Chapter 2

Mom angrily threw the annual statement in front of me.

My eyes were swollen from crying, and I knelt on the floor, sobbing continuously.

"Mom, I'll earn money when I grow up and pay you back…"

Mom didn't even hesitate, slapping me across the face.

A burning pain flared on my cheek, followed by Mom's furious roar.

"Pay back? Can you ever pay back all the years of youth and energy I spent raising you?"

"If you really want to pay me back, you should just die sooner and set me free."

Mom smashed everything she could get her hands on, then left the house with Chloe, leaving me alone, kneeling amidst a pile of shattered debris.

I could only pin my hopes on Dad.

Dad came home drunk, flopping onto the couch to scroll on his phone. I stopped cleaning the mess and got up to get him some water.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Mom's SnapChat Story on his phone.

In the photo, Mom was embracing Chloe, smiling happily, as if nothing had happened moments ago.

The caption read: "No matter what happens, never bring your bad mood to your child! That's our promise!"

She couldn't bring her bad mood to Chloe, but she could unleash all her fury on me.

My hand, holding the glass, trembled, and the water spilled directly onto Dad.

Dad quickly lifted his phone away, looking up at me angrily, his voice sharp as he yelled.

"Lily, are your hands useless? You can't even do a simple chore right. What good are you?"

My nose stung, and tears welled up again.

"Dad… I didn't mean to…"

Dad shot me an impatient glance, pointing at the door and shouting, "Oh shut up with the crying, you're annoying as hell, just get out!"

I sobbed, trying to explain to Dad, but he didn't give me a chance, getting up and heading upstairs.

I mustered all my courage and yelled after him, "Dad, today… it's my birthday."

Dad's footsteps on the stairs stopped. He turned to look at me, and I thought he finally remembered, that he would celebrate my birthday just once.

I watched him, filled with hope and anxiety, but what Dad said was, "Birthday? What birthday?"

"I never even heard of birthdays when I was a kid. You just haven't known hardship."

Dad went upstairs without another look. I sobbed my way out of the house and knelt in the snow.

Mom and Dad, you always said I was a jinx, that I was your curse, that you fought every day because of me…

So, Mom and Dad, if I leave, will you stop fighting?