At that, Aunt Tiffany's mind went blank.

"What are you even saying, Jason? That's your own son! He worked hard for the three years he's in high school, all just for that admission letter!" The veins on the back of her hand pulsed as she spoke, clearly furious.

But Dad was unmoved. "But Shannon's upset. I can't stand seeing her lose her temper. I don't care about anything else as long as she's happy. Frank's our child, so why shouldn't he do what we say?"

Then, he handed the lighter to Mom, even turning to grab the envelope that held the admission letter.

I was used to Dad's antics since I was still a child.

Back when I was in high school, Mom was addicted to gambling. But he never stopped her, nor did he divorce her.

Whenever Mom played cards, Dad would pay for it. It went to the point where we didn't even have money to buy bread, but we'd have a card table in the house.

He'd do anything to keep her happy.

As for me, it was considered kind enough for them to keep me alive.

Back then, my monthly living expenses were barely 200 dollars. I was so hungry I could eat grass.

Aunt Tiffany was the one who secretly gave me money every month, just enough to help me survive three years of high school.

Seeing Dad was even worse than Mom, Aunt Tiffany slammed the table in rage.

She yelled, "Do you know what's going on right now, Jason? Your son is one step away from university! Can you please use your brain for once? And you too, Shannon! Isn't it comfortable enough staying home to play cards and scroll on your phone every day? Must you be so unreasonable now?"

Although Mom was still indignant, she only dared to pout to garner sympathy from Dad. Aunt Emily stopped fanning the flames as well.

That was because Aunt Tiffany's hand, pressed hard against the edge of a beer bottle cap, had started bleeding unknowingly.

My nose stung. At that moment, I grew more certain that she was the only person who cared for me.

Just as things were about to settle down, Dad spoke up again.

"No, this won't do. Just look at how miserable Shannon is now. It kills me to see her like that. A good husband is supposed to treasure the woman he loves. He upset my sweetheart, so there have to be consequences," he said.

"I've told you before, Frank. Your mom runs this house. Go get the admission letter yourself!" Dad looked at me coldly, with no emotion in his voice.

This time, I did not argue nor make a fuss. I merely let out a quiet laugh. "Think about this carefully, Dad. Does having Mom smile for a moment really matter more than my entire future?"

Dad turned around, marched straight into my room, and grabbed the envelope from the desk. Before anyone could react, he snatched the bottle of liquor off the table and poured it all over the envelope until it was completely soaked.

He then handed it to Mom. "Come on, Shannon. Don't listen to them. I got your back this time!"

I stood there, frozen.

Seeing the look of determination on Dad's face made me realize that he only loved Mom but not me.

"This is insane! Put that envelope down, Jason!" Aunt Tiffany kicked the chair aside and lunged forward, grabbing at his arm.

Amidst the struggle, Dad yelled, "Hurry up, Shannon! Don't worry about your older sister. She doesn't get a say in our family business!"

Mom, already upset, only grew even more agitated at his words. She grabbed a bottle and smashed it against the back of Aunt Tiffany's head.

"This is my family's business, Tiffany! Stay out of it!" she yelled.

Glass shattered across the floor. Aunt Tiffany cried out while clutching the back of her head, blood dripping down the floor.

Everyone rushed forward to check on her. But Mom quietly grabbed the lighter and lit the envelope on fire.

The moment the flame touched the alcohol-soaked envelope, it surged and devoured the paper in seconds.

In the flickering light, Mom's face was flushed as she giggled. "See that? What I say goes in this house. Both of them listen to me. Frank better get into Horvard next time and make me proud!"

Then, she fell backward and passed out cold.

While still clutching her head, Aunt Tiffany staggered toward the burning scraps and tried to smother the flame with her bare hands.

I grabbed her wrists, trying to stop her. "Don't, Aunt Tiffany. Just forget it!"

Aunt Tiffany's eyes grew red. "Forget it? How can I? You only get one shot at those three years of high school!"

She let out a broken cry before passing out.

I called an ambulance to get Aunt Tiffany to the hospital, but Dad tried to stop me.

He said, "It's nothing serious. Your mom's hands are red!"

I ignored him and turned away. After retrieving the well-hidden admission letter, I got into the ambulance.

