Chapter 2

Mark was strong, and he quickly tore my purse open.

But my debit card wasn't inside. No matter how much he searched, he couldn't find it.

Brenda saw brute force wasn't working, so she softened her tone and tried to reason with me.

"Sarah, I won't spend your money if I hold onto your debit card. I'm just keeping it safe for you."

"You're young and can't manage money. I'm doing this for your own good. Just give me the card, and I'll drop the manicure thing."

Brenda gave Mark a look, and he caught on right away.

He tried to put his arm around my shoulders, but I stepped back.

"Honey, you heard Mom. She's doing this for our own good. Once we save up enough, we can even get a bigger house."

"You, as a woman, having all this money and spending it recklessly... what if you actually... you need to think about me, right?"

"No." I refused without hesitation.

Before Mark could get angry, I spoke first.

"It's not that I don't want to give it to you. It's just that all my money is temporarily invested in a new company project. It'll double in returns."

Brenda and Mark hesitated, clearly tempted by the promise of double returns.

Only Tiffany spoke up sarcastically,

"How do we know you're not just lying to us?"

Tiffany was right—I hadn't invested anything. I just didn't want to hand my money over to their family.

Seeing I wouldn't budge, Brenda started again, saying it didn't matter if the card had money or not—she just wanted to hold onto it.

In the middle of the argument, my phone rang.

My dad's trembling, tearful voice came through the receiver.

"Sarah, your mom... something happened. You need to come home right away and take her to the hospital..."

Before I could ask what happened, Brenda snatched my phone and started yelling at my dad on the other end.

"How did you two raise your daughter?"

"Sarah not only wastes money and flirts with men all day, but she also acts like she owns the place and disrespected her elders at home! She's completely out of line!"

My dad was silent for a moment, then I heard strangers shouting in the background.

"Help! Someone just passed out here!"

The call cut off abruptly. I was both furious and terrified, desperate to get to my parents.

But Brenda, seeing me try to leave, grabbed my arm and blocked the doorway.

"You can leave, but you have to hand over your debit card. Otherwise, who knows what you'll do with that money!"

Enraged, I pushed Brenda away.

"Get out of my way!"

Brenda stumbled back and fell to the side. But as I ran downstairs, I noticed Mark and Tiffany chasing after me.

"Sarah, how dare you talk to my mom like that? Get back inside and apologize to her!"

Mark blocked my path, and he and Tiffany cornered me at the building entrance.

It was rush hour, and neighbors, hearing the commotion, gathered to see what was going on.

I didn't want to get stuck arguing. I just told them I had to leave and to stop blocking me.

Brenda also came downstairs. Seeing the crowd, she suddenly plopped down on the steps and started sobbing loudly.

"This is a nightmare! How did we ever end up with a daughter-in-law like Sarah!"

"She's a spendthrift who's wasted all my son's money, and now she even has the nerve to hit me! Everyone, please tell me if this is right!"

I couldn't take it anymore. I shook off Brenda's hand, which was grabbing my pant leg.

Then, ignoring the accusations and curses behind me, I rushed to my parents' house.