All Chapters of The Punching Bag in This Loving Family: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

When Mom saw me walking toward the study, she angrily grabbed my wrist, only to then shake me off upon touching the thick layer of scar tissue there."Do you not understand me? That room will be set aside as James' gaming room from now on!" she yelled before slamming the door shut.She acted as if just allowing me to see the room would somehow dirty it.I suddenly laughed neurotically and asked, "Then, where do I stay?"After a stunned pause, Mom gestured furiously toward different furniture pieces in the living room while looking at me as if I were an idiot."Do we not have a couch here? Is that not a rug? Take your pick! Cut the pity party!"She sounded like she was talking to a stray dog."Do I not deserve a room of my own?" I asked softly.Dad abruptly flew into a rage, as if he'd been tolerating my behavior for a long time."You have everything you need in this family, so why are you trying to fight your older siblings over something as trivial as this? James doesn't have

My friends were extremely panicked, but before they could finish explaining, Dad issued an ultimatum."Enough. Please leave."He looked heartbroken.He added, "Lilian has already led all of you astray. You should keep your distance from her, or you might all become ungrateful wretches just like her."My tears finally started falling, and I yelled brokenly at him, "Why must you insult me in front of my classmates? What exactly have I done wrong?"He retorted, "How about you just don't do anything you don't want to be exposed for, then?"Unexpectedly, Mom grew excited at my reaction.She pointed at me and shouted, "Look! That's exactly how her outbursts go! I was telling you the truth, wasn't I?"She sounded so happy and self-righteous, as if driving me crazy was a great accomplishment to her.My friends, who were unable to stand the situation any longer, scrambled to their feet and fled out the door.Mom exclaimed with a gloating smile, "See? Not even your friends can stand yo

The hotel receptionist told my family, "She checked out this morning."The college entrance exam was over, so I took a long-distance bus to another city.I'd already gotten in contact with a factory where I planned to work for two and a half months to save up for college tuition.Mom made a huge scene, furious."Who have I been doing everything for all these years? She's grown so bold that she dares to run away from home! If our family falls apart, it'll be all her fault!"Dad stood off to the side, smoking with a grave look on his face.Susan was puzzled. "She really doesn't realize how fortunate she is. What exactly does she have to be so sad about that she's making so much of a fuss over it?"James, on the other hand, complained in a bored, unconcerned tone, "Let's go home. I have other things to do."After they returned home, Mom lay listlessly on her bed, looking utterly drained.She mumbled, "Who do you think I've been doing all this for?"Nobody cooked dinner, so James

The instant Mom saw me, she started bawling like a child."Are you casting your parents aside? Do you have any idea how much we've suffered lately? James moved out, and Susan's ignoring us! We're already getting on in years! Are you determined to make our lives miserable?" she asked accusingly.Even though I'd mentally braced myself for this, I was still hurt by her thoughtless accusations.She'd treated me like her emotional trash can for years.Whenever Susan rubbed her the wrong way, she got into an argument with James, or she disagreed with Dad on something, she would air out her grievances to me.Every time she finished pouring her heart out to me, she'd look revitalized, as if she'd caught a second wind.Her goal wasn't to change them, but to pressure me into passively accepting my role as her emotional trash can.However, I was a different person now."You all deserve it," I told her shortly."What did you say?" Mom asked, glaring disbelievingly at me.It was like she