as I asked, "Then how can you charge me three dollars for a helping of pasta? Why does my income have to be tied to what I eat?

"Why, after contributing 2,000 dollars in living expenses and doing all the housework, am I still looked down on by all of you? Why didn't I even get a single thank you after I gave you all my savings to help you?

"When I was sick, why did you still make me cook and say things like 'housework makes you sweat, and sweating breaks a fever'? Why did you force me to give up my spot at an Ivy League college and settle for a lower-ranked one instead?

"Was it because you needed to fund Stephanie's study abroad? Why do Stephanie and Gregory get to have everything, while I have to pay for an extra helping of pasta? Dad, tell me—why?"

My voice grew louder and louder until it finally turned into a roar.

Dad's hand was still raised in midair, his entire body frozen in shock.

Mom suddenly lunged at me, trying to snatch the ledger from my hands.

"You wretched girl! Hand over that damn ledger. I'm going to tear it to pieces if it's the last thing I do!"

Her nails raked across my arm, leaving several bloody scratches.

I dodged to the side, and she fell flat on the ground.

Gregory rose from his feet and strode toward me menacingly.

"How dare you demand money from Mom and Dad? You must be looking for a beating! You're nothing but an ingrate! 20 years they raised you, and you've thrown it all away like a heartless traitor!"

I looked at him coldly as I wiped the blood from my face.

"If you so much as lay a hand on me, I'll call the police and report you for assault. And I'll hand them the receipts from the past ten years while I'm at it. Care to guess what they'll make of it?"

Gregory's fist hung in the air. But in the end, he lowered it. Still, his eyes were filled with venom.

Dad pointed a trembling finger at me. "Get out! Get out of here right now! From today onward, you are no longer my daughter. This family doesn't raise ingrates! You don't deserve to be our daughter."

I put the ledger into my bag and picked up the three dollars from the table with a trembling hand. "Fine, but I'm taking this money. Consider it the severance fee for cutting ties with me."

With that, I turned and walked toward the door.

Behind me, Mom screamed hysterically, "Go ahead and leave, but don't you dare come back. You think we'll beg you to return? Dream on!

"Even if you starve to death out there, don't even think about setting foot in this house again. I curse you to die a miserable death!"

Stephanie joined in, screaming, "You ingrate! You'll get what's coming to you!"

Gregory even grabbed a plate from the table and hurled it at me. "Get out! And don't you ever come back!"

The plate shattered at my feet, shards scattering against my legs. Even though it hurt, I continued walking out the door without so much as a backward glance.

The door slammed heavily with a bang behind me. I leaned against it, slowly sliding down until I sat on the ground.

The cheerful sounds of the Christmas Eve exploded in my ears.

I hugged my knees and buried my head in my arms. Finally, I could cry out loud.

A decade's worth of suppressed resentment poured out all at once. I wept heart-wrenchingly, my entire body trembling.

Neighbors passing by glanced at me hesitantly but ultimately walked away.

Only one of the neighbors, Joanna Lambert, stopped and crouched down beside me. "Brittany? What's wrong?"

She gasped when she saw the blood on my face. "Good heavens. Who hit you?"

I shook my head, unable to speak.

Ms. Lambert helped me up. "There now, stop crying. Come on, I'll take you to the hospital."

Once again, I shook my head and pulled away from her arms. "Thank you, Ms. Lambert, but I'm fine. I-I have to go."

I stood up, wiping away my tears. Then, I picked up my suitcase and disappeared into the night.

Behind me stood the house where I'd lived for decades. But from now on, it'd no longer be my home.

For a mere three dollars, I bought myself release from decades of pent-up misery. It was all worth it.