Chapter 3

“Slam!”

I threw the property deed heavily in front of Dad.

“You bought Kevin a house? The down payment alone must have been over ten thousand dollars. Where did you get the money?”

Mom quickly scurried over to calm me. “Lily, what are you talking about? We’re still in debt; where would we get money to buy a house?”

I scoffed. “Then what’s this property deed all about?”

A flicker of panic crossed Mom’s eyes, but she forced a laugh. “This… this is fake. Your brother’s got a girlfriend, and her family is well-off. He was afraid of being looked down upon, so he made a fake document to keep up appearances.”

Did she take me for a fool?

I stated plainly, “Fake? Then let’s call the city records office. Faking official documents is a crime.”

Mom shut her mouth.

Kevin jumped in again. “Lily, don’t be crazy. So what if I have money to buy a house? It’s none of your business!”

I didn’t even want to dignify him with a response. I pulled out my phone, ready to call the police. “Since you can’t explain where the money for the house came from, let’s call the police and investigate.”

“Smack!”

Dad’s slap made my ears ring, yet my mind felt strangely clear.

Dad pointed at me, yelling. “What’s all this fuss about? I paid for this house for your brother!”

“Your brother is filial; he gave me a solid gold bracelet for my birthday. And you? A worthless, crappy car charm.”

“Raising a daughter is worse than raising a dog. We should’ve drowned you the day you were born…”

“Get out! Get out, I don’t have a daughter like you!”