Chapter 4

My heart twinged. The words "I'm allergic to eggs" stuck in my throat.

Crash!

Dad suddenly threw down his fork, grabbed the barely touched bowl of soup, and stalked toward me.

Dad grabbed me, then lifted the bowl and tried to force it into my mouth. I struggled frantically, soup splashing everywhere—down my chin and into my collar.

Mom, Grandma Evelyn, and several relatives rushed over, pulling Dad away with all their strength.

I stumbled to the floor, coughing uncontrollably, the front of my clothes soaked.

Voices exploded around me.

"What if she chokes?"

"This kid is hopeless!"

"She's this way at her age—what'll she be like when she's older?"

I coughed, tears streaming down my face, barely able to catch my breath.

Grandma Evelyn rushed over, eyes red and tearful: "It's Grandma's fault… I shouldn't have bought that tablet today. Shouldn't have come…"

I suddenly pulled my hand away from hers, gasping for air with a bitter smile: "What are you putting on an act for? You intentionally bought that used tablet, didn't you? And the wallet—you wanted to humiliate me, right?"

Aunt Lisa shrieked: "What's wrong with that tablet? When we were kids, we would've been thrilled to have something like that!"

Mom pulled Grandma Evelyn behind her, eyes red as she shouted at me: "I know you hate your dad and me, but Grandma practically raised you!"

"Look at her leg! She broke it working construction to pay your school fees! What's wrong with secondhand things? As long as they work, isn't that enough?"

I winced in pain, got to my feet, and brushed off my clothes: "Enough! It's *your* job to take care of Grandma, not mine! *You* let her leg go untreated! What does that have to do with me? If secondhand stuff is so great, why don't *you* use it? Go ahead—be my guest!"

At that, Dad lunged again. Grandma Evelyn tried to stop him but couldn't hold him back.

He grabbed me and slammed me onto the coffee table. My back hit the edge with a jolt, and the pain made my vision go black.

"Fine, fine!" Dad panted.

"I'll show you if this used tablet actually works!"

He reached for the bag but knocked something under the coffee table—my journal.

It must have fallen out when I was thrown earlier.

I tried to grab it, but the pain in my body kept me from moving.

Dad picked up the journal, flipped through a few pages casually, and his face instantly went pale.

"What did you write in here?" His voice shook.

"You said you hated Grandma… And in your diary, you wished she was dead?"

Everyone froze, then crowded around to look.

Grandma Evelyn stood there stunned, tears silently streaming down her face. Mom snatched the journal, glanced at it, then rushed over and slapped me twice.

I tilted my head, wiped the corner of my mouth, and smiled: "Yeah, I want her dead. Why didn't that old bag break her neck when she fell?"

The other relatives started shouting: "Ungrateful little bitch!" "Heartless monster!"

Grandma Evelyn wiped her tears with her sleeve, turned, and started toward the door: "I'll go... I'll leave right now..."

"Mom!" Dad called out, voice shaking with rage.

"You're not the one leaving today." He suddenly turned to me, eyes blazing.

"If anyone's getting out, it's this brat!"

I lifted my chin: "Fine by me. That's what I wanted anyway. I got this job to get independent faster, to get out of this family."