Chapter 3

After picking up Nancy, I went back to my parents' house.

I had left my briefcase there when I went out to buy the gold bracelet.

The moment I stepped inside, an air conditioner remote flew past my face and slammed into the doorframe.

Mom sat on the couch with red eyes. She scoffed. "Look who had the nerve to come back."

She exchanged a glance with my dad, Isaac Luster, as if they had me completely under control.

I didn't say a word. I grabbed my briefcase and turned to leave.

Dad stepped in front of me.

"Did you just embarrass your mom in public just because she said a couple of things? It was just some pancakes. Here's five bucks. Don't make a scene."

He transferred five bucks to me and glared at me as though he were tossing coins to a beggar. "There. Now go apologize to your mom."

It turned out that when someone was pushed past a certain point, they really did start laughing.

I let out a short laugh.

Mom thought I'd given in. She leaned back in the massage chair I had just bought for her and said impatiently, "Alright, give me my bracelet back. Tomorrow, you'll go buy that gold necklace and bring it for Henry. You're always scheming over the smallest amounts of money."

"I won't be putting on a show or taking advantage of Henry anymore," I said, enunciating every word.

Mom's expression stiffened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I didn't answer. Just then, a loud knock came from the door.

When it opened, movers from the furniture company I had purchased from came in.

There were seven of them. They were all tall and well-built.

"We're here to move the furniture. Mr. Ethan updated the delivery address," the leader explained.

Dad adjusted his glasses and shot me a resentful look, then quietly retreated into the bedroom.

Mom tried to stop them, but she didn't stand a chance against a group of muscular movers.

The TV, air conditioner, range hood, washing machine, refrigerator, and massage chair were dismantled and carried out of the house.

Then, I called a scrap yard and paid double to have their old furniture brought back.

By the time I was done, the house was a complete mess.

"Are you insane? Why are you doing this? All I did was say a few words, yet you're retaliating like this?" Mom screamed.

"This isn't retaliation, Mom," I said with a smile. "Didn't you say all I do is take advantage of Henry to build a good reputation for myself? From now on, I'll let him have all the chances to look good."

Dad kept sighing. He burned through cigarette after cigarette, while Mom kept crying and shouting.

But none of that was my business.

…

When I got home, the new furniture had already been placed in the living room. It felt a little cramped.

My wife, Evelyn Gilbert, had prepared a full table of food.

My ten-year-old daughter ran up to me with a drawing in hand. "Daddy, look!"

"It's beautiful! Your mom and I will take you to the amusement park tomorrow."

The drawing showed the three of us at the park. It was ordinary, yet it felt like a dream.

Last year, Mom was diagnosed with lung cancer.

A single box of her medication costs anywhere from 7 to 20 thousand dollars.

To keep her condition stable, I worked nonstop, sacrificing time with my daughter and wrecking my own health.

Yet I decided to stop. I would earn a little less, but it would give me a break to spend more time with my family.

I slipped the gold bracelet onto Evelyn's wrist.

She looked at me in surprise. Her lips parted as if she had forgotten how to speak.

I nodded with teary eyes. "Yeah. I've made up my mind."

She hugged me tightly. "Congratulations. You're finally free."

Nancy wrapped her arms around me too.

In that moment, I felt strength flowing back into me.

The old furniture at home had needed to be replaced a long time ago. As Evelyn arranged for them to be taken away, Henry called me.

"Do you really have to be this petty, Ethan? Just say you don't want to get the necklace for me. Fine, I don't want it anymore. Just come back and apologize to Mom. She's been crying because of you," he said, sounding utterly entitled.

I'd already seen through him. "I'm not apologizing. I've taken care of our parents for the past five years. It's your turn now."

"You're unbelievable! Do you really have to throw a tantrum?" he snapped. "You're rich. Why don't you give more? No wonder Mom doesn't love you!"

He knew exactly what to say to hurt me.

"Speaking of money, when Nancy wanted to go to a summer camp in Thenon last year, you threw a tantrum, saying you wanted to travel there. Mom pressured me into lending you 100 thousand. When are you paying that back?" I asked calmly.

His confidence immediately faltered. "Ethan, I just opened a cafe. I don't have any money right now…"

I tightened my grip on the phone.

"You don't? Then why were you showing off your new car on social media a few days ago?"

Some noise broke out on the other end of the line, then Mom's sharp voice cut in. "Money—that's all you care about! Ethan, if you keep pushing Henry, I won't go to the hospital for my checkup this month!"

I was worried Mom's cancer might spread, so I used to take time off every month to take her to the hospital for follow-ups.

But the medication had worked so well that she barely felt any symptoms. She always thought I was overreacting.

She used it against me, thinking she could control me that way.

"Did the hospital not inform you?" I asked flatly. "I've already canceled all your checkups. I've also stopped ordering your medication."