“My mom begged you, and you still want her to sell blood? That’s not enough—you made my dad fall too! You’re nothing but a curse on this family. I’ve hated you for a long time. Today I’ll get justice for Mom and Dad!”

Half-conscious, I felt the warm blood flood into my mouth before Ryan finally stopped hitting me.

“Don’t worry, Mom. As long as I’m here, no one will ever bully you.”

I struggled to my feet, only to see Margaret collapsing into Ryan’s arms, sobbing bitterly:

“It’s my fault—I can’t afford to raise you both. I know your sister resents me, but what can I do? I don’t want her to miss her chance to study.”

“My life is cheap. I can suffer, it doesn’t matter. If I can’t sell my blood, then I’ll sell myself instead. Don’t stop me, son.”

She staggered toward the door.

It was already dark outside. I wiped the blood from my face and walked back to my room, ignoring the cries and insults echoing behind me.

I never had any favoritism, yet somehow, every blame always landed on me.

My mind dulled, I remembered so much.

I remembered when Ryan was born and I was three, the first time I saw him in the hospital. Everyone told me I was an older sister now, that I had responsibilities, that I had to take care of him.

But Margaret told me,

“It’s alright. Even if you don’t help, I won’t be angry. As long as you and your brother are safe, I don’t care if it costs me my life.”

I cried and promised her,

“I’ll be good. I’ll take care of my brother. Mommy, you have to stay safe.”

At ten, when Daniel and Margaret were taking Ryan to New York City, Margaret squeezed my hand awkwardly that night.

“Mom won’t leave you. It’s just that having two kids is too heavy a burden. Your dad and I can’t earn enough. But don’t worry, I’ll take more jobs—I’ll sweep streets, dig through trash for food—anything, just to take you with us.”

I cried and told them,

“I’ll be fine in the county by myself. Don’t worry about me.”

At fifteen, when I scored first in the entire county and earned the right to attend the best high school in the city, a second-rate private high school offered me a large scholarship. I didn’t want to go, but Margaret knelt in front of me.

“I know you want the best school, and I won’t force you. It’s your brother who’s weak, and it’s us as parents who are useless. You go study, and we’ll support you—even if your dad and I have to pick garbage, even if your brother does too, we’ll support you.”

I sighed and signed the private school contract.

But this time, for the first time, I didn’t give in.

The blood on my face dried as the noise outside raged on. Ryan pounded on my door.

“Emily Carter, get out here! You made Mom and Dad suffer, and you still dare hide? You better get on your knees and apologize to them!”

“I knew it—your good girl act was fake. You’ve been waiting for this moment to take revenge, haven’t you? And Mom’s always bragging about you to everyone. Well, I’ll show them your true face, you ungrateful wretch.”

“Mom and Dad starved and saved all these years to raise us, and you’re this heartless? Raising you was a waste. And you still want to study? What’s the use of studying, huh? You can shove your books where the sun doesn’t shine. I despise you!”

The thin wooden door shook under his pounding.

His voice was hoarse, unhinged.

“I knew it—too much studying makes people forget where they came from. Look at those Ivy League kids—they leave the country and never come back. You’re the same. The more you study, the wilder your heart gets. You even dare go against Mom and Dad. Well, today I’ll make things right. Mom doesn’t dare deal with you, but I do!”

This room was carved out of the balcony.

It was a two-bedroom apartment. I remember when I first came here, Margaret looked at me uneasily.

“Emily, your dad and I don’t have much. The apartment’s small, there’s no extra room. But I don’t want you to feel wronged. How about this—you take our bedroom, and your dad and I will sleep in the living room. No matter how hard it is, we want you to live well.”

But she didn’t move an inch until I said,

“It’s okay. I’ll sleep on the couch. I’ll manage.”

Only then did she smile.

“Our Emily is so considerate.”

Yes. I was always the considerate one.

Because in this world, I never had the choice not to be.

Mom never sold her blood. Dad never went to the hospital. One night passed, and it was as if nothing had happened.

When I stepped into the living room, the admission letter was gone from the table.

Margaret greeted me with a forced smile.

“Emily, I know you’re upset. But yesterday, you were really too thoughtless. Your dad and your brother were furious, and I spent the whole night calming them down.”

“I know you’re always the obedient one. This time, take it as Mom’s request—just apologize to them, and let’s put this behind us, okay?”

“What your brother said were just words of anger. He’s admired you since he was little. He’s only scared that once you leave for school, you won’t come back. He’ll miss you. He does care about you.”

I stared into her sharp, calculating eyes, my voice cold.

“Where’s my admission letter?”

She feigned confusion, her lips parting slightly.

