All Chapters of Ejecting the Cuckoo From the Nest: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The poster kept criticizing her sister-in-law. [She keeps making my mother-in-law send her care packages from home. Does she think that stuff doesn’t cost money? Sometimes, she even texts her brother in the middle of the night. She’s a grown adult, but she can’t understand that it was not appropriate. How shameless!]I frowned. I had once asked my mother to send me some of our special hometown sausages. Before the package arrived, Naomi called me. The first thing she said was, “Jackie, I have to tell you this because I care about you. You’re really quite thoughtless when it comes to some things. We can barely afford meat at home, but you’re asking Mom to send you so much!”After hanging up, I sent my mother $1,000.When the package arrived, I nearly burst into laughter. I assumed that Mom had sent a lot, but there was only one measly pack of sausages in there. As for the matter of the text, I had once gotten into an argument with Naomi. I had been online and found some new

Jon continued, “Besides, we just found out that Naomi’s pregnant. She’s contributing a lot to our family. You shouldn’t be making her angry right now. Apologize to Naomi!”My parents just stood there, seemingly unaware that there was anything wrong with what Jon was saying. I took a deep breath. All I could think was how absurd all this was. All the resentment and injustice that had piled up throughout the years seemed to reach its peak at that moment. I scoffed and said, “You want me to apologize? In your dreams!”I turned to my parents. “Jon was always your favorite growing up. He got new clothes every year, while I got hand-me-downs from relatives. When he wanted art classes, you scrimped and saved to send him to them. When I wanted piano lessons, you said it was a waste of money.“When he graduated high school and got into community college, you threw a big bash to celebrate. When I got into a renowned university, you said the fees were too expensive and made me get a lo

“Who’s the heartless one here? Who are the leeches sucking me dry?”My voice resounded in the vast living room, shocking them into silence. Through the line, I was sure Mr. Bateman had heard the argument. He asked tentatively, “Ms. Selavy, is everything all right over there? Your property…”“There’s no issue,” I said in determination. “Put the property on sale at once. I meant what I said before. I want this place sold as soon as possible. Whoever can pay outright will get priority. I’m returning to Savidad today. We can deal with the paperwork remotely, or I’ll come back to do it.”“All right, Ms. Selavy. I’ll get to it immediately.”When I hung up, the living room was dead silent.A few seconds later, Jon lunged at me. His arm was raised as if to hit me. “I’ll kill you, you ungrateful brat!”But I was ready for him. I took a step backward and grabbed one of the ceramic decorations on top of a cabinet. “Just try it!”I raised the thing, my tone vicious. “If you dare lif

I was alone as I dragged my luggage out of the neighborhood. The chill winter breeze blew in my face. It stung, but it also woke me up. I deleted the chat groups with the family and blocked all their numbers. Then, I booked myself the first flight back to Savidad. I used to consider this city a safe haven and my home because it was where I grew up. But I was no longer welcome here. Back in Savidad, I threw myself back into the hustle.I handled livestreams for an e-commerce platform and was under contract. The stress from work was immense. However, that was a good thing as I needed to fill up all my time with work. That was the only way I could avoid thinking about the heartbreaking incident with my family.Yet, it seemed that they refused to let me go so easily. Three days later, at dawn, I had just finished a livestream session that lasted six hours. I was exhausted to the bone. My assistant, Cora West, looked upset as she approached me with her phone in her hand.“L

I stared at the screen for several seconds before bursting into laughter. I was not mocking her. Instead, it was a strange kind of release. Naomi needed this fantasy to keep her image in other people’s eyes in the same way the rest of them needed to maintain the illusion of being a family. As for myself, I felt no need to burst their bubble. The next day, I went to see a new apartment building I had had my eye on. The location was good and close to my office. The place was small, but it had everything I needed. It also had good light. I signed the agreement on the spot and took out a loan to buy it. When I got the keys and opened the door, I looked at the empty space. This was all mine. The burden I had unknowingly still been carrying was finally laid to rest. I did not need a room kept away for me here, because every corner of this place was mine.Just as I was slowly getting used to my new life in my new home and was starting to consider how to decorate it, I got a t