Lahat ng Kabanata ng Family Fraud: The Big Lie: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

It was my birthday. After school and my part-time shift, I came home at about 10:00 pm. I carried a plastic bag into the rental, and inside was an old-fashioned cake that I bought for about a dollar.I reached out to turn on the light, but nothing happened. The room stayed pitch-dark. Although the bulb had burned out again, the moonlight filtering in was bright enough. It was fine.Sitting by the window and greedily borrowing the moonlight, I set the old-fashioned cake on the table. There were no candles, so I pretended to stick one into the cake and light it.I closed my eyes, made a wish, and blew gently. My wish was simple—I hoped my exams would go well.The moment I opened my eyes, I heard someone pounding on the door. "Open up! Time to pay up, or I'll kick down your door!"Although this wasn't the first time this had happened, I still jumped in fright. The people outside were here to collect Mom's gambling debts. She had lost a lot of money.I hid inside while biting my lip,

"I'm telling you, there's no way Mom and Dad will bring you home. The livestream won't stop either! You deserve to stay in that rotten, dark rental apartment and waste your life away so everyone can laugh and make fun of you!"Archer clutched my hair while kicking me. My face twisted in extreme agony, and I couldn't help but find him scary. In just six years, the boy who used to be gentle and kind had turned into a monster.As if still unsatisfied, he made a gesture and signaled the students behind him to step forward and start bashing me. At one point, they even ripped off my clothes.Archer pulled out his phone and began filming me. "After all the kicking and punching, you barely made a sound. I guess we weren't doing it hard enough. Don't blame me. I just don't want to fall behind Mom and Dad in how they treated you."He instructed his friends, "Kick him harder and strip him naked!" Archer laughed maniacally. I whimpered, forcing myself not to cry. The more I cried, the more e

By the time I landed in Genevia, the last exam was almost over. I tuned into the livestream and, sure enough, my family was at the school gate, streaming themselves.Once again, it was a split-screen view, though what differed this time was the perspectives—one focused on the school gate, the other on themselves."Adam will be out as soon as he finishes! Everyone, start sending us your gifts!"They were even encouraging viewers to send more gifts, as they were celebrating the end of the exam season and the family reunion that was supposedly about to happen.However, they waited for a long time until all the students in the school left. The gate emptied, with just a few stragglers lingering. Even then, I hadn't appeared.The viewers, who had been ready for the spectacle, grew impatient. Comments started flooding in."Why isn't he coming out? Are you playing with us?""Yeah. And I've already sent so many gifts."Mom hurriedly tried to calm them down. "Don't worry, everyone. Adam'

Archer looked the worst of all. Ever since moving into that rundown apartment, he had been full of complaints. As he was used to a life of luxury, when he was suddenly thrown into poverty, he naturally struggled to adapt.Mom noticed the streaming earnings were disappointing and shut it down. I thought it was a shame that I could no longer watch their family of three make a fool of themselves.…I had been in Genevia for over two weeks now and was starting to settle in. I didn't know the local language yet, so I was teaching myself.I also found a job at a restaurant, which was perfect for getting familiar with the city and practicing the language. Not to mention, I could make a little money on the side.With two months until classes started, I was actually looking forward to my life abroad. I thought things would finally be peaceful. Then, one day, the three of them showed up at the restaurant where I worked.When I saw Mom, Dad, and Archer, I wasn't surprised. In fact, I had ex

Was that the parental love Archer defended so fiercely from me? Honestly, it was ironic.In the end, Mom and Dad sold him to a middle-aged woman with a nasty streak. I didn't know how much they got for him, but I was sure it wasn't small change.They even livestreamed the day she came to pick Archer up. What a way to milk their son dry.Officially, it was about recognizing a wealthy lady as his godmother. In reality, they just sold him to her to play with.On the livestream, Archer looked dressed to the nines, but his eyes were sparkless and dead. Sure, he loved money, but that didn't mean he wanted to end up with a middle-aged lady.I couldn't even imagine the kind of life he would have from here on out.That woman, a chubby fifty-year-old, held Archer in her arms and laughed like she was having the time of her life. Watching it on the screen made me feel sick, contrary to how elated Mom and Dad seemed.A chill ran down my spine. People like them didn't deserve to have children