“Huh? Emily, what are you talking about?”

I repeated,

“My admission letter. Where is it?”

Her tears fell instantly.

“Emily, you still won’t let this family go, will you? Do you really want to see me sell blood, your dad die, and your brother drop out of school? You’re not that cold-hearted.”

Her lips trembled, opening and closing without sound.

A harsh cough echoed from the room.

Margaret’s body went limp. She looked at me with pleading eyes.

“Take it as a favor to me. I’ll kneel if I have to, alright?”

She began sliding to her knees.

I didn’t move. And in that moment, Ryan rushed out.

“Mom, don’t kneel to her. Don’t beg her.”

He held Margaret with one hand and slapped me with the other.

“You’d let Mom kneel to you? Aren’t you afraid of cursing yourself to an early grave? Shameless! If it weren’t for Mom, I would’ve beaten you to death yesterday.”

Margaret carefully pulled Ryan back.

“It’s my fault… Since your sister has already hardened her heart, there’s nothing I can do. I’ve written my will. I’ll sell blood—today, I’ll sell blood.”

I gritted my teeth, my throat filling with the taste of iron.

“I can pay for myself. I don’t need money from this house. If you’re selling blood, who exactly are you selling it for?”

At my words, Margaret’s eyes widened in shock, her whole body trembling.

“Emily, what are you saying? Everything I do is for you—of course it’s for you…”

I let out a cold laugh.

“I told you. I don’t need your money. Why torture yourself selling blood?”

Margaret stared at me, eyes filled with unfamiliar helplessness.

“You may not need money, but your brother does, your dad does, the house does. I have no choice, Emily, no choice at all.”

I fixed my gaze on her.

“Then why pretend it’s for me? When in truth, it’s because…”

Before I could say a word, a heavy kick landed on my stomach.

“You dare talk back? We raised you all these years just so you could argue with your parents? We’ve worked ourselves half to death, and you don’t show any understanding—you just keep adding to our burden. And you still dare talk back?”

Cold sweat broke out instantly. Daniel Carter hobbled out of the bedroom.

“We raised you for eighteen years. Finally thought we could breathe a little easier, but no—you’re already thinking of bleeding us dry. Emily Carter, how could you be so black-hearted?”

I struggled to breathe, tears blurring my vision.

Margaret Carter’s voice cut sharply through the air.

“Don’t scold her, don’t scold her. It’s my fault. If she wants to study, let her go.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. Stumbling, I ran outside.

But soon, the phone calls began, relentless harassment from all sides.

Finally, they even called the police, asking them to persuade me to come home.

When I returned, Margaret’s eyes were swollen from crying, Daniel slumped powerless on the couch, and Ryan Carter glared at me with righteous fury.

I almost laughed.

All this, just because I wanted to go to college.

Margaret wiped away her tears, her gaze suddenly firm, no longer meek and pleading. Her voice was cold.

“I know. You’ve grown up, you have your own mind now. You don’t need this family anymore. My begging is useless.”

“So let’s settle this. You’re an adult now. You should contribute. And even if you won’t, at least pay back what you’ve already taken.”

Ryan nodded darkly.

“That’s right. Pay it back.”

Margaret’s hands trembled as she pulled out a notebook.

“I’ve kept track of every dollar you’ve spent since you were a child. I thought you were obedient and filial, and I’d never need to use it. But now… it’s time.”

She blew her nose and began crying again.

I laughed suddenly.

“So this ledger—only I have one? Or does Ryan have one too?”

Ryan jumped up instantly.

“What do you mean by that?”

Daniel snorted.

“Your brother is obedient and filial. Why keep an account for him? He’ll support us when we’re old—it’s obvious already.”

“You’ve always been trouble, while he’s always protected us. That alone means he doesn’t need a ledger.”

I laughed until tears came.

Of course Ryan didn’t need one. He was always the beneficiary. Everything stripped from me ended up with him.

He didn’t need to fight. But I did.

Margaret’s tears streamed again, her face still pitiful.

“I hate that it’s come to this. I raised you with my own hands, and of course I want you to do well. But I have no choice. I truly have no choice.”

Her hopeful gaze fell on me again. She was still waiting for me to yield.

But I stayed silent, then spoke at last under all their stares.

“Fine. Let’s settle it. Count it all. Then I can study clean and free.”

Margaret spat into her hand and began tallying. She calculated all night.

The final sum: I owed them five hundred thousand.

That included fifty thousand for childhood expenses, fifty thousand in rent for my room, two hundred thousand as “compensation” for childbirth, and two hundred thousand for my future dowry.

It was so absurd I laughed through tears. But the three of them found nothing wrong with it.