Chapter 3

I walked into the kitchen and closed the door behind me.

I stood by the sink, turned on the faucet, and listened to the sound of water running.

Ethan came in after me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I replied.

He wrapped his arms around me from behind. "Don't let what Julia said get to you."

I leaned back into his embrace, watching the water disappear down the drain. "I know."

He tightened his hold. "Wendy, let's live our lives on our own terms."

I nodded.

But that voice in my head kept asking why.

Why was it that, no matter what I did, I was never good enough compared to Janet?

Why was my house sold so Janet could go abroad, while everything she got was handed to her like it was nothing?

Why should I always be the one to sacrifice?

When I got home that night, I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling.

My phone lit up. In the family group chat, Wendy messaged: [Mom, Dad, we need to get ready for next semester's tuition again.]

Mom replied: [How much?]

Wendy: [About 15 grand more.]

I looked at those messages and couldn't help but laugh.

Wendy had already taken 150 grand, and now she needed another 15 grand.

This was a black hole.

I exited the chat, dropped my phone on the nightstand, and closed my eyes.

I still had to get up early and open the shop tomorrow.

After the New Year, on the fifth day, Mom called. "Wendy, do you have any money right now?"

I was in my shop, checking the accounts, and my hand paused mid-writing. "What's up?"

"Janet's running low on living expenses. Can you lend her some for now? She'll pay you back afterward..."

"Mom," I cut her off, "how much does she need?"

"15 grand."

I fell silent.

"Janet says she needs to pay tuition next month and doesn't have enough. Can you help tide her over for now? Your little shop should be making some money by the end of the year, right?"

I looked at the numbers on my computer. Last year, the shop made 300 grand in sales, with a profit of 60 grand.

Orders for this year were already booked up until March.

But to Mom, none of this meant anything. All she saw was that I "ran a little shop", and she just assumed I was struggling.

"Mom, my money is already spoken for," I said.

"What could possibly be more important than Janet?" Mom pressed, her voice growing anxious. "We're family, Wendy. When Janet makes it, she'll help you out."

The same old line again.

I'd heard that line a million times growing up.

Mom always said, "Janet will help you out afterward.

"When Janet makes it, she'll help you out.

"Just let Janet have the chance first. She'll remember it."

But did Wendy ever remember any of that?

It had been eight years. Did she remember I gave up my shot at a top university just so she could go to grad school?

Did she remember I paid for my driving lessons with my own part-time jobs?

Did she remember she didn't even say "congrats" on my graduation day?

All she knew was how to keep asking for more.

"Mom," I said flatly. "I don't have 15 grand."

"You..." Mom snapped.

"I'm saving up to buy a house," I replied.

Mom went quiet on the other end.

Three seconds later, her tone shifted. "Wendy, what are you trying to say? Janet studying abroad is a big deal. What future could that useless shop of yours possibly have? Buying a house? How are you going to afford it?"

As I listened to Mom, I wasn't angry. I was just exhausted.

"Mom, that's it. I gotta go," I said.

"You—" Mom tried to protest.

I ended the call, switched my phone to silent, set it aside, and went back to my bookkeeping.

That evening, Ethan came to pick me up from the shop. "Did your mom call you again?"

"Yeah," I replied.

"What did she say?"

I closed the ledger and looked at him. "She wanted me to lend Wendy 15 grand."

Ethan was quiet for a moment. "What did you say?"

"I told her I didn't have it," I said.

Ethan looked at me, a little surprised, and then smiled. "Wendy, you finally learned how to say no."

I smiled back. "Yeah."

He walked over and took my hand. "Let's go house hunting this weekend."

I blinked, a little stunned. "What?"

"House hunting," he repeated. "We'll buy one ourselves. No help from them."

I looked at Ethan, and something inside me finally relaxed. "Okay."

On the weekend, we went to see a house.

Ten days later, Mom showed up at the shop.

She stood in the doorway, eyeing the sign and the decor inside, her face a mix of emotions. "So this is your little shop?"

"Yeah," I replied.

"It's... actually pretty big," she said.

I invited her in and poured her a cup of coffee.

Mom sat down, glancing around the shop. "Wendy, there's something I want to talk to you about."

I took a seat across from her.

"If you sold your shop, how much do you think you could get for it?" she asked.

I stared at her, a bit stunned. "What do you mean?"

Mom let out a sigh. "Janet's expenses are too much, and we really can't afford them anymore. Your dad and I talked it over. Your shop's been running for a few years now, so if you sell it, you should be able to get a decent amount."

I looked at her. "Mom, you want me to sell my shop?"

Mom said, "Not exactly sell. Just rent it to someone else. It's not like you're going to make it big anyway, so why not help Janet out completely..."

"Mom," I cut her off.

Mom stared at me, surprised. I hadn't cut her off in ages.

"My shop is mine," I said.

"You..." Mom snapped.

"I've poured five years of my life into this place," I said, keeping my voice steady. "I'm not handing it over."

Mom's expression changed. "Wendy, when did you become like this? Janet is your own sister. If she makes it big, you'll get something out of it, too."

"Mom," I looked her straight in the eye, "when has Janet ever done anything for me?"

Mom opened her mouth but couldn't say a thing.

"Back when it was time for the SATs, I sacrificed. Learning to drive? I sacrificed. Graduation? I sacrificed. I even sacrificed my matrimonial home," I said flatly.

"For the past five years, I've run this shop, saved every penny, and survived all on my own. I've never asked the family for anything."

"Can't you just give Janet a hand?" Mom pressed.

"How? You want me to sell my shop, give her the money, and let her spend it all. Then what? What am I supposed to do?"

Mom was stunned. She looked like she'd never even considered that. "I..."

"Mom," I said, standing up, "I've got things to take care of here. You should head home."

She stood there, her face shifting from pale to ashen.

In the end, she didn't say a word. She turned and walked out.

As the door closed behind her, I stood there, my hands shaking a little.

This was the first time I'd ever said no to Mom.