After finishing her milk, my daughter started crying, wanting to be held.

"Be good and go find mommy. Daddy still has to cook."

But she wouldn't let go, clinging to my leg and crying. She and Clara weren't close … Clara barely spent time with her.

My mom frowned, clearly annoyed.

"Clara isn't feeling well. Don't let her get tired, just carry the baby yourself!"

Really? I saw Clara holding Victor's son, playing with him using a new toy she just bought. She hadn't looked sick at all.

If she could just give my daughter half the attention, my daughter wouldn't be so distant from her.

With no other choice, I strapped her to my back and started cooking.

My lower back has been aching a lot lately. Ever since the surgery, I've felt even more drained.

And now, emotionally, I feel even worse. No one in this family truly understands, protects, or cares for me.

As I was washing vegetables, I fought back tears.

Was this really how my life was going to be?

I'm only 28 … Am I supposed to endure this for another 50 or 60 years?

It just felt so unfair.

While I was still busy, my daughter suddenly started crying again. She's just a little over a year old, of course she didn't want to be strapped to my back.

With no other choice, I carried her into the room, hoping to calm her down and help her get to sleep.

She slowly settled down in my arms.

At that moment, I remembered my own childhood. Only my dad ever tried to comfort me. My mom was always off at my uncle's house, visiting Victor.

Victor was really good-looking; he looked like a little prince. Arthur, on the other hand, was always messy and untidy.

Why was I messy? It's because I never got any nice new clothes to wear.

Victor and I are the same age, but whenever my mom buys new clothes, she always gives them to Victor first. Only after he'd worn them out or lost interest did she pass them on to me.

So, my clothes never fit properly and by the time I got them, I had already grown a bit taller.

But my mom just criticized me for looking ugly and not having any charm.

Even though my grades were better than Victor's, I never get any praise from her.

She said boys should be judged by how much money they make, good grades didn't really matter.

Later, when I started dating, I brought Jeane home and the first thing my mom did was call Victor over to see.

I knew Victor had tried to ask Jeane out a few times, but she never agreed.

I told my mom about it, but she just said I was being petty.

"Victor likes Jeane, just let him be with her," she said.

I couldn't believe what she said. For the first time, I didn't listen to her and insisted on marrying Jeane.

But on the wedding day, my mom still got her way.

She suddenly demanded a bigger dowry. Jeane could afford it since her family was wealthy, but she could tell my mom was greedy. Not wanting to be taken advantage of, she angrily walked away.

I begged her to stay, but it didn't work.

The invitations were already sent and the banquet was set. Then Victor stepped in, refused the dowry and even offered a higher bride price. Just like that, he took Jeane away.

In the end, it was all part of my mom's plan.

My mom's phone was charging when a message suddenly came in from my uncle.

"Sis, Victor is coming over to be with you. Thanks for taking care of him."

I felt a little tearful, that was what a parent's love for their child really looked like.

But every time I visit my aunt's house, my mom always tells me, "Keep your eyes open, don't just sit around. Take good care of them and don't embarrass me."

I remembered my mom's social media posts, she only ever posted about Victor.

"Victor is already 18 and has been accepted to college! I’m very proud of him. He will get a MacBook as a reward!"

I got into college too, but my mom didn't say a word. I was the only one in the whole dorm without a computer. So later, I worked part-time and saved up to buy my very first computer myself.

"Victor is 22 years old and just finished college! His future looks bright. I’m going to give him $3,000 as a reward!"

By my senior year, I had already secured an internship. My mom said since I was earning now, she wouldn't give me any more living expenses.

After that, Victor got married to Jeane.

My mom still posted on social media.

"Victor is 25 years old now. Finally, the lovers are together! They are really a perfect match!"

But when I married Clara, my mom said she wasn't feeling well and didn't show up.

Looking back, it felt like Victor was really her son and I meant nothing to her.

The more I thought about it, the sadder I got. Tears started to fall.

The kitchen went quiet; they finally realized no one was cooking.

My mom rushed into the bedroom looking for me and saw me trying to calm my daughter.

"Hurry up and start cooking! Do you realize what time it is? Do you want Victor and the others to be hungry?"

I whispered, "Shh," since I had just gotten my daughter to sleep and didn't want her to wake up.

"Shh? What's that supposed to mean? She's not some precious princess, I can't even talk?"

My mom intentionally raised her voice.

Startled by the sudden loud voice, my daughter woke up crying again.

I couldn't hold my frustration any longer.

"Mom, this is your house. If I'm busy, go cook for yourself!"

Her eyes widened and she slapped me.

"You've really turned against me! How dare you boss your own mother around?"

"Everyone knows you're the best cook, we're all relying on you!"

"Put the child down quickly and go start cooking!"

I kept trying to calm my daughter, but she wouldn't stop crying. My mom wanted to hold her, but my daughter clung tightly to my neck and refused to let go.

