Chapter 1

Every time I finished a night shift, all I wanted was to sleep.

But my mom, Sarah, always insisted I eat three meals a day, on schedule.

If I didn't get up, she'd yank off my covers, throw open the curtains, and slam doors, making as much noise as possible.

This constant disruption often left me with chest pains, foggy-headed at work, and prone to mistakes.

I absolutely hated it.

Still, I knew that for her generation, the fear was starving, not collapsing from sleep deprivation. My mom genuinely thought she was looking out for me.

So that day, the moment I heard her knock, I got up.

I walked out just in time to hear Sarah complaining to my younger sister, Chloe.

"I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I made big portions of everything."

"I figured, with Audrey here, nothing would go to waste."

"But Audrey either doesn't get up, or just picks at her food. Honestly, she just annoys me."

My heart sank.

So I was just Chloe's leftover trash can.

Then, Sarah started complaining about me living off them.

"If this keeps up, I'm going to charge her rent!"

Had she forgotten? I was the one paying this house's mortgage!

Chloe, on the other hand, had been sponging off us since she graduated.

She was the real freeloader.