Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

Julia noticed my gaze and hurriedly rummaged through the bottom of the shoe cabinet, pulling out a pair of disposable indoor slippers and handing them to me instead."I'm sorry, Ms. Peterson. I seemed to have been wearing the wrong pair by mistake. Why don't you put these on for now?"I looked at the flimsy disposable slippers and then at my thick cotton slippers on Julia's feet. A strange feeling rose in my chest, but I still didn't say anything and just silently changed into the disposable ones.After dinner, I was just about to sit on the couch and rest to ease my fatigue from travelling for hours when Dad pointed to the table and said, "Go wash the dishes."I froze on the spot and instinctively replied, "Don't we have a caretaker for that?"Mom frowned at once and set down her glass. Her face darkened as she looked at me. "Julia has been working hard, taking care of us, doing the laundry, cooking, cleaning, and more. "She's exhausted from working all day long. She should res

Dad opened his mouth to continue yelling at me, but Julia hurriedly stepped in and gently smoothed things over."Mr. and Mrs. Peterson, it's rare for Ms. Peterson to come back. Let's just talk things out calmly as a family instead of arguing like this. We should be keeping our peace."Then, she turned to me with a gentle smile. "Ms. Peterson, Mr. and Mrs. Peterson are just getting old and want someone to be with them. It's only natural that they want someone to rely on. Please don't get mad at them."Dad's expression softened slightly after hearing what Julia said. He looked at her gently and said, "Julia is very sensible. She understands us better than someone who only cares about work and money."I didn't have the energy to argue with them anymore. It was exhausting for me to even say another word. So, I turned and walked toward my room instead.However, I froze the moment I opened the door.My bed was covered in unfamiliar sheets and blankets. My dressing table was piled high

I held the phone, feeling a mix of disbelief and amusement as I listened to Mom's self-righteous demand."Living expenses? Julia's wages? But I thought you adopted Julia as your daughter!"There was a full three-second pause on the other end of the line, as if she'd never expected me to say that. Then, Mom's voice rose by a few decibels as she continued demanding impatiently, yet I could hear a tinge of guilt in her voice."What does that have to do with you sending us the money? We raised you all these years and put you through college, Genevieve! Isn't it only right that you send us the money for our monthly living expenses?""Only right?" I chuckled lightly. "If I remember correctly, Dad slammed his fists on the table and said that you both had enough retirement savings for yourselves, and that you didn't need my money. You also accused me for only caring about money instead of family ties."It hasn't even been that long since he said that, and you're already asking for money f

In the past, with my monthly allowance of 5,000 dollars to support my parents, and me also covering Julia's salary, they could buy whatever they wanted for food or clothing without second thought.They even bought Julia clothes and jewelry quite often, spoiling her like she was their real daughter.But now, without my money, their expenses were entirely covered by their meager pensions and retirement funds. Before long, they were struggling financially and could barely even afford fresh groceries anymore.Dinner that night was just instant mac and cheese with a side of instant mashed potatoes. There wasn't even a strip of bacon in sight.Dad stared at the plain mac and cheese, and his face darkened instantly. He set down his fork and snapped at Julia, who was cleaning up the kitchen."How could you serve us instant junk food like this? At least use fresh ingredients and add some bacon bits to the pasta! Are you seriously expecting Marie and me to eat this trash?"Julia came out o

My parents were at their wits' end, but there was nothing they could do about the situation. After all, they were the ones who had adopted Julia in the first place. If word got out, they would only be humiliating themselves.If my parents mentioned kicking Julia out, she would immediately throw a tantrum by rolling on the floor, crying and screaming at the top of her lungs. "You adopted me, didn't you? It's only natural for me to live in your home!"How dare you throw me out! If you do, I'll go around the neighborhood telling everyone you abuse your daughter! Then we'll see if you still have the nerve to continue living here!"My parents didn't know what to do anymore and could only sigh in frustration all day.Julia had turned the house into an absolute mess. There was trash everywhere, and meals were often just makeshift instant boxed meals thrown together. My parents lived like they were walking on eggshells every day, afraid of upsetting her and causing another huge scene.The