Chapter 2

My mother acted as if I didn't exist. Since I returned, she hadn't looked me in the eye. I stared at Daphne. All my suffering was because of her, yet she acted as if nothing had happened. Did no one in this family have any sense of morality?

Daphne took a box of ice cream from the fridge, eating it in large mouthfuls, seemingly taunting me. I remembered she loved ice cream; I had bought it for her many times. I couldn't bear to eat any myself and gave it all to her. Was this how she treated me, her older sister?

"Oh, there are a few peaches in the fridge, just three. Let's share them," my mother said as if remembering something, handing the peaches to my father, grandmother, and herself. I watched them eat like a fool.

"By the way, our place is going to be demolished soon, Valentina. You'll need to sign a waiver agreement later," my father said.

What? This place was going to be demolished? I had heard about it before I went to prison; the old and small house indeed needed to be torn down.

"You just need to write your name. It's simple: you won't get a penny from the demolition compensation," my father said impatiently as he handed me the agreement after finishing his peach.

My mother handed me a pen and looked at my unwilling expression with disdain. "Why aren't you signing? We raised you with so much effort, and how can you think about the demolition compensation? It's written clearly: after the demolition, we will get two new apartments, but they will all be Daphne’s. They have nothing to do with you."

She had to add that last sentence. My heart shattered into pieces. What did I do wrong? After the demolition, would I be homeless? Would I not even be allowed to see the new apartments?

They were being too cruel. At first, they wanted me to take the blame for Daphne's crime, so they treated me like a princess—lavish meals every day, fruits and milk, no chores at all. Now that I was out of prison, they were tossing me aside like an old shoe?

"Why are you treating me like this? I made sacrifices; my record now shows I've been to prison while Daphne got off scot-free. Why can't you even give me a place to live?"

They were so biased; it was beyond belief.

"Haha, if we hadn't treated you well back then, would you have willingly gone to jail for Daphne?" My mother's cold eyes met mine; she was worse than a stepmother.

"The damage is done. You're a criminal now; finding a job will be hard, and getting married even harder. So don't drag Daphne down. She's prettier and smarter than you. As long as we treat her well, she'll take care of us in our old age."

"I see. You've always despised me and planned this from the start. So I have no choice but to sign this agreement, right?" My heart sank into despair; the pain was unbearable.

"Valentina, we're not wealthy. You need to understand that. It would be better if you rented a place on your own so you don't burden your parents," said my grandmother, who once loved me but now fully sided with Daphne.