Chapter 1

After my mom's surgery, she moved into the house I paid for in full. Then my husband dragged home a so-called pitiful little sister.

She claimed she was afraid of the cold and insisted that my mom move out of the south-facing bedroom.

She said she was a light sleeper and asked my mom not to get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Later, she sat beside my husband with a cup of hot milk and whispered, "Daisy keeps coughing all night. I can't get any sleep. Maybe she should move out for a while."

My husband frowned at me. "Irene, your mom really is disturbing everyone's sleep."

I put down my chopsticks and smiled. "Sure, I'll take care of it later."

*****

When Tiana Aguirre told my mom, Daisy Hill, to move out, the pot of mushroom soup on the dining table was still steaming.

My mom's hand paused in mid-air as she was picking up food. A piece of cucumber slipped from her spoon into her bowl, and the soup splashed onto the back of her hand.

She didn't make a sound, just silently pulled her hand back under the table.

I caught a glimpse of her wrist peeking out from her sleeve, so thin it looked like it might break if I touched it.

Tiana was draped in my cashmere shawl, sitting next to Harry Blair, cradling a cup of hot milk in her hands, her voice barely above a whisper.

She said, "Harry, I swear I'm not trying to complain about Daisy. But I've been having heart issues lately, and the doctor said I need to get proper rest.

"But Daisy keeps getting up in the middle of the night, and the shuffle of her slippers back and forth wakes me up every time. Once I'm awake, I can't fall asleep again."

Harry set down his spoon, his brows furrowed.

He said, "Daisy, have you been drinking too much water before bed lately?"

My mom quickly waved her hand. Her knuckles hit the rim of the bowl with a sharp clink.

She said, "No, I'll be more careful. I'll walk in my socks from now on, no slippers."

Tiana's eyes grew teary as she lowered her head and coughed twice.

Harry immediately grabbed a tissue and handed it to her.

He said softly, "Don't force yourself."

I watched as he passed the tissue to Tiana, and it felt like a cold stone settled in my stomach.

I paid for this house in full before I got married.

Last year, after my mom had thyroid surgery, the doctor told her to take it easy, so I had her move in with me.

Harry was all for it back then, saying we should take care of each other like a real family.

Then, about two weeks ago, he suddenly brought Tiana home, saying she was his college mentor's daughter. Her dad had passed away, her mom had remarried, and she was stranded in Mevine with nowhere to go.

"She'll only stay for two weeks. Once she finds a place, she'll move out," Harry said.

But in just two weeks, Tiana complained that the guest room was too noisy because it faced the street, so she took my mom's sunny bedroom for herself.

My mom ended up in a tiny room that used to be a storage closet. It was so cramped that she could barely turn over without hitting the fold-out bed.

Then Tiana claimed her stomach couldn't handle spicy food and banned any spicy cooking in the kitchen.

My mom had loved chili sauce her whole life, but now her lips went pale from eating nothing but plain oatmeal every day.

Just yesterday, Tiana said the smell of my mom's medicine was too strong, so she forced my mom to take her medicine out in the hallway.

When I got home from work, I found my mom crouched behind the fire door, holding her bowl of medicine. The wind was whipping in from the stairwell, her shoulders hunched, and a layer of dust was floating on top of her medicine.

I was about to snap, my hand gripping the doorknob, but then I saw my mom shake her head at me.

Her lips were turning blue as she whispered, "Irene, don't make a fuss. You and Harry are married. You can't let me be the reason for trouble every day."

I swallowed it down.

I kept enduring until today, when Tiana finally pushed things this far.

Tiana sniffled softly. "Let her move out. She's got her own place. It's not like she's homeless. But me? I can't keep going like this."

Harry turned to me, trying to sound reasonable, but his eyes had already made up their mind.

"Irene, maybe Daisy could go back to her old place for a few days? Once Tiana's feeling better, we can bring her back home," he said.

My mom's head snapped up, then quickly dropped again.

Her fingers twisted into the hem of her clothes, her nails digging into the fabric.

I heard the sound of my spoon hitting the table. The sound was sharp and clear.

Tiana flinched and leaned in closer to Harry.

Harry frowned. "Why did you have to scare her?"

I smiled. "Did I scare her?"

Harry tried to keep his temper in check. "Irene, she's not in good health."

I shot back, "And my mom just had surgery. Do you think she's perfectly healthy?"

He choked, stunned into silence.

Tiana's tears dropped onto the edge of her cup of milk.

"Irene, please don't blame Harry. It's all my fault. I shouldn't be such a burden," she said.

I stared at the shawl she was wearing.

I'd bought it for my mom on a business trip last year. It was a light beige one, with a tiny button at the collar, sewn on by my mom herself.

The button was now hanging loose, thanks to Tiana.

I stood up and walked over to her.

Tiana recoiled, her eyes wide. "Irene, what are you doing?"

Harry shot to his feet. "Irene!"

I reached out and ripped the shawl right off Tiana's shoulders.

She wobbled, and the milk in her hand splashed all over her skirt.

Harry glared at me. "Are you crazy?"

I draped the shawl over my mom's shoulders, my fingers brushing her back. She was shaking.

"Mom, are you cold?" I asked softly.

My mom opened her mouth, but couldn't get a word out. Her tears fell first.

Harry slammed his hand on the table. "Irene, if you've got a problem, come at me instead. Don't bully Tiana."

I turned to look at him. "She's living in my house, wearing my mom's clothes, eating my mom's cooking, and now she wants to kick my mom out. And you're saying I'm the bully here?"

Tiana clutched her chest, her breathing coming in short, panicked bursts.

"Harry, maybe I should leave? I never should've come here and messed up your life," she said.