All Chapters of Broken Ties, Broken Home: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

My hand closed instinctively into a fist. After I loosened my fingers again, I folded one back. “Keep going!”My cousin, Amara, was trying very hard to make the game feel livelier. After a few more rounds, it was Tyler Posner’s turn again.“Mom put $200,000 in my bank account. She said it’s so I have some financial security.”His tone was casual, but his words assaulted my ears. My relatives’ gazes drifted from me to Mom.I folded a second finger back. I felt its icy tip against my palm.Mom still did not look up.The game of “Never Have I Ever” kept going, but the whole vibe had changed. My heart beat slowly in my chest. It sent a dull ache through my body with every beat. Tyler spoke up again. This time, his tone of voice was challenging. “When I was sixteen, Mom secretly took me on a trip to Disneyland, and we played all day. It was just us, and no one else knew about it.”Memories surface in my mind. It was my junior year, and there had been an exam at school. Wh

Chapter 2

“No!” I was holding back tears as I fought back. The strange thing was that the ache in my heart got milder as I spoke. “You’ve always done everything for Tyler. I always just came along for the ride.”I pushed my chair back and stood up. My hands clenched into fists.“Where are you going?” Mom shouted at me from behind. I did not answer her and made my way to the door. When I stepped out, I turned back for a look. Tyler was patting Mom on the back to console her. They formed their little circle of two, walling everyone else out. Cold air assaulted me. I took a deep breath, letting the chill sting my lungs. My phone buzzed with a notification from the bank. Money had been deducted from my account. I froze. [Family card expenditure: $98,750.000. Current balance: $3.42.]There was a limit on the family card, and Mom typically used it up halfway through the month. That was why I linked it to the account that received my salary.That way, she could keep spending with th

Chapter 3

“That’s easy for you to say,” I said, turning to her. My voice shook as I demanded, “Pay it back to me now. Pay me back $100,000.”Things got even more tense with that. The next thing I knew, a heavy slap landed on my face. My ears rang, and my cheek stung. “How dare you talk to me like that?!” Mom’s expression was thunderous. “I’m the head of this household, and you will learn that lesson tonight.”Mom took her phone out and poked at it furiously.A few seconds later, my phone started vibrating. Messages kept popping up in the family WhatsApp group.Mom’s voice blared through the voice notes in the group chat. “Come look at what kind of son I’ve raised! He went to the big city and forgot his roots! He’s home on Christmas asking us for money. I only spent a bit of his money, but he wants me to pay it back! I wasted all those years raising him, and this is what he does!”Our relatives’ responses started popping up. They were all either furiously scolding me or advising me.I

Chapter 4

I lost my resolve upon seeing Mom’s flushed face. Perhaps what happened last night was only an impulse on Mom’s part?Maybe she had not meant to be so biased…I relented. At the hospital, Mom lay on the bed and kept moaning and groaning. “My whole body hurts… It hurts here and here. Doctor, I want to do a full examination.”The doctor obligingly ordered the tests. I ran around, paying the fees, getting samples, and getting medication. Mom wanted to do all sorts of elective tests, from a CT scan of her head to a full-body scan. I did not complain at all and simply paid for every expense. Soon, all my savings dwindled to nothing.“Mom, are all these tests really necessary?” I could not help but ask later in the day. “Oh, what do you know?” Mom’s voice was loud and shrill. “Shouldn’t I do these tests, given how sick I am? Are you still worried about the money? Do you know how much it cost me to raise you for so many years?”“I’ll take money out of my fixed deposit,” I int

Chapter 5

“What are you talking about, Skyler?”Mom tried to squeeze out a smile. “I’m sick. I don’t have the energy to talk about all this…”“You’re sick, but you can still give Tyler $200,000, so why can’t you give me just $60,000?”I did not budge. “We’re both your sons, so you should treat us equally, right?”Aunt Mary cleared her throat. “Jessica, did you really give Ty $200,000?”“Well… yes…” Mom’s face paled. “That money is for him to use when he gets married. I gave it to him early…”“Then, it shouldn’t be that difficult to give me $60,000 for my deposit, right? That’s money that’s needed right now. It’s not too much to ask for.”Tyler suddenly shot up and snapped at me, “Skyler, do you have to bring all this up when Mom’s so sick? Don’t you have a heart?”“Me? I don’t have a heart?”I turned to Tyler and let all the resentment and frustration of the past decades flood out. “You conspired together to scam me out of my $200,000 fixed deposit. Don’t you have a heart? Mom faked h