Honestly, my mom isn't gentle with her. Whenever she just puts her down on the floor and when my daughter gets bumps or scrapes, my mom doesn't seem to care.

There was no other option, so Clara came in.

"Honey, give me the baby. You should hurry up and start cooking. Victor just said he's hungry."

My mom got worried as soon as she heard that and felt really sorry for him.

"That won't work. He's so fragile. If he stays hungry any longer, it'll be bad for him."

"Let's give him some snacks to hold him over. I'll go get some now."

I handed my daughter to Clara. Even though she didn't want to let go, there was nothing I could do.

When I stepped into the kitchen, the cooking smell made me feel uneasy and I started coughing.

It's been less than two months since my lung surgery. The doctor told me to stay away from the kitchen and avoid dust exposure so I could heal properly. But today, resting was simply not an option.

When my mom saw me covering my mouth and staying still, she got annoyed and tapped my head.

"What's wrong with you? Are you doing this on purpose?"

"You barely come home all year and now you're acting like doing some chores is too difficult?"

I covered my mouth, feeling bad and quietly explained,

"My lungs aren't healed yet. I'm still feeling weak."

My mom's eyes widened.

"So what? When I was sick, didn't I keep working anyway?"

I couldn't hold back and replied,

"So, just because you suffered, I'm expected to suffer too?"

"If you hadn't married a rich man, don't expect me to have an easy life."

"When you were sick, grandma didn't help you then. So now you want me to go through the same hardships you did, just to satisfy yourself?"

My mom flew into a rage and slapped me repeatedly. I ended up falling to the ground.

"You're really rebellious! And you still dare to lecture me!"

"I'd beat you to death, you unfilial son!"

Clara and Victor rushed over quickly and pulled my mom away.

"Aunt, if Arthur won't help, maybe I can do the cooking instead."

My mom and Clara were startled and immediately stopped him.

"No, you're too delicate to do hard work."

"Yeah, the kitchen is full of smoke and grease, it's bad for your lungs. You'd better go outside."

They knew the risks, but since I was the one doing it, it didn't seem to matter.

Victor smiled sweetly but stepped back reluctantly.

"Well, thanks for your hard work, Arthur."

My mom shot me a fierce glare while I was lying on the floor.

"Get up and start working! Stop playing dead!"

"You can't compare yourself to Victor. His fate is golden and blessed, but you were born to work hard. You need to accept that!"

They went back to the living room smiling like nothing had happened.

I gritted my teeth and stood up, feeling a sharp pain in my chest.

The doctor said I should stay calm and not get upset. Could it be coming back?

I glanced at Clara in the living room. She was staring only at Victor and they looked at each other as if the whole world didn't exist.

Fine. This family, this woman … I'm done with them!

Let's just have one last meal together today and then go our separate ways.

I had finally prepared a few dishes and was about to wash my hands to eat.

Victor came over with his arms crossed, looking at me.

"Arthur, you're only two months older than me, but our luck is totally different, huh?"

I knew what he meant, but I didn't want to answer.

"Jeane likes me and your wife likes me too. Honestly, you've lived a pathetic life!"

"I can see your daughter's going to inherit your fate sooner or later, destined to spend her whole life paving the way for my family."

I couldn't help but change my expression. Now he was even targeting my daughter.

I glared at him furiously.

"What the hell do you want?"

Victor's eyes flicked over to my daughter, a creepy smile spreading across his face.

"Nathan was born with poor eyesight. I've been planning to find someone to donate a cornea to. Your daughter seems like a good candidate."

"Your mom has already agreed and of course, Clara is on board too."

I was beyond furious. How could they be so cruel? My daughter is barely over one year old!

I tried to confront them, but Victor shoved me hard. I stumbled backward and hit my chest against the corner of the table. The pain from my surgery struck me sharply.

Suddenly, Victor threw himself on the ground, shouting loudly.

"Ouch! Arthur, why are you hitting me? I just didn't help with the cooking. Does that mean you have to hit me?"

My mom and Clara rushed in from the living room.

Clara quickly helped Victor up and yelled angrily,

"Arthur, apologize to Victor right now!"

"Who said you could hit him? Which hand did you use? Tell me right now!"

I clutched my chest in pain and collapsed to the floor, but they didn't notice at all.

My mom grabbed a broom and struck me hard in the chest!

I fell down. A sharp, metallic taste filled my throat. I started coughing violently and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"You're such an ungrateful brat, completely useless!"

"I'm going to beat you to death today! How dare you bully Victor!"

My daughter, scared, started crying loudly and stumbled over to me.

"Daddy … blood … blood … "

When Clara saw the blood beside me, she froze for a moment.

Then Victor stretched out both hands, palms up.

"My hand was scraped and bleeding."