Todos los capítulos de I Never Take Advantage, but I Keep Getting Used: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

On my first night at the Judd residence, I was given the guest bedroom at the far end of the third floor. It was a spacious room, but not a single thing in it was prepared according to my preferences.The closet was filled with light-colored shirts and casual pants, all one size too small for me. A lavender-scented diffuser sat on the bedside table.I couldn't stand the cloying smell. I'd just unplugged it when Mom knocked and came in."Why did you turn it off? Colby says this scent helps you sleep best.""I don't use essential oils.""Just try it. You'll get used to it eventually. Colby spent the entire afternoon picking it out for you. Don't let his efforts go to waste."I stuck the plug back into the socket."How much did it cost?" I asked.Mom was startled. "We're family. Why are you asking about how much it cost?""If I don't, I'm afraid someone might accuse me of owing him again."Her smile slowly faded. "Bryan, must you insist on thinking so poorly of Colby?"I never

Since I'd decided to go to Northshore, I started sorting through everything the Judds had given me.All in all, there were three sets of ill-fitting clothes, a watch still in its casing, an unused debit card, and the suit from the family dinner.I'd already returned the suit. I left everything else in their respective packaging as well. I was putting everything into a box when Mom came in."Why are you packing all this stuff out of the blue?""I'm returning them."She rummaged through the box, her expression darkening."Here you go again. We're your parents! Do you seriously think we need you to sign an IOU just because we bought you a few clothes?""No need. I haven't worn any of them, so I can just return everything to you untouched," I said."Must you insist on being so formal with us and acting like we're strangers?" Mom snapped.I paused and looked at her. "You're the one who said that you guys are free to spend your money on whomever you want and that I had no right to a

It had been a month since I left, and not a single one of the Judds contacted me again. That wasn't surprising. They were waiting for me to be the one who caved and came crawling back to them.In reality, I was too busy to even think about them. The research project had just launched, and the lights in the lab stayed on late into the night every day. After Professor Lakewood noticed that I kept forgetting to eat, he simply handed my meal card to Shawn."Keep an eye on him. If he skips a meal, I'll deduct your stipend."Shawn immediately added me to a group chat where the research team discussed what to eat every day. The pinned announcement read, "Bryan doesn't eat celery and doesn't like anything too sweet."I read it twice. It didn't take knowing something for 22 years to remember what their preferences were after all. Just a casual question over a meal sufficed.Shawn sent a message."The newcomers are usually too embarrassed to speak up, so I'd rather make it clear upfront. T

During the fourth month, Tammy had someone go through the footage taken at the family dinner to welcome me home. She wanted to pick a family portrait to have printed and hung up in the living room.Gabriel stared at the shirt in the footage, looking as though he wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself to."Mrs. Judd, there's something I've been hesitant to tell you."I later learned that before the family dinner, Colby had personally handed the shirt to a maid. He said that since I'd only just returned and didn't have a proper formal outfit, I could wear his shirt. The maid thought it was a very generous gesture and made a point of telling Tammy about it.But at the dinner table, he'd asked me in front of everyone whether I owed him for borrowing his shirt.Tammy hadn't taken the shirt for me. He'd deliberately had it handed to me and waited for me to put it on.After hearing that, Tammy rewound the footage and watched it again. When I took off the suit and shirt, ever

At 9:00 am on the first day of the 17th month, Franklin's phone buzzed. The final 10,000 dollars had been transferred. The remark no longer listed the remaining balance.Instead, it read, "Payment made in full. Thank you for looking for me."What a polite message it was—so polite that it sounded like a stranger they'd helped at random.The family group chat remained quiet all morning. Tammy was the first to break the silence."Is Bryan really never coming back?"No one answered her.That afternoon, Franklin told the driver to get the car ready. All four of them came up to Northshore.When they arrived at the campus, Tammy told the visitor desk that she was my mother. After checking the records, the staff member shook his head and said, "Mr. Judd hasn't listed you as a family contact. His emergency contact is Professor Lakewood. We need his confirmation before we can let you in."Tammy clutched her ID card, unable to speak. She was the woman who had given birth to me, yet she ne