My Ipad was Stolen, But My Family Blamed Me for It Chapter 2

After my divorce, I moved back to my parents' house, thinking it would give me some support while juggling work and the legal battle.

Dora, however, was less than thrilled. My old room had been turned into a storage space, and she was livid when I started clearing it out.

"You don't need all that space to sleep," she snapped. "Why can't the stuff stay where it is?"

My room was the smallest in the house, and with all the clutter, there wasn't even space to turn around. She was basically asking for trouble.

But I had just moved back and didn't want to argue, so I quietly cleaned up.

Knowing my presence was an inconvenience, I offered to contribute some money every month as a sort of "board".

Dora feigned modesty. "Oh, don't be silly, you're family. What's money between us?"

When I insisted, her attitude flipped. "Well, if it puts your mind at ease, I'll take it. You just focus on being happy here. I'll make sure to cook all your favorite dishes!"

Two months later, she was complaining at the dinner table about rising grocery prices and her chronic back pain from "doing everything in this house".

One night, while everyone else was watching TV in the living room, she decided to pick a fight. "Mark's interest classes cost money, you know," she grumbled.

When my brother didn't cough up the cash, she turned on him.

"This house has so many mouths to feed, and you barely bring anything in! I can't even buy myself a new dress! How did I end up marrying such a useless man?

"You're all nothing but parasites! I must've been cursed in my last life to be your servant!"

Before she could continue, my brother slapped her across the face. Dora froze, then burst into wails loud enough to shake the walls.

"Enough!" My dad slammed his cup down, shattering it.

Dora stopped crying, startled. "If you don't like it here, then leave!" he barked.

Dora was about to cry again, but before she could speak, I stepped in. "Dora, I know it's hard on you. You've done so much for this family. I'll chip in an extra five hundred dollars a month. It's not much, but it's something."

That finally calmed her down.

My dad shot me a look of disdain. "Ever since you came back, this house has been nothing but trouble. You ruined your husband's life, and now, you're ruining ours. Jinx."

He'd never liked me. He thought daughters were liabilities to be married off. My divorce only confirmed his belief, and he never missed an opportunity to remind me of it.

Feeling guilty for causing "trouble", I went out the next day and bought groceries, seafood, and gifts for everyone to smooth things over.

But their attitudes didn't change.

Other than my mom occasionally speaking to me, the rest of the family treated me like an unwelcome guest, except when they needed me to pay for something.

The summer camp my nephew attended came out of my pocket.

I spent a lot of my savings on hiring a lawyer. By the time I realized living there cost more than renting my own place, it was too late. Every penny I spent seemed to benefit them, while I was left with nothing but resentment.

Looking back, Dora's tantrum over my brother's income was just a ploy. The only one who ended up losing in that situation was me.