The Invisible Daughter Chose Herself Chapter 2

I sat on the edge of the bed, my mouth parting slightly, but no words came out.

They had handed one child a collector’s statue worth hundreds and another a closet full of luxury goods, while I was thrown cold airline trash.

What "attitude" did I even have the right to show?

Dad took a heavy step forward, grabbing my shirt collar and yanking me out into the hallway.

Todd, his mouth stuffed full of pot roast, mumbled around his food, "What else could it mean? She’s throwing a fit because Chloe and I got real presents. You guys didn't buy her anything expensive, so her precious feelings are hurt. Am I right, Josie?"

Chloe daintily wiped her mouth with a napkin, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Josie, this is really on you. Whatever Mom and Dad bring back is a gesture of love. How could you throw a tantrum over price tags?"

Mom pressed her lips together, her eyes sharp and unforgiving.

"Who we buy gifts for and what we choose to buy is OUR freedom! Who gave you the right to point fingers? Take it or leave it, or get out!"

With a sharp flick of her foot, she kicked the squashed airline meal box right toward me.

The heavy plastic box slammed hard against my shin, sending a jolt of sharp pain through my leg that made my face twist.

Look at that.

I hadn't said a single word, yet in just a few sentences, they had already tried, convicted, and sentenced me.

In the past, I would have swallowed it down, endured it in silence, and waited for a new day to reset the clock.

But this time, the acceptance notification flashed wildly in my mind. For the very first time in my life, I stood up straight in front of them.

"Why?" I asked, my voice steady.

They froze, caught off guard.

I looked them dead in the eye. "I am your child, too. Why do their gifts cost hundreds of dollars while mine is free airline trash?"

"I would rather you brought me nothing at all than use garbage to humiliate me."

Whether from rage or sheer humiliation, Mom’s face flushed red. She marched over, shoving her wire-rimmed glasses up her nose with a trembling finger.

"Humiliate? You are getting more out of line by the second! Josie! On your knees!"

Here it came again.

Whenever I "erred," she would put on her authoritative teacher persona and use forced kneeling as her weapon of discipline.

It started inside our house, then moved to the hallway outside, and eventually, no matter where we were, she used the exact same method to "educate" me.

Malls, public sidewalks, school playgrounds, amusement parks...

I had measured practically every square inch of this town with my bare knees.

I stood my ground, staring at her coldly.

She pointed a finger directly at my nose, screaming, "Josie! Did you forget the family rules? "Respect your elders!" I say one word and you have a hundred talk-backs waiting for me! Is this how a child speaks to her parents?"

My parents and Chloe were "elders," so naturally, the rules didn't apply to them.

Todd was young, male, had a strong sense of pride, and was destined for "great things," so he was exempt from following them, too.

Her so-called "family rules" were created solely to shackle one person: me.

The atmosphere locked into a suffocating stalemate. No one spoke.

Suddenly, Todd stood up, deliberately stepping right on the squashed airplane bread scattered on the floor. He walked into his bedroom, grabbed his aluminum baseball bat, and handed it to Mom.

"Mom, you always say spare the rod and spoil the child. Looks like Josie needs another round of discipline."

Enraged and seeing that I remained entirely unmoved, Mom actually gripped the bat and swung it straight toward my head.

I dodged to the side, instinctively raising my arm to block the impact.

Just as the bat sliced through the air, whistling inches from my face, Dad shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Enough! Stop it!"

The bat halted abruptly, hovering a mere two inches from my temple.

Todd and Chloe looked at him in total shock.

Even I was stunned.

Whenever Mom punished me in the past, Dad was always the cold spectator enjoying the show.

Yet today, he had actually stepped in to stop her?