Chapter 2
My stepfather wasn’t as Mom and my sister described him in the past: unpredictable, domineering, and violent.
I found him intelligent but proud and self-respecting.
Their conflicts surfaced soon after we moved in.
Mom was a total pretty face with no brains.
Honestly, she and Dad were a perfect match.
Dad, a true rich heir, was always simple-minded and physically strong.
He married Mom because of his brute force and money.
When my grandparents were alive, they supported him.
After they passed, Dad got dragged into investments by his foolish friends, losing everything he and my grandparents had.
Mom quickly found someone else and divorced him.
My study abroad plans were halted by Mom’s opposition.
But with my grades, I could easily get into a top school in the country.
“Amy’s here!”
“Aunt Nora, is my mom home?”
“She’s out shopping, but your sister’s upstairs reading.”
I heard Amy’s footsteps coming toward my room.
Without my permission, she opened my door.
“Nean, why pretend? No one’s home. Who are you trying to impress with all this studying?” she said, snatching my books.
Though Dad raised her, she came here monthly to get money, jewelry, and clothes from Mom.
She’d leave with a car full and still wear shabby clothes the next month.
Dad, now a gambler, traded good things for cash to squander.
Mom hated seeing my sister suffer with Dad.
She even asked my stepfather if they could bring her here to live.
He agreed, but Dad refused to let her go.
He relied on my sister to get things from Mom to sustain his life.
“You study so much it’s making you dumb. What’s the use? You’re not as pretty as me, and Mom and Dad don’t like you.”
“This good life is only because I let you have it. Enjoy it while it lasts.”
She rifled through my things.
Of course, this room was her princess room in the past life.
She rummaged through everything.
“Tsk tsk, you don’t know how to enjoy life. What are all these things you bought?”
“All you do is bury your nose in those books.”
I ignored her antics.
“Amy, is my precious daughter Amy here?”
I coldly watched their mother-daughter act unfold.
Mom saw my room in chaos.
“You won’t find anything good here. Come to my room. I just bought new clothes, jewelry, and accessories. Take whatever you like.”
She dragged my sister out without a glance at me or a word of concern.
Aunt Nora brought in a glass of fresh orange juice and tidied up my room.
“I’ve never seen such a biased mother.”
It didn’t bother me. Her good days were numbered.