Chapter 13
“Second, you’re not innocent. Have you already forgotten how you pushed me off the hospital building?”
A bombshell. The crowd erupted in shock.
And just like that, as if on cue, the police arrived. Right in front of everyone, they took Fiona away.
She stared at me, speechless, disbelief written all over her face.
+25 BONUS
Fiona was charged with attempted assault and locked up. The school expelled her.
Meanwhile, my parents, caught in their endless marital battles, started losing business partners. Their divorce split their assets, cutting off their cash flow. The business, once thriving, crumbled. Not long after, they went bankrupt.
Dodging debts became their new full–time job. At least they no longer had time to bother me.
I buried myself in my studies, pushing forward with everything I had. When the college entrance exams came, I performed beyond expectations and got into a decent university.
University transformed me. I changed my looks and refined my style.
Intelligence wasn’t my strong suit, but effort was. I worked twice, three times as hard, earning my place at a prestigious graduate school. From there, I went abroad for a doctorate.
One step at a time, I kept moving up. And away.
My parents, meanwhile, lived like sewer rats, scurrying from one hiding place to another until they finally cleared their debts. Only then did they start to fear–fear that I wouldn’t take care of them in their old age.
But I felt nothing for them anymore. With a casual shrug, I joked, “Fiona is younger than me. Naturally, I’ll let her take over the filial duties.”
Dad, now hunched and aged, reacted immediately. “She’s not your sister! Just a bastard! You are my only daughter. If you don’t support me, who will?”
I sipped my drink, unbothered. “Relax. When you’re in your seventies or eighties, I’ll toss a few hundred bucks your way every month. You won’t starve.”
I set my glass down. “The way you treated me–that’s exactly how I’ll treat you. No more, no less. If you want gratitude, go find Fiona. You invested all your love in her. Ask her for a return. Don’t be biased your whole life, then demand fairness at the end.”
I didn’t waste another second on them. I stood up and left.
