Live Better Without You

Synopsis

Everyone in the capital knew that my dad was my mom's one and only loyal devotee. My mom adored snow, so Dad built her a mountain in the capital's suburbs where it stayed frosty all year round. She loved listening to opera, so he kept an entire opera troupe, performing solely for her. And me? I was the birthday present my dad gave her when she turned twenty. They all said I was the Lane family's precious pearl, born to be treated like royalty. But everything changed when I turned five. Dad brought home a boy just three years older than me. The boy seized my skirt, his eyes dark and full of malice. He sneered, "Dad said girls are always married off anyway. Only boys get to inherit the family legacy. "And your mom? She's too old now. She can't give Dad a son anymore." I ran to Mom in tears, asking her if I was going to be sent away. That night, an avalanche crashed down on the mountain in the suburbs. The boy Dad just brought home ended up buried beneath the snow forever. Mom hugged me tight and kissed my forehead, her voice soft and doting. She said, "Zoey, from now on, no one can ever take anything from you."