Chapter 6

After my client left, I turned to face Mom and Tyler. My voice was icy as I said, “How did you find me?”“You work in the same building as Mrs. Garrity’s son. We saw you.”Tyler cut in. His eyes swept over the fancy cafe. “You’re doing really well, aren’t you, Sky?”"Get to the point.”I did not offer them a seat.Mom’s smile froze on her face. “Skyler, I know I wronged you, but I’m still your mother. You can’t just leave me to die.”“Cut to the chase.”“Living expenses,” Tyler said for Mom. “Mom’s getting old, and her health isn’t the best. She needs someone to care for her. You’re her son, so you should pay her living expenses.”I nearly burst into laughter. “If I remember correctly, when you were hospitalized three months ago, you said you were disowning me and wouldn’t give me a single cent. You said Tyler was your only son.”Mom’s face changed. “I was angry! I didn’t mean it!”“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow. “Then, are you still giving all your assets to Tyler?”“Well…” That

Chapter 7

Mom was stunned. She looked at the box in my arms and then at my face. Panic flashed across her face. “Why… Why are you holding that box?”“I resigned,” I said simply. “I lost my job, just like you wanted.”“I-I didn’t…” Mom stuttered. Suddenly, she turned to the crowd and said, “I didn’t want him to lose his job. I only wanted… I only wanted him to apologize! Where’s your manager? I’ll go and explain. This is only a joke—”I cut her off. “There’s no need.”Mom’s expression was hostile. “It’s all your fault! You did this! If you weren’t so heartless and insistent on stealing from your brother, would things have ended up this way? You ruined our perfectly happy family!”My temper flared. It had been twenty-eight years. I had tolerated this for twenty-eight years and overlooked all of it. I told myself that she was my mother and that she had gone through some hard times. Today, I did not want to tolerate this any longer. “What have I stolen exactly?” I let out a bitter laugh

Chapter 8

“You and Tyler can rely on each other. I won’t be a part of this.”I turned to leave, but Tyler suddenly cried out from behind, “Mom? Mom, are you alright?”I paused but did not turn back.Were they trying the same old trick again? Faking illness and trying to gain sympathy through whatever dire circumstance they made up. But Tyler’s voice was truly panicked. “Sky, Mom fainted! She really fainted!”I hurriedly turned around. Mom was on the floor. Her face was pale, and her hand was clutching her chest. Her eyes were tightly shut. There was a commotion among the crowd. Someone yelled, “Call an ambulance!”I rushed over and fell on my knees next to her. Mom’s hands were icy cold, and her pulse was weak. She was not faking it this time. “Mom?” I patted her face lightly. “Mom, can you hear me?”The wail of an ambulance’s siren came closer and closer. The EMTs quickly got Mom on a stretcher, and Tyler followed her into the ambulance tearfully. I stood where I was.My phon

Chapter 9

“Mom, wouldn’t that be—”“What?” Mom interrupted. “I gave birth to him and raised him. Isn’t it right for him to take care of me? Besides, he’s so successful now. A little money is nothing to him. What are you going to do if I don’t get you more money?”I closed my eyes. My world was spinning. So this was it. Even though Mom was at the end of her life and was truly sick, she was still scheming against me. All my care and concern toward her was nothing. She only wanted my money to build a future for Tyler. Even my capabilities and meticulousness had become reasons to use me as her unpaid carer. I took out the card and looked at it. I suddenly burst out laughing. Just then, my phone rang. “Sky…” came Mom’s weak and pitiful voice through the line. “Where are you? I want to see you one last time…”I took a deep breath. “I’m outside the hospital.”Mom was quiet for a few seconds. Then, she said excitedly, “You’re here? Come up! There’s so much I want to say to you—”“I wo

Chapter 10

“You raised me?” Tyler turned around and said sharply. “You took the house! You took my savings, too! How am I supposed to take care of you?”Windows started opening as neighbors poked their heads out to watch the show. No one tried to step in to mediate. They were all only there for free entertainment. “I was just… I was just afraid that you would spend it all!” Mom was panting hard. She was only upright because she was braced against the wall. “You were afraid I would spend it all?” Tyler scoffed. “Why not use that money now? Surely there’s still a little left!”Mom’s face went white. “I spent it all on the medical fees…”“You spent it all?” Tyler’s voice was loud. “You spent more than $200,000 in a few months? Who do you think you’re trying to fool?”“It’s true! The doctor prescribed some really expensive medications…”Mom started to cry, but the tears looked extra fake on her face. “I don’t care!”Tyler smacked away the hand Mom extended to him. “I don’t have any mone

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP