Chapter 2

The air in the dining room felt frozen.

David saw I was still hesitating, his brows furrowing as he snapped, clearly annoyed. "Why are you standing there? Didn't you hear what I said?

"Is signing your name really that hard? You've been living off me all year. This is to keep you in line."

Mary was fiddling with her jewelry bracelet, rolling her eyes. "Emily, don't push your luck.

"David brings in over 6 thousand a month, and you sit around doing nothing while he supports you. What more do you want?

"Back when we lived in our hometown, women worked on the farms all day and still had to take care of the whole family. None of them were as whiny as you."

Ethan didn't look up, busy playing his game, and mumbled, "Mom, hurry up. I want a Coke. Go get it for me."

I took a deep breath, staring at the three people I used to cherish more than anything.

Five years ago, I was a star at an accounting firm, pulling in a bigger salary than David ever did.

But then Samuel had a sudden stroke, and Mary's health took a turn for the worse.

David actually begged me to quit my job and become a full-time housewife to keep the family together.

He promised me, "Honey, trust me. I'll support you, and you'll never have to put up with any hardship."

Was this really his idea of supporting me?

Was this what he meant by no hardship?

He reduced everything I had done to an Unsatisfactory rating, crushed my dignity under his heel, and now he's humiliating me with this ridiculous contract." The driver raged.

I slowly stood up, gripping the contract tightly. "David, so all the work I did this year means nothing to you? I'm nothing but an Unsatisfactory?"

David let out a mocking laugh and popped a rib into his mouth. "What else do you expect? Did you contribute anything financially this year?

"A maid only makes about 4 to 5 thousand a month, and look at how much you spend. Groceries, utilities, and medicine for Dad? Everything's on my dime.

"I'm already doing you a favor by giving you zero salary. Honestly, you're basically a negative asset to this family."

I let out a mocking laugh, my eyes burning with unshed tears, but I forced them back. "Oh, a negative asset, huh?

"David, did you forget that when Samuel first got paralyzed, we had to pay 2.6 thousand a month for a caregiver, and nobody wanted to do it?

"Did you forget that Ethan's private tutoring costs 150 dollars per lesson? I'm the one teaching him foreign language and advanced math at home."

"Did you forget that the cashmere coat you're wearing right now? I scrimped on groceries all year to buy it for your birthday," David cut me off, slamming his fork down on the table.

"Enough."

"It's Christmas Eve, and you really have to bring up old stuff now?"

"Those are trivial chores. Anyone could do them. Do you think the world would fall apart without you?"

"If you don't want to sign, then get out. There are plenty of people dying to join the Carter family."

Mary chimed in, "Exactly. If you don't want to do it, then get out. Who are you acting all miserable for?"

Ethan jumped, looking up at me and yelling, "Bad mom, you made Dad mad. Go away. I don't want you."

At that moment, I could hear something inside me shatter.

The illusion of the family was completely shattered.

I stared at the absurd contract in my hands, and with all of them watching, I slowly ripped it apart.

The scraps of paper drifted down like snowflakes, settling on the table and on the roast turkey that I had painstakingly prepared.

David's eyes went wide, like he couldn't believe the usually meek Emily would actually do something like this. "Emily, are you crazy?"

I grabbed the unopened bottle of red wine from the table. "Yeah, I am crazy. I must be out of my mind to have been your free maid for five years.

"If my performance is Unsatisfactory, if I'm a negative asset, then none of you get to eat this meal."

I swept my arm across the table, flipping all the dishes and food onto the floor in one furious motion.

The clatter of broken plates, splashing soup, and Mary's shrill screams echoed through the entire living room.