Chapter 1

Mom always said she loved my younger brother Derek and me equally, but she had selective hearing.

I've been gluten intolerant since I was little. I told her over and over not to make sandwiches, but she never listened. At every meal, she made Derek's favorite sandwiches.

When Derek and I both came down with fevers, she couldn't hear me mumbling deliriously through a high fever, but the second he whimpered, she stayed at his bedside all night.

When we were both living away from home, she turned a blind eye to me pinching pennies in a cramped apartment. But the moment Derek complained that he "needed a better space for networking," she didn't hesitate to make the down payment on a luxury condo for him.

My heart went cold, and I learned my own kind of selective hearing.

I used to hand over most of my paycheck for what she called the "family fund" and to cover Derek's bills.

Now, I couldn't hear her hinting that I should keep bankrolling the family. The only thing I could hear was whether my dog was hungry.

All the money that used to go toward Derek's bills went straight to the dog instead.

This time, the one who lost it was Mom.

Chapter 1

Today, I watched my younger brother Derek hold up the closing folder for his new condo, tilting its glossy cover until sunlight flashed in my eyes.

Mom stood beside him, beaming at him with a doting smile.

I froze.

When I was little, I never understood why Mom always said she loved us equally when her attention only ever landed on Derek.

Even as adults, I was barely scraping by, but all she could hear was Derek complaining he "couldn't network without a decent place." Without blinking, she set him up in a luxury condo.

It wasn't until this moment that everything finally clicked.

I didn't want to force myself to accept it anymore.

I dug out every transfer receipt from the past few years and slapped them down on the coffee table, one by one.

"Mom, the money for this condo came from what I was paying into the 'family fund,' didn't it?"

"You promised you'd treat us fairly. What is this?"

Mom glanced at the receipts, her brow furrowing in displeasure.

"What are you trying to say? I raised you to be independent and successful, and now you're throwing it back in my face?"

"Besides, you've always been able to take care of yourself. But Derek is different. He's the baby of the family, and he's more sensitive. How is he supposed to feel confident without a decent place of his own?"

"You're his older sister. You're supposed to help him. Isn't that what family is for?"

Derek sat with his legs crossed, toying with the brand-new keys, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Sis, you gave that money to the family willingly. How Mom uses it is up to her. Who are you to say anything?"

"We're family. Why are you being so petty about it? That's just selfish."

The two of them tag-teamed me until I couldn't get a word out.

I glanced at the receipts spread across the table again.

That was sixty thousand dollars I'd saved over three full years of delivering food and washing dishes at restaurants after work.

Even now, there was a solid gold necklace sitting in my purse.

Mom had been dropping hints on the phone for weeks about how badly she needed a nice gold necklace for her neighborhood gatherings.

So I'd quietly spent an entire month's salary on it, planning to surprise her.

But now, there was no point.

I didn't argue. I didn't make a scene. I just turned and walked out the door.

Then I walked into the jewelry store downstairs.

I took the gold necklace out of my purse and had the jeweler reshape it into a gold charm tag for a dog collar.

Back at my apartment, I crouched beside my dog, Lucky, threaded the gold tag onto his old collar, and fastened it around his fluffy neck.

He immediately leaned closer and eagerly licked my palm.

The first time I saw this dog, he was crouched by a dumpster, pawing through someone else's leftovers.

Looking at him, I thought of myself as a kid, eating whatever scraps Derek left behind.

So I brought him home.

"Lucky," I scratched under his chin, "from now on, every penny Mommy has is yours."

Chapter 2

The gold tag hadn't been on Lucky's collar for half a day before Mom started blowing up my phone.

"Vivian! Your brother has an important blind date and he's a thousand dollars short for a decent suit! Transfer the money right now. He'll pay you back once he gets his bonus!" I looked down at Lucky gnawing on a bone by my feet and let out a cold laugh.

My whole life, she'd always said he'd pay me back. Not once had he ever actually done it.

I picked at my teeth.

"All my money's set aside for Lucky right now. He's due for a full veterinary workup, and funny enough, that'll cost about a thousand dollars too."

"So sorry, I'm broke."

Mom's voice shot up about eight octaves.

"Have you lost your mind? Your brother's date could change his whole life! How can you put that above a dog?"

