Chapter 2

At ten in the morning, the doorbell rang.

Ryan shot over to the door, and there was Sophia, all dressed up and looking perfect.

My parents instantly plastered on huge smiles and practically ran over to welcome her.

"Oh, you must be Sophia. Come in, come in. I've been waiting for you," Mom said.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Lakewood," Sophia said sweetly and politely.

As she changed her shoes, her eyes swept over the living room, looking pretty satisfied.

Mom grabbed her hand, all excited, like she was showing off a rare gem. "Sophia, look at this place. It's got great airflow and tons of natural light. It's 1,400 square feet. You and Ryan will have so much space."

Ryan chimed in, looking proud. "The neighborhood's awesome too. It's totally pedestrian-friendly, no cars around. Mom and Dad picked it out just for us."

The whole family crowded around Sophia, showing off every little perk of this "home," and nobody even noticed me standing off to the side.

It wasn't until Sophia's eyes landed on me that she asked, a little puzzled, "Mrs. Lakewood, who's this?"

Mom snapped out of it, smacked her forehead, and laughed. "Oh, my memory. This is Ryan's sister, Emily. Emily, say hi."

I forced a stiff smile, feeling awkward. "Hi, I'm Ryan's sister."

Sophia smiled back, "Hi, Emily."

Her smile was perfectly polite, but her eyes held a trace of judgment and distance, making me feel even more out of place.

At lunch, Mom went overboard, lavishing attention on Sophia like she was royalty.

"Sophia, try this fish. It's my specialty.

"Sophia, have some more soup. It's great for your skin."

The whole table felt like Mom's personal stage, with Sophia as the star attraction.

Midway through the meal, Mom pretended to mention it offhand, "Emily is always so good to her brother. When we bought this house, she handed over all her savings to help us out without thinking. Honestly, isn't Ryan lucky to have a sister like her?"

Sophia's eyes lit up as she looked at me, her tone warmer and more sincere than before. "Really? Emily, you're such a great sister."

My dad jumped in, "That's right, we're a close-knit family. Emily and Ryan have always been tight."

Ryan puffed out his chest with an air of entitlement, like it was only right for things to go his way.

Watching the three of them act like a well-oiled team, my stomach was in knots.

They put me up on a pedestal as the perfect sister, and right in front of Ryan's future wife, they turned my 60 thousand dollars into nothing but proof of how much I supposedly love my brother.

Just like that, the money became a "family favor", something I could never get back.

And I was expected to be grateful for it.

What a neat trick.

After lunch, Sophia said she wanted to check out the rooms.

Mom immediately led her straight to Ryan's sunny, south-facing room with the big balcony.

"Sophia, just look at this room. This will be your master bedroom. The sunlight is fantastic, and there's a huge balcony. You can have your own little garden, relax in the sunshine. It's going to be so cozy," Mom beamed.

Sophia smiled, clearly satisfied.

After a while, they came out, and as they passed my room, Sophia casually asked, "And what about this little room?"

Mom's smile paused for a moment, but she played it off like nothing. "Oh, that's Emily's room."

She didn't even bother inviting Sophia in for a look.

It was as if my room was just some forgotten storage space, not even worth a second glance.

My heart completely dropped.

After Sophia left, Mom was in a great mood, humming a little tune as she tidied up the kitchen.

I walked in, leaned against the doorframe, and asked calmly, "Mom, did you get the property deed yet?"

Her hand paused mid-wash, but she didn't turn around. "Yeah, we got it. What's up?"

"I want to see it," I said.

"What do you want to see that for?"

"I put in 60 thousand dollars. Don't I at least get to see it?" I Emily insisted.

Mom spun around, wiped her sudsy hands on her apron, and her smile disappeared completely.

"Emily, what are you even trying to do? Ever since we moved in, you've been all moody and passive-aggressive. Seriously, it's just a fingerprint lock. Are you really going to sulk about it this long?" Mom said.

"I'm not holding a grudge," I replied, locking eyes with her. "I just want to see the property deed and check if my name is actually on it."

She faltered under my stare, looking uneasy for a moment, then quickly tried to regain her composure, acting like she had every right.

"Why would we put your name on it? You're a girl. If your name's there, then when you get married, this place becomes your property before marriage.

"And when Ryan gets married, do you think Sophia's family would be okay with your name still on the deed? Emily, can't you just be a little more reasonable?"

Every single question came cloaked in the excuse of "for my own good."

I let out a cold laugh. "So, you're just taking my 60 thousand dollars as if I gifted it to you, huh?"

"Gift? Why draw such clear lines between family?" Dad walked in, frowning, clearly not happy. "Ryan's about to get married, and he needs money right now. Isn't it your duty as his sister to pitch in?

"Arguing with your family over a bit of money, what would people think if they heard about it?"

Ryan poked his head out of his room, his neck stiff as he shouted, "Emily, that's my wedding house! You're not seriously thinking about asking for your money back, are you? Sophia said the house has to be under my name, or she won't even go through with the wedding!"

Everyone got their own reason.

And every single one of them acted like they were totally right.

But me? I gave up every dollar I had, and somehow I was the selfish troublemaker, the one who didn't know my place.

My heart went completely cold.

"Alright, my name doesn't have to be on the deed. But that 60 dollars is my blood, sweat, and tears. It isn't just pocket change. You need to give me a written IOU," I said.

This was my final line in the sand.

Mom stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "An IOU? Emily, are you crazy? I raised you all these years, and now you want me to write you an IOU? Are you trying to drive your own mother to her grave?"

As she spoke, she plopped down on the floor, crying and slapping her thighs like she was putting on a show.

"What did I do to deserve this? Raising such a heartless daughter. Just for some money, you're turning your back on your own parents. Why is my life so miserable..." she cried out.

Dad hurried over to help her up, pointing at me and shouting, "You ungrateful daughter! Apologize to your mom right now. Are you trying to break up this family?"

Ryan stormed over, jabbing his finger right in my face. "Emily, I'm warning you. If you ruin my wedding, I won't let you off the hook."

The three people I was supposed to be closest to now glared at me, spitting out vicious threats, like three bloodthirsty wolves ready to tear me apart.

It turned out that more than twenty years of family love were nothing but a joke.

I didn't shed a tear, and I didn't say another word.

I just turned away and went back to my tiny, north-facing room.