Normally, my sister was the good-tempered and obedient one between us, always doing what our parents said without question.

In my past life, she would proactively transfer money every month without waiting for our mother to remind her.

As we didn't reply, my mother tried another approach. [Your dad's leg hurt yesterday. He went to the hospital for an X-ray. The doctor said he shouldn't do heavy work anymore. What should we do?]

My sister and I still didn't reply. My mother got angry. [We worked ourselves sick to raise you two, and now that you're able to support us, you can't just turn your back on us!]

What a joke. Raised us? What about my brother? Doesn't he need financial support too?

I chuckled. In my past life, I must have been blind, letting my biased parents treat me like that without resistance.

I took a deep breath, ready to argue, but my sister beat me to it.

[I have no money.]

The reply was cold and uncharacteristic of her.

[I'm renting a place near my company, paying three months upfront. My salary isn't enough to cover my living expenses. Calvin and I are saving for a wedding and a house. I have no money. I won't give you any money.]

So, my sister wasn't married yet, and Calvin was her first love.

Unfortunately, in my past life, my parents forced her to marry a rich man from the neighboring village because Calvin was an orphan and couldn't afford the bride price.

My mother didn't expect my sister to stand up to her and was silent for a few minutes.

Seizing the moment, I typed, [I have no money either. Last week was Chris's mother's birthday. I bought her a gold bracelet for 3 thousand dollars. I have no money left. I will give you some money when I have some to spare.]

I did it on purpose. Spending money on my mother-in-law instead of my mother would surely infuriate her.

Sure enough, my mother exploded. [Are you out of your mind? Why did you buy Chris's mother a gold bracelet? You've never bought me anything!]

I sneered. I had never spent much of their money. Elementary, middle, and high school were free because I attended public schools. The scholarship I received at high school was used to buy Nike sneakers for my brother while my sister and I wore hand-me-downs from relatives.

The only blessing was marrying Chris, who truly loved me. My mother-in-law treated me like her own after learning how poorly I was treated by my parents.

That was why, in my past life, I refused to comply and fought back when my parents targeted my in-laws' house.

My husband's family treated me sincerely; I couldn't let my parents exploit them.

[I never bought anything for you? Who did I give my salary to in the first years of working? Who gets my monthly allowance now?]

[Since you don't acknowledge the money I gave you, from now on, I won't be giving you any more. Besides, my sister and I have been away from home for years. Why should we be expected to cover your expenses? Shouldn't our brother be the one supporting you?]

I sent a smiling emoji.

My younger brother, who had been silent, sent the same emoji.

I sneered.

My mother, too angry to type, sent a voice message: [Lara! Chloe! You two come home tomorrow!]

Alright, I was just thinking about heading back.

03

When I got home, I ran into my sister at the door.

My eyes lit up because my sister looked different today.

I remembered, in my last life, she always dressed in dull colors—gray or black—and after being forced to marry that two-hundred-pound guy from a nouveau riche family, she looked even more miserable.

But today, she looked sharp and bright, like a completely different person.

"Hey, Lara," I said. My sister didn't say anything. She just raised her chin coolly and nodded. Then she put her arm around my shoulder, and we walked inside.

My father and brother were in the yard, and my mother was sitting in the living room, looking like she was about to teach us a lesson today.

I exchanged a glance with my sister. It seemed like we were in for a big fight today.

"Well, well, look who's back. The two daughters of our Sweeney family," my mother said.

Predictably, my mother started with her usual sarcastic tone. I had heard it too many times in my last life.

But in this life, I wasn't going to take it.

"Mom, what do you mean by 'our Sweeney family'? Aren't you a Fowler? Everyone in this family—Dad, my sister, and my brother—is a Sweeney, except for you. Oh, I see, you want to say that a married daughter belongs to another family, right? Fine, I married Chris, so now I'm an Arroyo."

Based on my experience from my previous life, I knew that trying to reason with people who were fundamentally biased against daughters was futile; instead, I had to respond in kind.

...

My mother was stunned by my outburst and didn't know how to respond.

At this moment, my sister said casually, "And me too. I'm a Serrano now."

Both my mother and I were shocked. My sister continued, "I came back this time to tell you that Calvin and I got our marriage license a few days ago. We're going to have a small ceremony in a few weeks. If you and Dad want to come, you can."

Wow, was this really my sister, the one who had always obeyed our parents without question?

My mother let out a piercing screech, "How did you get the marriage license? Did you steal your ID card I've been keeping for you?"

She was so angry that she jumped up and tried to pinch my sister's arm.

It had always been like this. Ever since we were kids, if we didn't do what our parents wanted, they would tap us or spank us.

My father felt the villagers looked down on him for having two daughters instead of the precious son they desired, and my mother considered us unworthy because we weren't male.

When our brother was born, we became even more insignificant. Sometimes when our brother disobeyed them, they would scold us to vent their frustration.

I stepped in to stop my mother from hitting my sister. "What are you doing? Domestic violence is against the law!"

My sister stood there without dodging. "Yes, I did steal my ID card to get the marriage license."

My mother got even angrier, flailing her arms and yelling, "You ungrateful daughter! We found you a good match who would give us 50 thousand dollars in dowry! You... you've spread your wings and have the nerve to go against us! That guy is dirt poor and you're happy about it? You're a disgrace, making us look bad!"

I used one hand to shield myself from being hit by my mother and the other to shield my face from her spittle.

My sister's eyes reddened as she continued coldly, "50 thousand dollars! Just because they could give 50 thousand dollars, it's a good match? You don't care about your daughter's well-being at all! That guy weighs over two hundred pounds, he'd kill me if he hit me!"