An Outsider in My Own Family

Dad pulled a long face as he busied himself in the kitchen.

By the time dinner was ready, Fable set up four sets of cutlery and sat Madeline down at my usual seat.

"There's none prepared for you," Dad said as he served her some spaghetti. "I only cook for my family. Someone who's petty and particular doesn't deserve to eat."

I couldn't believe my ears. I was only defending myself, yet I somehow became the petty one.

Perhaps what they wanted wasn't a daughter, but a scapegoat.

I wasn't about to indulge him.

I quickly helped myself to a plate of pasta and finished it off. Under their shocked gazes, I then gracefully wiped my mouth, took my keys, and headed for the door. "I've got things to do. Enjoy your meal, everyone."

It would be foolish for me not to eat anything when I was the one who paid for everything.

Just as I was about to reach the door, Mom came back to her senses. "Where are you going? We're departing tomorrow. How are we supposed to leave when you haven't packed up for us?"

"Do you have no hands, or are you just useless? Even a three-year-old would know to take care of their own business—don't you understand it?" I replied.

Mom choked. By the time she wanted to reply, I had already put on my shoes and walked out of the house.

Since they liked Madeline so much, I'll let her have the role of the daughter of the Lewis family.

They could deceive my emotions, but not my money. I would be a fool to let them take my money to support someone else.

…

When I returned home after meeting with the bank president, it was already 11:00 pm.

The house was completely dark, and no one bothered to check on me even when I came back so late. They were all fast asleep.

I stumbled in the dark while heading back to my room. As soon as I opened the door and tossed my handbag onto the chair, I heard a piercing scream.

Surprised, I hurriedly turned on the lights. I then saw Madeline crouched by the cabinet where I stored my jewelry and watches, her arms thrown up to protect her head. She was wearing my jewelry around her neck, ears, and wrists.

"What a shameless woman!" My anger flared up upon seeing what was happening.

I then pulled her up and gave her a slap. Tugging on her hair, I roughly yanked away all my jewelry from her.

"What are you doing? Why are you hitting Madie?" Madeline's screams woke up everyone. Mom pulled her into her embrace and scolded me with a frown.

I threw the stolen jewelry onto her. "Look at what your beloved daughter is doing—breaking into someone's room without permission and stealing things!"

"Stop accusing her! She wouldn't have entered your room if she wasn't trying to help you pack for the trip. Not only did you stay out all night, you even accused her without cause—have you got no shame, Heidi?" Mom said.

I replied, "You said she's packing for me, but why was she doing it in the dark? Does she have night vision?"

Mom refused to admit what was actually happening. She snapped, "This is Madie's house—she can go wherever she wants! Stop creating trouble out of nothing!"

I couldn't be bothered to waste my time with them and pulled my phone out. "Why aren't you leaving yet? Are you waiting for me to call the police on you?"

Frightened, Madeline tugged on Mom's arm as she sobbed quietly. "It hurts, Mom."

Mom felt beyond heartbroken. "Come, I'll tend to your injuries. Let's not bother dealing with a crazy woman."

As soon as they stepped out, I immediately locked the door. I then sold off the jewelry worn by Madeline on a resale platform and donated the money.

After that, I put on earplugs and slept through until noon the next day.

However, my good mood only lasted until I stepped out of my room.

Mom stood in front of my door, her expression dark as she demanded, "Are you deaf? I've been calling for you! We're set to depart at 10:00 am, but look at the time now!"

"Just leave on time then. You're a family of four anyway, why wait for me?" I replied.

"What's your problem now? Today's your birthday—who are we supposed to celebrate with if you're not going?" Mom asked.

"Oh, I almost forgot that this trip happened because of my birthday. I thought you were the one paying for the entire trip instead."

Mom couldn't stand me reminding her that she was broke. She got so angry she was about to hit me.

Madeline quickly stopped her and said, "I'm sure Heidi didn't mean to be late, Mom. Please don't be mad. It's rare for us to have a family trip together—let's just enjoy it and be happy."

"As expected, Madie is so thoughtful," Dad praised her. He then turned around to scold me, "You've been working for many years, yet you still have no sense of time. While we might tolerate you, your company workers and clients might not!"

Beside him, Fable pursed his lips. "You're such a lazy person. It's so embarrassing to have a sister like you!"

The smug look on Madeline's face was barely concealable when she received approval.

Mom pointed at the suitcases downstairs. "Alright, now that you're up, we'll head out first. The suitcases downstairs are all for the trip, don't forget to put them in your car later."

I couldn't believe they actually left eight large suitcases—each weighing at least 50 pounds—all to me.

I raised my brows and smiled. "Sure, just leave them all to me."