Before we left, I looked back at the ashes scattering into the wind and scoffed. "This time, we might not be the ones getting the short end of the stick."

Aunt Tiffany was gravely injured. Not only did she sustain a mild concussion, but the back of her head even needed several stitches.

I stayed by her bedside all night in the hospital, never sleeping a wink. Meanwhile, Mom, who was responsible for this, slept soundly at home.

She didn't call until Aunt Tiffany woke up. "Oh, Tiff, I'm sorry for last night. I was on my period, so my hormones were running wild. It's my bad. I'll bring a couple of bottles of bourbon over to your place another day as an apology!"

Mom spoke of the matter lightly, which made Aunt Tiffany snort.

Mom immediately snapped back, "What's that supposed to mean, Tiff? Are you really going to hold it against me when you know I wasn't feeling well? We're sisters. You're being way too petty!"

She was always like this.

In my past life, when her gambling buddies beat me to death, Mom defended them in front of the police. "We were just trying to teach him a lesson. That brat kept talking back to me. How is that my fault?"

Now, it mattered even less to her when Aunt Tiffany had only gotten injured.

"Honestly, Tiff, you weren't blameless last night either. I was already worked up. Why did you have to stick your nose into my family's business? How about this, we'll split the cost of the bourbon 50-50. We'll drink it together when you're discharged," Mom said.

Aunt Tiffany laughed out of sheer disbelief. Apparently, half of the 17 stitches in her head were her own fault now.

She said, "Do you even remember what you did last night, Shannon?"

"What did I do? Jason said I accidentally hit you," Mom stammered, playing dumb.

Aunt Tiffany barked, "Forget hitting me! You burned your own son's admission letter last night! Do you understand that you could've destroyed his entire future? What kind of mother does that?"

Her reaction was so intense that it startled the nurse who came in to change her bandages.

However, Mom sounded completely relaxed on the other end of the line. "I've been wanting to burn that stupid admission letter for a long time. University graduates are everywhere these days, and they're useless. So why waste tens of thousands of dollars on it?"

She paused, then burst out laughing. "How was it? I was pretty convincing, right? Even Jason bought it—"

It turned out Mom had done it on purpose.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Shannon?" Aunt Tiffany exploded, nearly throwing her phone across the room.

Mom even sounded smug when she said, "Why are you so mad, Tiff? That kid's worthless. You're the only one in the family who treats him like he matters. He's not even your son. Are you stupid or something?

"If I hadn't been drunk back then, and Jason hadn't insisted, I never would've had Frank in the first place. He's such a burden. By the way, where did that useless trash go—"

Before Mom could finish, Aunt Tiffany caught sight of my pale face and ended the call.

"I'm sorry. I've failed to protect your admission letter, and I couldn't set your mom straight. I'm really sorry!" she said.

Aunt Tiffany was always strong, not even crying when she had to endure a painful night. But now, her voice finally broke.

I patted her shoulder. "This isn't your fault, Aunt Tiffany. I'm used to their antics by now."

Aunt Tiffany was fiercely career-driven when she was younger. As such, she remained unmarried until now.

Out of all my relatives, she was the only one who had ever truly cared about an unwanted child like me.

I wouldn't have been beaten to death by Mom's gambling buddies if she hadn't been overseas on an academic exchange in my past life.

Aunt Tiffany lowered her head, deep in thought. After some time, she asked, "What are you going to do now?"

I smiled and replied, "I'm going to university, of course."

Aunt Tiffany said, "Good! I'll support you and pay for your retaking of senior year in the best school possible. Just stay as far away from your drunkard mom as you can!"

I waved a hand. "I'm not retaking anything, Aunt Tiffany."

Aunt Tiffany immediately pursed her lips. "You're not retaking? That's not an option! Don't lose hope, Frank! I believe in you—"

She watched my smile grow bigger. Under her surprised gaze, I pulled out my perfectly intact admission letter. "I already got into the university I wanted, Aunt Tiffany. There's no need to retake anything."

Aunt Tiffany was stunned. But before she could even start laughing, Mom's call came in again.

This time, Mom sounded panicked. "Where's Frank? Is he with you? Put him on the phone right now! Is he trying to get his own mom killed?"