Chapter 1

I won 30 million dollars in the lottery and went home for Christmas, ready to tell my family.

My mother beat me to it and announced another piece of good news.

She said, "The house in our hometown got marked for demolition.

"The oldest child, Harold, gets 600 thousand.

"Roxanne, the second, gets 600 grand too.

"And the third, Sonia…" She paused and looked at me. "You'll live with me from now on and take care of me."

I looked at her, confused. "Mom, how much do I get?"

She frowned. "There's only 1.2 million total. It's already all been distributed. We have to put everything into supporting your older siblings."

She glanced at me impatiently. "You're not as smart as your siblings. Don't compete with them.

"Harold has a PhD from Tremaine University, and Roxanne has a master's from Waymon University. They are the ones who matter to this family."

I clenched the lottery ticket in my pocket and asked calmly, "If I stop being useful to you someday, does that mean I won't need to take care of you in your old age either?"

*****

My mom jumped up, pointing right at my face and started cursing me out. "Sonia, you heartless brat. Because of compensation money, you're gonna leave me high and dry when I'm old?"

I didn't budge, staring right back at her. "You're the one who turned your back on me first."

"How could you say I turn my back on you? Didn't I raise you? Didn't I put you through university?" my mom snapped, her face stormy.

I couldn't help but laugh, furious.

I said, "Mom, you shipped me off to Grandma's as soon as I started elementary school. It wasn't until she passed away in middle school that you even bothered to bring me back.

"When I went to university, all you gave me was a set of old bedding that Roxanne had already used. Didn't I work my ass off during the holiday on part-time jobs to pay for my own tuition and living expenses?"

When I was just a kid in kindergarten, my mom had already made me finish all the elementary school stuff.

But by the time I was a little older, I just couldn't make sense of physics and chemistry, no matter how hard I tried.

She'd point at me and call me an idiot with an IQ of 99, saying I'd never measure up to Harold or Roxanne.

She dumped me at Grandma's place out in the countryside like I was garbage.

To her, I was a kid with no value, and not worth her time or money.

My mom glared at me, acting all superior.

She said, "When you were living out in the countryside, didn't I ever come visit you? Didn't I bring you food and clothes?"

My nose stung, and I felt even more wronged.

I said, "When I was stuck out in the countryside, you only bothered to visit once a month, and every single time, you only brought bread and a pile of hand-me-downs.

"Did you really think I could get by on bread every day?

"I had to trail after Grandma, selling old junk just to barely fill my stomach.

"And those old clothes you gave me. Did you think they fit me? I got teased by my classmates all the way through elementary school because of it."

My mom rolled her eyes. "You're always so hung up on the past. Don't you get it? I was making you tough, teaching you to handle whatever life throws at you. If I hadn't, you wouldn't be so driven and capable now.

"And anyway, didn't I raise you all through middle and high school? What, did you think you just woke up one day and were suddenly in university?"

Her words just made me even angrier.

I said, "Raise me? You made me do nonstop chores every single day, just to get whatever fed leftovers.

"You call that raising me? You sent Harold and Roxanne to tutoring classes, while I had to scavenge for junk outside just to save up for my own books?"

My mom rolled her eyes at me again. "They've got IQs pushing 140. You really think you can even compete with them?

"If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for not making the cut. It's your own fault you don't bring anything to the table like they do."

I couldn't hold it in anymore, crying my eyes out. "So just because I'm not as smart as them, I don't even get to be your daughter?

"Just because I'm not as 'valuable' as they are, does that mean I can't have a life of my own?"

My mom brushed me off. "Spare me the sob story.

"The truth is, your siblings are just better than you, and worth more to this family. Survival of the fittest; that's just the way things are."

"Mom, that's enough," I finally snapped, completely losing it.

My mom let out a cold snort, sat down, and folded her arms. "Are you done now? Go clear the table and wash the dishes. Don't get in the way of Harold and Roxanne's studying."

I wiped my tears away and looked up at Harold, my voice trembling. "Is that what you think too?"

Harold glanced nervously at Mom and said under his breath, "I... I don't know. Please don't ask me. I just listen to whatever Mom says."

I let out a cold laugh and turned to Roxanne. "And what about you, Roxanne?"

Roxanne frowned and said, "Same for me too. Sure, Mom was a little harsh, but she's not totally wrong."

"Besides, it was Mom's house. She can do whatever she wants with the payout. I respect that."

I let out a bitter bark of laughter.

I rose to my feet, clutching the life-changing lottery ticket in my pocket, and stared at them.

I said, "Alright, you all respect her, so I will too. That pathetic payout? I'm done fighting for it."