Lahat ng Kabanata ng Mom Thinks 10K Is Too Little: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

"Regina, what are you standing there for? Give me a hand."Mom saw me frozen in place and shoved the gift bags toward me, telling me to open the door.The moment I watched her toss the gifts I'd spent time picking out straight into the storage room, like they were nothing, my heart sank."Mom, I put a lot of effort into picking them out, too…"She waved me off impatiently. "Alright, alright, I heard you. That's your problem, though. You're always so sensitive. You're not nearly as sensible as your sister."She dropped onto the couch and immediately started rambling."Your sister got into such a great university back then, and she's always been hardworking. She's busy now, sure, but the moment she came home, she handed over 100,000 dollars. And you? I remember your first year working, you brought back what, 3,000 dollars?"I lowered my head slightly, standing there awkwardly, unsure whether I should sit or keep standing."Mom, I could only work as a regular employee at a cafe my

"Oh, you're back, Rina."Mom, whose face had been twisted with anger a second ago, instantly broke into a smile. She hurried over and took the huge bag of snacks from Sabrina."Looks like you bought yourself something good to eat. That's my girl. You know how to enjoy yourself."Sabrina's gaze casually swept past my puffy, tear-streaked face, completely unmoved. "Oh, Regina's home, too."She then turned to Mom. "Mom, look what I got you."Like she was pulling off a magic trick, she pulled out the newest phone from her pocket.At that moment, Mom's smile was genuine."Oh, wow! Why did you buy me something this expensive? The phone you got me last time still looks brand new, and now you bought me another one!"She turned it over and over again in her hands like it was a treasure. "This is the newest model, right? And you even picked the color I like. You're amazing, sweetheart!"I sat there awkwardly, not knowing what to do, until Dad noticed I'd been crying. He casually pulled

Mom glanced at my phone screen, her tone casual as if she had only just remembered. "Oh, that money? I gave it to Sabrina."Sabrina finally looked up from her plate, her expression contemptuous. "That amount doesn't even cover basic dating expenses for me. I still have to ask Mom and Dad for money all the time, and you're acting like it's something worth bragging about."My fingers tightened around my phone. "That's your attitude after spending my money?"Dad set his fork down with a sharp clatter and shot me a stern look. "Regina, what exactly are you trying to prove here? Sabrina used the money, so what? We're family. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"I scoffed, completely losing my appetite. "Family? If we're all family, then how come none of you ever gave me a single dollar when I was out there working?"Even the bus ticket I needed to get to the city five years ago came out of my own pocket. When I first got there, I only had 200 dollars left. Did any of you ever

I really left after that.When I walked out the door, it had already started snowing. The flakes fell in soft, scattered drifts, light and cold against my skin. I tilted my head up and watched them."Here's to a fresh start, Regina," I whispered to myself.That night, I took an overnight bus back to the city where I worked. By the time I arrived, it was already morning.I went straight to a nursing home on the outskirts, where Grandma still lived.Grandpa had passed away years ago, and Dad never wanted to take care of her, so I had arranged for her to stay there.When I arrived, she had just woken up.The moment she saw me, her face lit up. "Gina, you're here."She was the only person in the world who still called me that.I nodded, holding back my tears as I walked over. "How have you been feeling lately? Did the medicine help? Is your knee still hurting?"She shook her head and reached up to touch my face, her hand rough and dry. "It stopped hurting last month. Gina, why do

As for George, he was detained for three months, but the Nixons had already handed the 200,000 dollars they received from him over to Sabrina's boyfriend.The Wilson family filed a lawsuit that same day.After Sabrina was discharged from the hospital, she went to her boyfriend, Hubert Bates, to ask for the money back.Instead, he lashed out at her for having been assaulted."Do you seriously think you can ask me for money after you've been pumped and dumped? Didn't I already tell you we're done? Get out of my sight!"Sabrina blinked at him, disbelief flickering in her gaze before panic finally set in."Hubert, what are you talking about? N-Nothing happened to me! I didn't let him—"Ever since George beat her, she had been on edge.Now that Hubert said that, she completely unraveled, repeating herself over and over, her voice rising as she tried to deny being assaulted."You're my boyfriend! Aren't you supposed to stand up for me?"Hubert looked at her incredulously. "What doe