Chapter 3

I could never understand why Mom would treat me this way.

When I was little, Mom was extremely strict with me. The slightest displeasure and she would fly into a rage, cursing and hitting me.

As a young child, my body was practically covered in bruises and wounds, with not a single patch of unharmed skin.

Even my school allowance was just a measly few bucks. At lunch, all I could do was gnaw on a stale bread roll while gazing enviously at the other students.

Lance, on the other hand, had everything handed to him on a silver platter. Anything he desired, he could get it effortlessly with just a bit of wheedling.

But I never resented them. Instead, I worked even harder and got into a business school.

Just when I thought everything would change after I found a job, Mom called and ordered me to send my salary home every month, leaving me a measly 500 dollars to keep.

Though I didn't understand why, I still did as I was told.

This left me living in dire straits in a bustling city, surviving almost entirely on instant noodles every day. I didn't even dare to have any kind of social life.

Meanwhile, Lance used my salary to buy a car and a house back in our hometown, living the life I had always dreamed of.

I once confronted Mom and asked her why she treated me this way, only to have her throw a handful of walnut shells right into my face.

"You still have the nerve to ask? Do you really think I don't know about all the filthy things you've done behind our backs? When you were little, you had someone corner Lance in the bathroom and bully him.

"After you grew up, you stole Lance's money. And he still covered up for you. If I hadn't read his diary, how many more years would I have been kept in the dark?"

My brain short-circuited for a moment.

I was absolutely certain that I had never done any of those things.

In fact, the one who had been bullied at school was always me. Lance had paid older students to corner me in the bathroom every day and torment me, just to make my life miserable.

So, how did I end up becoming the guilty one instead?

When I saw Lance snickering off to the side, it all became perfectly clear to me. I rushed forward like a madman and grabbed his arm.

"Hurry up and explain to Mom that it wasn't like that!"

But to my surprise, he immediately burst into tears.

"Don't hit me, Brett! I'll give you all the money! Just don't send people to bully me anymore!"

His words successfully ignited Mom's fury. She grabbed a stick from the ground and swung it straight at me. The force was so great it nearly knocked me unconscious.

I knelt on the ground and begged Mom to treat me a little better, but she kicked me away as if afraid of catching some kind of disease.

"If only you had even half of Lance's sensibilities! The very thought that I gave birth to you makes me sick!"

From then on, I learned to be silent. It dawned on me that I was completely expendable in this household.

No matter how much Lance bullied me, I endured it all quietly because I knew I had no one in my corner. There was nobody who would ever take my side.

That was, until Esther appeared. She stood in the sunlight and smiled at me, and it felt as if hope had returned to my life once again.

I started working myself to the bone to give her a good life. Yet, I never expected that Lance would even try to rob me of this rare bit of happiness.

Thunder roared outside the window, and a torrential rain suddenly poured down.

Mom's voice just happened to reach my ears.

"That little brat won't even answer my calls now. If he doesn't get his sorry ass back here and admit he was wrong, I'll cut all ties with him."

My cracked, dry lips parted and then closed again.

She'd never have to lose her temper over me again, for she would never see me again.