Chapter 1No Place at Home

When I heard my younger brother was bringing his girlfriend home, I took annual leave, bought gifts, and flew back for the occasion.

The moment I arrived, I found my luggage dumped carelessly outside the front door.

My parents looked surprised to see me, but quickly recovered.

"Ryan's girlfriend only wants to marry an only child, so we've been telling people Ryan has no siblings. You need to stay somewhere else for now and introduce yourself as a distant cousin from now on.

"Don't blame us. Everything in this family will belong to your brother eventually. A daughter leaves when she marries."

As they spoke, Ryan tossed the last of my belongings outside as though they were trash.

"Finally. All that junk was an eyesore."

My fingers slowly tightened around my purse, which still held the heavy gold bracelet I had bought as a welcome gift.

Fine. Since I was only a distant cousin, they could stop living in my house.

I turned around and pulled out my phone.

"Hello. I'd like to sell the house in Maple Gardens. List it twenty thousand below market."

* * *

When she saw the displeasure on my face, my mother curled her lip.

"Elena, you're not getting any younger. It's time you found someone and got married. What kind of grown woman keeps treating her parents' house like a permanent home?

"Your brother is getting married soon. We're turning this place into his marital home, so sooner or later, you'll have to move out."

It felt as though someone had stuffed my chest with wet cotton.

I had taken annual leave, flown three hours, and arrived carrying bags of presents, only to be greeted by this.

My father immediately backed her up.

"Elena, you know how difficult dating is for young men now. Try to understand where your mother and I are coming from.

"Your brother finally found a woman he wants to marry. For the sake of this family, just put up with it."

Put up with it. I had heard those words for more than twenty years.

Whether it was college tuition or the last piece of fruit in the refrigerator, I was always the one told to give in.

I had endured it for more than twenty years, and their final answer was still the same.

My throat burned.

I turned toward the bedroom where I had slept for most of my life. It had been stripped bare, as empty as I felt inside.

My mother frowned and stepped in front of me.

"That's enough. Stop staring. You won't be staying in there again. This is your brother's home now."

Ryan Goodman leaned against the doorway, watching me with complete indifference.

"Come on, Elena. Think about me for once. You're already this old and still single. People might start thinking something is wrong with our family.

"Besides, Chloe told me she would only marry an only child. If you care about my happiness, you'll move out and keep quiet."

I stared at them in disbelief.

"I spent three hours on a plane to come home, and this is how you treat me?"

A flicker of guilt crossed my mother's eyes.

"No one asked you to come back. Besides, even if you did, there's no place for you here."

Then her gaze dropped to the purse hanging from my shoulder.

Greed flashed in her eyes.

"Didn't you say you bought a welcome gift for your future sister-in-law? Is it in that bag?"

I clutched the purse and stepped back.

"Mom, you won't even let me through the door, but you still expect me to hand over a gift. Don't you think that's a little much?"

My father scoffed.

"As Ryan's older sister, giving his future wife a gift is basic courtesy. What does that have to do with whether you come inside?"

The two of them yanked the purse from my hands, and the heavy gold bracelet I had just purchased tumbled onto the floor.

It struck the tile with a sharp metallic ring.

My mother beamed at the sight of it.

"At least you have some conscience. I suppose raising you all these years wasn't a complete waste."

I snatched the bracelet back and shoved it into my purse.

"Since this family has no room for me, there's no reason for me to give this to anyone."

My father's face fell.

"What kind of thing is that to say? When have we ever treated you unfairly? Whatever your brother had, you had too. You're cutting off your family over one bedroom?"

His shameless reversal made me laugh.

"Dad, aren't I supposed to be a distant cousin?"

His face darkened like an approaching storm.

"That's only what we tell outsiders. Inside this family, you still owe every courtesy expected of a daughter."

Then he ripped the bracelet out of my hands and glanced at the heap of luggage by the door.

"Since you're already here, take the rest of this garbage with you."