I Gave Up The Family Home I Could Never Return To Chapter 2

My brother knew exactly how desperately I wanted to move downtown, how much I wanted to be closer to the family.

So when he saw me actively stepping aside to defuse the situation, a flicker of guilt and heartache crossed his eyes.

"Let's play another round," he suggested, looking directly at me.

"Maya goes first this time."

I didn't say anything for a long moment. The girl sitting next to me nudged my arm.

"Come on, hurry up! Your brother is throwing you a bone. You'll definitely win this round!"

I raised my hand, all five fingers up, and looked dead at Wendy.

"I have seen the sunrise deep in the mountains at 4:00 AM."

The crowd immediately played along, groaning in exaggerated defeat.

Wendy rolled her eyes and put down a finger.

Then she couldn't wait to speak.

"I have seen the Northern Lights in Iceland with the whole family."

My expression didn't change as I folded a finger down. I spoke slowly.

"I have raised a three-hundred-pound pig."

She scrunched her nose in absolute disgust.

"I own a registered star in the sky. Mom bought it for my birthday."

I lowered my eyelashes, my voice entirely flat.

"I have arranged and managed my adoptive parents' funerals completely alone."

She froze for a second, then gritted her teeth.

"I attended high-society charity galas representing the entire Stone family when I was eighteen!"

The entire room fell dead silent.

At some point, the game had become a duel between just the two of us.

I didn't back down. I held up my last two fingers, my voice completely devoid of emotion.

"At my lowest weight, I was seventy pounds."

Wendy refused to show weakness, pushing harder.

"I have twenty million in my bank account and three oceanfront villas!"

If she was pulling out numbers like that, it meant she was out of real ammunition to show off.

I gently curled the corners of my mouth into a smile.

"I don't have a home."

She folded her last finger. She opened her mouth, trying to find another comeback.

Then she realized she had already lost. Her face turned an ugly shade of red.

Just as she angrily reached for her shot glass, my brother grabbed her wrist.

"I'll drink this for you."

He downed the liquor in one smooth motion.

Then, his face completely dark, he stormed over, grabbed my arm, and dragged me out into the hallway.

"Why did you say those things? Are you trying to play the victim?"

"I know you suffered in the countryside, but tonight wasn't the time to fish for sympathy!"

My heart plummeted into a bottomless pit. I wasn't sure if it was the alcohol hitting my system or just an overwhelming, suffocating sense of injustice.

Whatever it was, the dam holding back three years of suppressed emotions finally broke.

"Wendy can flaunt her perfect life, but when I talk about my own life, I'm playing the victim?"

"Could you possibly be any more biased?"

My brother's face turned to thunder.

"She doesn't know any better! Are you saying you don't know better either?"

"I actually thought you were being understanding earlier. I was going to make sure you moved tomorrow no matter what. And then you pull a stunt like this?"

"Maya, have I let you starve these last three years? Have I not given you enough money?"

"What exactly are you in such a rush for?!"

My pupils constricted. I stared at him in utter disbelief.

"So you think the reason I'm desperate to come home... is for your money?"