All Chapters of Father's Birthday Cake: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

"Yvonne, are you crazy? My grades were better than yours, but Mom and Dad made me drop out of school to work so that you could study! They did it because they loved you! Without them, would you have this kind of achievement? Most poor families favor boys over girls, but our family is the opposite. All these years, we paid for all the food you ate, all the clothes you wore, and all the school supplies you used! How dare you!"After he said that, my classmate also stepped forward, her face flushed with anger."I can testify! Yvonne's family comes to school every year on her birthday, rain or shine, to celebrate her birthday with her! I know because we were in the same middle school too!"My best friend also shouted, "That's right, I can testify too! Mr. and Mrs. Wesley don't dress well themselves, but they always buy Yvonne new clothes. When she needed a laptop for online classes, they bought her an expensive one without batting an eye.""Yvonne is such an ungrateful brat!"Turning

When Mom found me, she sighed in relief. "Don't worry about your brother, Yvonne. He's a good boy, he won't run off. Let's go home. What if bad people catch you?"Dad took me home on his bicycle.My brother's room was emptied, the walls painted pink, and a new desk and lamp were bought.Mom served steaming roasted pork and freshly stewed ribs."Surprise! We prepared this for you."Seeing Dad's frostbitten hands and Mom's bent posture, my nose felt stuffy, and my breath caught.My brother eventually returned home.He didn't have any complaints. Although he liked studying, he obeyed Mom and Dad and dropped out.On weekends, he would sneak to my school to see me, bringing me little snacks.It felt like there was no unhappiness between us despite our parents' blatant favoritism.I studied hard.I was afraid to relax, fearing I would disappoint my family.After the SAT scores were released this year, I immediately called Mom with the new iPhone she bought me."Mom, I'm the top

I nodded hard. "I promise I'll behave, Mom. I'll be obedient. I'll do whatever you want as long as you keep Gloria alive."As per my request, Gloria was taken to a specialist hospital for treatment.The doctor said the cancer was late stage and was already incurable. They could only use chemotherapy to slow the cancer's progression and prolong her life.The total cost of her treatment was $20,000.That day, I cried uncontrollably and banged my head on the ground until blood stained the floor, begging my parents to lend me the money.I promised I would pay them back.Dad looked me up and down with a sinister glint in his eye. "Alright, as long as you study hard, everything's negotiable."I studied desperately.While my classmates were applying makeup, dating, and enjoying life, I was in the dorm, studying and doing assignments.During the holidays, when my roommates traveled with their parents, I locked myself in my room, studying late into the night, determined to commit entir

"Go on, cry! Why aren't you crying now?!" Dad picked up a stick and smashed it hard on Gloria's head."What are you glaring at? Your stomach cancer is terminal. Spending money on you is the same as throwing it away! We won't spend a dime on your treatment! The sooner you die, the better! And if you dare tell your sister, we'll beat her to death!"I plugged a USB drive into the computer on the podium.The screen displayed the tragic state of Gloria along with the brutality of my parents.The video exposed my parents' intention to sell me to a wealthy family and their lies about spending money on Gloria's treatment.Every word pierced my heart like a dagger, making it hard for me to breathe.My brother, trembling, turned to my parents in disbelief."You… you lied to me. You told me Gloria's studying abroad! It's not like we didn't earn any money the last few years. Why… why wouldn't you spend it on her treatment? She's my sister!"My brother's cries echoed in my ears.The class