All Chapters of Raised to Never Be Enough: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

In the year I turned 19, my aunt, Janey Cormier, secretly slipped me ten thousand dollars as a New Year's gift."You're all grown up now. It's time you learned how to manage your own money."For the first time in my life, I didn't hand over my New Year's gift to my parents, Kevin Cormier and Ursula Smith.That night, Dad grabbed a screwdriver and pried open the lock on my cabinet right in front of me.He snatched the thick envelope from inside with a smug look on his face, as if he'd just proven a point. "I knew something was off with you. So you've somehow learned to misbehave."Mom took my ten thousand dollars and distributed it among the relatives in the family group chat. She wrote, "Shiloh didn't know any better and stole from a family elder. This is dirty money. Our family won't tolerate such behavior. We're distributing it to everyone today as an apology on her behalf."As the screen filled with messages thanking my mom and praising her parenting skills, I stared at my p

"You're useless!"I had no idea when Dad had come to the kitchen doorway. He hurled the TV remote onto the counter, knocking a bottle of seasoning onto the floor."You can't even make pelmeni right! You're useless at everything except eating!"He stormed over in three quick strides, snatched up the torn dumpling, and flung it into the trash."Did you do that on purpose? Huh? Are you deliberately trying to piss me off? Look at those hands of yours! They're so clumsy! Have you been studying too much that your brain turned to mush? You can't even make a damn dumpling. What's the point of raising you?"Mom walked over and stood beside him with her arms crossed. "How many times have I taught you? You never pay attention. Everything you do turns into a disaster."She sighed, her voice heavy with frustration and disappointment. "Look at you. Your grades are nothing special; you can't even do housework properly, and you're nothing to look at. How did I give birth to someone like you?"I

I bolted out of my room like a madwoman. "Where are my things?"For the first time in my 19 years, I screamed at Dad and Mom.My voice shattered the lingering festive atmosphere of New Year's Day. Even I was startled by how loud it sounded.My parents were sprawled on the couch, watching a rerun of a comedy sketch and laughing so hard they could barely breathe.When they heard me shout, they froze for half a second before their expressions darkened."What's with all the yelling?" Mom frowned."My diaries! The letters in my cabinet! Where are they?" I rushed to the coffee table, trembling from head to toe.After 19 years of swallowing my pain, something inside me finally cracked. I couldn't hold it in anymore.Dad peeled an orange leisurely without even looking up. "Oh, that pile of scrap paper? I told your mom to throw it away. It was long overdue. All it did was take up space.""Throw them away?" Something in my head snapped. "Where did you throw them?""In the dumpster down

"Ah!" A piercing, bloodcurdling scream shattered the morning silence.It was Mom.My soul floated in midair, looking down at the scene with cold detachment.She was still clutching a brand-new set of bedsheets. They were for Corey, who was supposed to come and stay with us that day.Just yesterday, she'd complained, "Shiloh's sheets are so old. I don't want Corey making fun of them."Now, the new sheets lay on the floor, instantly soaking up the bloodied water spilling over from the bathtub.Mom collapsed in the doorway, her face deathly pale."K-Kevin! Kevin! Get over here! Shiloh... Shiloh, she..."A series of hurried, heavy footsteps thundered down the hall."Why the hell are you screaming this early in the morning? What a way to start the New Year!"Dad came rushing over, cursing under his breath. He was still holding his toothbrush with white toothpaste foam clinging to the corners of his mouth.The moment he saw what was in the bathtub, he dropped his toothbrush, and i

The lights in the interrogation room at the police station were even brighter than the crystal chandelier in our living room.Dad sat in a chair and constantly rubbed his hands against his pant legs.On the other side of the wall, Mom kept repeating the same excuses. "We only did it for her own good. Every parent loves their child. She was always sensitive and emotional. She couldn't get over her own problems. You can't blame us for that."The female officer taking notes looked up. "Ms. Smith, your daughter had a fractured left shoulder and 27 injuries, both old and new, all over her body. What exactly did you use to beat love into her?"Mom opened her mouth, then hesitated. "Her father had a bad temper. I tried to stop him."The officer pressed play on the recorder on the table. Mom's voice came through the speakers, clear as day, from the recording made in our living room."Kevin, don't hit her in the face."Then, Dad's reply followed. "I know."The sound of a belt striking a