2
The commotion in the living room continued.
Chloe had been crying ever since I pushed her
to the ground.
She clung to Mom, her voice choked with
sobs. “It’s all my fault. I stole Ashley’s life. It’s
only natural she hates me.”
Mom immediately looked at her
disapprovingly. “You’re both my daughters.
You’re just like my own flesh and blood. Don’t
ever say that again.”
Dad stroked her head, his face full of
concern.
She looked up from Mom’s shoulder, meeting
my gaze.
<
Her eyes curved into a smile. Where was the
sadness now?
I walked over and, under her provocative
gaze, flipped the table.
Scalding hot soup splashed everywhere,
inevitably landing on them.
Dad frowned. “Ashley, what are you doing?
Even if you don’t like it, you don’t have to be
so rude.”
Mom pulled Chloe back quickly, ignoring the
stain on her arm, and wiped Chloe’s dress.
I stood in the mess, staring at Chloe. “You
killed my dog and ate him?”
She shrank back into Mom’s arms.
L
“Ashley, I just wanted dog meat dumplings. It
just happened to be the only dog in the
house, so Dad made it into food.”
Her eyes were red–rimmed, her voice
trembling but firm. “Dad did it all for me. If
you want to blame someone, blame me. Don’t
be mad at Dad.”
Dad raised his hand to stop her, looking
sternly at me. “Ashley, I haven’t wronged you.
I’ve fulfilled my obligations as a father. What
are you so dissatisfied with about this
family?”
I kicked over a floor lamp, sending the
remaining two chairs flying. Soup splattered
everywhere.
<
“Buddy wasn’t just a dog. He wasn’t your
food.”
“Just a dog…”
11
Screech–the sound of the sofa being
dragged across the floor.
In just five minutes, the room was in ruins.
Everyone was stunned.
Mom looked at me, her face full of
disappointment. “Don’t you know your sister
has depression? It’s rare for her to be happy,
and you’re making a fuss over a dog?”
Dad stared at me coldly. “You’re a psycho. I
regret bringing you back. I should have left
you to rot.”
く
Chloe, with red–rimmed eyes, pushed the only
remaining bowl of meat towards me. “Don’t
blame Ashley, Mom and Dad. Since she liked
the dog so much, I’ll give it back to her.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
They didn’t know Chloe’s depression was
fake, but my crazy was real.
I scoffed and rolled my wrist.
Chloe started to cry again. “Ashley…”
“Slap-” A sharp slap cut her off.
A bright red handprint appeared on Chloe’s
face, her crying turning into a shriek.
Mom’s face changed instantly her elegant.
<
Mom’s face changed instantly, her elegant
and gentle expression gone.
Almost simultaneously, she slapped me. “I
brought you back to be a part of this family,
not to bully your sister! She developed
depression because of you, and I still kept
you. Why can’t you learn to understand her!”
I gave a sarcastic smirk. The pampered princess suddenly finding out she wasn’t their
real daughter and developing depression
because she was afraid of being abandoned?
This third–rate drama was only believable to
these two idiots.
I swallowed my mood stabilizers while they
worried about whether Chloe was taking her
vitamin C disguised as antidepressants.
<
But unfortunately for them, all Chloe needed
was for them to believe it.
She stood behind her protective parents, her
lips moving silently, forming three words.
“I win.”
