Chapter 3

The next day, filled with unease, I dialed their number.

Before I could even utter the words "I'm hungry," cheerful laughter reached my ears.

It was Chloe and Mom shopping.

Chloe whined, "Sarah, do I really look good in this dress? It's almost fifteen thousand dollars. Won't it be too much of an expense for you?"

Mom laughed in response, "If you like it, buy it. Don't worry about the money."

Then, turning her attention to me, Mom's voice sharpened as she asked why I was calling, a stark contrast to the soft tone she used with Chloe.

I cautiously brought up the subject of living expenses.

Worried they were still angry, I spoke in the most humble tone possible, apologizing profusely and promising to buy them gifts the moment I received the money.

To my surprise, I was met with another furious torrent of insults from Mom.

A barrage of profanities assailed my ears. Just as I was nearing my breaking point, Dad's steady voice finally came through.

"Alright, since you know you were wrong, we'll give you the living expenses."

Hope surged anew in my desperate heart.

I cried tears of joy, immensely grateful for this hard-won concession.

But when I swiped my card and saw the balance, my heart sank instantly.

It was only half of what they had promised!

I frantically called again to ask.

Dad, however, sneered, "We pampered you too much before, which made you lose all concept of money. So, your mom and I decided to give you another test: you'll earn the other half of your living expenses yourself this senior year."

"Only by understanding the difficulty of earning money are you worthy of being our child!"

With that, he abruptly hung up the phone.

My heart turned to ice.

With university applications approaching, I didn't even have enough time for studying. How could I earn money?