2
Three years of suppressed rage just
exploded.
I screamed, I cried, I smashed everything I
could get my hands on.
I went after Mark and Sarah, trying to hit
them.
Mark shoved me away.
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Sarah hid under the covers, crying and
sniffling.
It made Mark’s heart go out to her,
“Song, calm down. That’s your sister–in–law!”
Watching Mark hold Sarah in his arms,
protecting her, just broke me.
Did he even realize Sarah was my sister–in-
law, the woman Jake loved?
My parents, hearing the commotion, came
running upstairs.
They took one look at the scene and
exchanged glances, then dragged me
downstairs.
L
They gave Mark and Sarah plenty of time to
get dressed.
Soon, the four of them sat together.
I stood on the outside, like a complete
stranger.
Mark spoke first.
“I’m sorry, Mom, Dad. I don’t love Song. I love
Sarah. Whatever you think, I’m divorcing
Song. I’m going to marry Sarah, I want to take
care of her for the rest of my life.”
He sounded like he was taking his vows.
He held Sarah’s hand, shaking with great,
pure love.
<
My dad took a deep breath. “Look, I know it’s
not the right thing to do, but when it comes
to love, I’ve been there. You can’t force it. I
understand.”
I felt like my body went stiff.
Maybe my hearing was going bad.
Mom added, “Sarah already told us what’s
going on. We approve. So, don’t feel too
guilty. Get divorced, get married, whatever
you need to do.”
I stared, speechless.
It was like the string in my brain snapped.
My dad even pulled out a bank card and
handed it to Mark.
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“Here. This is our savings, about fifty grand.
We were saving it for Sarah’s dowry. Sarah
marrying into our family is rough. You gotta
treat her right, Mark.”
Mom pulled out her set of gold jewelry, the
stuff she’d been saving.
“This is for Sarah. It’s, like, five pounds of
gold. The style’s a little outdated, but gold’s
gold. You can get it remodeled if you want.
Or just sell it, it’s probably worth forty grand.”
Sarah started crying.
She looked so delicate, so pale, radiating
“pity me” vibes.
She tugged at Mark’s sleeve, and he
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immediately knew what to do.
They both got down on their knees in front of
my parents, bowing their heads in thanks.
My parents immediately kneeled down, too,
helping them up.
It was like they were sending off their “own
daughter” to get married.
Sarah sobbed, “You guys will always be my
parents. Mark and I will always take care of
you.”
Mark said solemnly, “Mom, Dad, thank you for
accepting us. I’ll take good care of Sarah. I
won’t let anything happen to her.”
They sounded so sincere.
My parents were tearing up.
My mom even started sniffling, crying silently.
And I was standing there.
Completely invisible.
Nobody cared how I felt.
Nobody paid attention to my emotions.
That was when I realized…
They were a family!
“Why can’t you be nice to your sister–in–law
for your brother? Song, why did I give birth to
such a horrible thing?”
<
“Your brother was so good to you, but you
killed him. Your sister–in–law was too kind to
not turn you in. Why are you repaying her like
this?”
“Song, you’re lucky to have a sister–in–law
like Sarah! I had to learn from her to deal with
your terrible behavior. Why do you always flaunt your relationship with me in front of her, are you that unhappy for her?”
My mom would yell at me for not making
Sarah’s favorite abalone sashimi.
My dad would blame me for mopping the
floor when Sarah slipped and fell.
Mark would ignore me after Sarah would have
a crying fit about her situation.
L
I just started laughing.
Laughing so hard my stomach hurt.
I clutched my stomach, rolling on the floor.
I pointed at them, sneering.
“Sarah, you wanted my husband? All you had
to do was ask! I would have handed Mark
over to you. You didn’t have to lie to me, and
to Jake’s memory, why do you do this?”
Sarah looked at me, tears welling up. “Song,
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
“Oh, you didn’t mean to go down on my
husband? You didn’t mean to wear a negligee
to look hot in front of Mark?”
