"Your mother and I have been wearing the same clothes for years. Which month have I not sent money to you? But whenever we need to ask for a little bit in return, you start playing games. It’s better to raise a piece of meat than raise you!"
Even though I had died once, hearing these same words again from my father still made my whole body tremble.
I yelled back, "You know exactly how much you’ve taken from that card! How dare you say that to me!"
Dad was stunned for a second, but then became even more irate and slapped me again, harder. "Everyone just heard the sound of 5 million arriving—what exactly did we take from you?"
Mom pointed at me like she was mourning, "You have no conscience. No wonder even your husband doesn’t want you. You’re so cold-blooded, you deserve to be unloved!"
The moment she mentioned Tommy, pain gripped my heart. I thought of that gentle man being forced to kneel by me. I thought of how he now refused to answer my calls. A surge of pain rose in my chest, making me dizzy and I collapsed to the floor...
In the haze, I heard my parents talking.
"Why is she fainting at this time? Joseph and Sissy will be here soon. I don’t have time to take her to the hospital."
"Just leave her in the room. Who knows if she’s really fainted or not? She hasn’t touched a man in months. Maybe her hormones are out of whack. That would explain why she’s acting so strange today!"
"Oh right, we still haven’t bought the seafood she likes. Do you know her bank account password..."
When I finally regained consciousness, I found myself lying on a narrow camp bed in the utility room.
I got up weakly and looked through the crack in the door. My mother was helping my brother peel shrimp with a smile on her face. A table full of people was laughing and chatting joyfully—but none of it had anything to do with me.
I pushed the door open without emotion. The moment I stepped out, all their laughter and conversation came to an abrupt halt. Dad glared at me in disgust.
"You wake up just as the meal starts. You really know how to pick the time."
Joseph gave Dad a discreet look and reminded him softly, "Dad, Sissy is on video, be careful when you speak."
Dad didn’t care. "What are you afraid of? The in-laws already know her. She’s an unfilial daughter who spends her parents’ retirement money like water!"