I laughed again.

"Derek's date isn't going to change my life, so why can't I compare the two?

"Even if the date goes perfectly, it does nothing for me. I'd just have to keep subsidizing him."

"But when I spend money on Lucky, at least he wags his tail. At least he gives me something back."

"Mom, I can do the math."

Mom was so furious she couldn't speak. She hung up.

Five minutes later, my phone started buzzing nonstop.

The family group chat had exploded.

The aunts and uncles who'd watched me grow up came at me in rotation, tagging me one after another.

"When did you get so cold? You'd rather spend money on a dog than help your own brother?"

"You're part of this family. You should have some sense of responsibility! You can't be this selfish!"

"Vivian, sweetheart, take some advice from your aunt. Just send the money. Don't break your mother's heart."

I stared at the screen for a long time.

So the money I earned was supposed to go to everyone else, and that was just the natural order of things.

But spending it where I actually wanted to? That made me a monster.

And yet, when I really thought about it, every dime Mom had ever spent in her life went to Derek. Not a single cent had ever come my way.

So I couldn't figure out what exactly I'd done wrong.

My fingers flew across the screen as I typed out a message.

"Sorry, everyone, but if I'm remembering correctly, I earned every single cent of my money myself."

"So I'll give it to whoever I want. Is there a problem?"

I tapped "Leave This Conversation" and blocked every one of their numbers.

The world went quiet.

Chapter 3

The peace lasted less than a week.

One morning, while I was out walking Lucky, Derek suddenly called. His voice was surprisingly gentle.

"Sis, Mom's birthday is coming up. Even if you're throwing a tantrum, you can't skip something like this."

"She still cares about you. She was just saying she wanted to buy you some clothes. Come on over."

I was a little surprised.

But then I thought, she was still my mother, at least in her own mind. Maybe she really did want to make up but was too proud to say it first.

Fine. I'd give her one more chance.

I settled Lucky at home, grabbed my jacket, and headed to the mall.

When I pushed through the doors, I saw Mom clinging to Derek's arm outside a jewelry store, chatting about something.

When she spotted me, she squeezed out a smile and grabbed my arm.

"Vivian, honestly, I said a couple of things and you blew it all out of proportion."

She held out a designer shopping bag.

"Look at this. I picked it out just for you. You know it's my birthday, and I'm the one buying you a gift? So don't you dare say I favor Derek anymore."

My heart softened. I took the bag.

But the second I looked inside, I froze.

Inside was a wrinkled shirt reeking of mothballs.

The exact same smell as the clothes I'd seen on the $6.99 clearance rack outside the mall entrance.

She couldn't even be bothered to fake a real peace offering.

I slowly looked up, said nothing, and gave Mom a thin smile.

That seemed to satisfy her. Her eyes drifted toward the jewelry store.

"Vivian, it's still early. How about we go browse some other shops?"

This time I really did laugh.

I knew exactly what she was up to. She wanted to trade a $6.99 shirt for me buying her gold jewelry.

And that gold would almost certainly end up on Derek's wrist.

Clever woman.

But I didn't push back. I just smiled faintly.

"Sure, Mom. Whatever you say."

Mom immediately shot Derek a look, then happily pulled me into the jewelry store.

The counter lights were blinding.

Before either of them could open their mouths, I pointed straight at the thickest gold chain in the display case and told the clerk, "I'll take that one."

Mom blinked, then broke into a delighted grin.

"Oh, you've always been so generous. Well, I'll just accept your gift then..."

"Have it turned into a dog collar. Make it sturdy. Lucky's strong."

I cut her off, perfectly calm.

The air froze solid.

Mom's face went from flushed to pale, then settled into a sickly gray.

She grabbed my wrist and hissed through clenched teeth, "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? That's gold!"

"Your brother can barely keep up with the mortgage on his condo. Instead of helping this family, you're throwing money away on a stray mutt you picked up off the street?"

I yanked my arm free and looked at her coldly.

"Mom, you've got it wrong. That condo is in Derek's name. What does it have to do with me?"

"He gets all the benefits, and when the bill comes, suddenly it's my responsibility? Even charity doesn't work like that."

"You..." Mom shrieked, drawing stares from everyone around us. "You'd choose an animal over your own family? You heartless monster!"

