Chapter 3

The year the markets crashed, my parents lost everything they'd put into stocks.

My mother screamed about wanting a divorce, and my father hid in his room playing games all day. No one paid any attention to me back then.

The whole family was falling apart, and it was Grandma who stepped in.

She took me back to her hometown and raised me, pulled some strings to find my father a job, and stretched her pension a little at a time to keep us afloat. Only then did that teetering household get to breathe. A year later, my sister was born.

Everything Grandma had given meant nothing to those four people.

The only things they ever cared about were themselves and money.

Sure enough, the moment I mentioned quitting the streams, my father, who had said nothing all this time, finally moved.

He scolded my sister and tracked down the recycling center's number.

With my sister sniveling in the background, the center brought the things back.

The letter, once white and smooth, had been soaked through with dirty water and come back a wrinkled mess.

For the next few days I left early and came home late, not wanting to run into any of them.

A week later, my father suddenly told me I was expected at a family dinner.

"Tessa, honey, your sister was in the wrong last time. Think of this dinner as our apology."

"We're family in the end. Let's not drag this out into something ugly."

I took a deep breath and forced down the bitterness churning in my chest.

The second I walked into the banquet room, my mother put me to work.

My sister was in a gown and little heels, standing beside my mother making small talk with the relatives.

"Your sister just gets prettier every day. If the older one can be an influencer, this one's going to be a real star someday."

My sister ducked her head shyly, and my parents beamed.

"She's our little darling. As her parents, we bought her a house today."

Something dropped in my chest. Why had I never heard a word about this?

My father took out the contract and passed it around for the relatives to look over.

"Well, of course. She's going to be a big star, so a house is only right."

"Look at all those zeros. What did this cost?"

"Parents really do worry themselves sick over their kids. You'd better be good to your mom and dad after this."

The private room filled with laughter, but I felt cold all over.

My mother had been a homemaker for over ten years, and my father had lost his job two years ago.

They struggled to spare a single dollar. Where would they get the money to buy her a house?

I opened my banking app. The million that had been sitting in the account now showed a balance of zero.

It was like being struck by lightning. My mind went blank.

"You bought her a house. Where's mine?"

"I hate to say it, but this favoritism has gone too far."

The warm mood chilled at once. My mother twisted her lips.

"So what if I play favorites? Every time I see her looking at me with that same expression her grandmother had, it makes my blood boil."

"She looked down on me for never getting an education. Now I'm going to prove her sister ends up better off than she does."

I couldn't hold back any longer. I pushed the door open and walked in.

"You bought her a house with the money I earned streaming. Did you ever once ask me?"

"You're thieves."

My mother slammed the table and shot up, jabbing a finger at my face.

"You ungrateful little snake. We raised you all these years. What's the problem with spending a little of your money?"

My father got up, pulled me aside, and lowered his voice.

"Tessa, your sister's young. She needs a place of her own. You're capable, you can always earn more."

"Just let this house go. Stop nickel-and-diming us. There are a lot of people here, and it's getting ugly."

I let out a short laugh. Spending my money, and still looking down on me.

"I have the transfer and spending records on my phone. I'll be taking it to court."

My mother went off like she'd been struck.

"This is the end of the world, a child suing her own parents!"

"Get out. Get out of my sight."

I walked out, my mother's voice trailing after me as she laid into my father.

"Why on earth did you invite that ungrateful snake here?"

"If she didn't come, people would only laugh at us more."

That night I got home, flipped on the light, and found my father sitting in the living room. He'd been waiting a long time.

"Tessa, drop the lawsuit. Let's both give a little."

"I'll put the house in your name later on. But you have to stream with your sister."