A heartless monster.

So no matter how much I'd given, in the end, that was all I amounted to.

I let out two short laughs and forced the tears back down.

"Mom, don't you always say you love us equally?"

"Well, I'm learning from you. I gave my money to the dog, but all my love? That's still all for you."

A slap cracked through the store.

A sharp slap landed across my face, stinging and hot.

Mom's hand was trembling, her eyes blazing with fury.

"Get out! You selfish, heartless monster!"

I pressed my hand to my cheek and looked at her.

The last trace of warmth in my eyes disappeared.

Chapter 4

I was thrown out of the jewelry store.

After drifting through the streets alone for a long time, I went back to my apartment, held Lucky, and deleted every one of their contacts.

Time to let go.

But a week later, in the middle of the night, my phone rang. The caller ID showed Derek's number.

I didn't want to answer, but it kept ringing like a death knell.

I picked up, irritated. On the other end, Derek was half-screaming, half-sobbing.

"Vivian! Mom's dying!"

"Her appendix burst! The doctor says she needs surgery and the deposit is fifteen thousand dollars! Transfer it now!"

In the background, I could faintly hear Mom's weak voice cursing.

"...selfish brat... no sense of family..."

My heart lurched.

Even now, even after everything, hearing "she's dying" made my hand tremble.

"Fifteen thousand?" I took a deep breath and forced myself to stay calm. "I don't have it. All my money goes to Lucky."

"Cut the crap!" Derek roared. "Sell that mutt! Or melt down that gold chain! If anything happens to Mom, I will haunt you for the rest of your life!"

I scoffed.

"Then sell that luxury condo of yours. There's your money right there."

Two seconds of silence on the other end, then Mom's hoarse scream came through.

"Are you insane? That's your brother's image! Without that condo, how is he supposed to network?"

"Let me tell you something. Fine, don't pay. But if I die, it'll be your fault! You'll carry that guilt for the rest of your life!"

Right. Another shakedown.

I let out a long breath and smiled.

"Fine. I'll transfer it right now."

Expressionless, I typed the amount into my banking app and hit send.

Five seconds later, Derek texted a screenshot of the receipt. The amount read: $5.00.

"What the hell, Vivian? Five bucks? Who are you trying to fool?"

I replied coldly, "Five dollars should cover an IV bag. As for the surgery, if the condo can't be sold, I guess you'll just have to wait."

I hung up and blocked his number.

But I wasn't as calm as I expected.

Even with Lucky licking my palm as if trying to comfort me, my heart was still pounding.

Apparently, that last thread of family attachment still hadn't snapped.

I took a deep breath, threw on my jacket, and went to the hospital anyway.

When I got there, I'd just rounded the corner into a shadowed stretch of hallway when voices from the hospital room reached me.

Derek was complaining.

"...she's so stubborn. Five bucks. She actually sent five bucks. She really doesn't care about you anymore."

Then Mom's voice.

"...so what? She's always been the type to cave when you go soft on her. We'll press harder tomorrow. She'll pay up. I raised her to be capable for a reason. She's supposed to help you out. She can't just cut us off like that..."

My fingernails dug into my palms.

Of course it was a shakedown.

I was about to turn and leave when Derek said something next that nailed me to the floor.

"But what if she finds out you took out another three hundred thousand in loans under her name to buy a new condo?"

"Finds out what? I borrowed from loan sharks. They only care about who's on the hook.

"Even if I die, she can't shake that debt! If she keeps refusing to pay because of that stupid dog, they'll dox her and make sure she loses her job!"

"And that luxury condo stays in your name. Nobody touches it..."

My body went rigid. The blood in my veins froze solid.

So she'd bought Derek another condo.

And she'd taken out the loans in my name.

I wasn't just her ATM. I was the daughter she planned to saddle with every debt.

I backed away quietly, my steps hollow, and walked out of the hospital.

The cold wind hit my face. The spot where she'd slapped me days ago still ached faintly, but compared to the chill inside me, it was nothing.

After a long silence, I pulled out my phone and found a number I'd saved a long time ago: Attorney Daniel Lewis.

When he picked up, my voice was terrifyingly calm.

"Mr. Lewis, hello. I want to sue my mother."