The Price of Being a Daughter Chapter 1

"Mom, this month's salary is in. Check it." I said while taking off my shoes.

My cousin, Jessica Zhao, was also there. Seeing me, a flash of unnaturalness crossed her face.

Then she put on a sweet smile: "Emma is back. Working so late today, you must be tired."

I ignored her, my gaze landing on the passbook on the coffee table.

"Mom, is that my salary account passbook?" I walked over.

Susan Lee tried to hide it in a panic, but it was too late.

I picked up the passbook and opened it. The balance on the last page showed: $3.28.

I blinked, thinking I saw it wrong.

Looking back, the most recent transaction was three days ago: Transfer out $42,000.00.

Looking further back, last month: Transfer out $8,600.00.

My fingers started to tremble.

"Mom, where is my money?" I asked, my voice surprisingly calm.

Susan stood up, squeezing out a smile: "Emma, listen to mom."

"I asked where my money is!" I suddenly raised my voice. "Forty-two thousand! And last month's eight thousand six hundred! Why is there only three dollars left in my salary account!"

David Lin also stood up: "Emma, don't rush, we were just about to tell you about this."

"Tell me what? That you transferred fifty thousand dollars of mine without my permission?" I slammed the passbook on the coffee table. "That's my money! That's the down payment I saved up by working overtime for ten years!"

Jessica whispered: "Emma, Uncle and Aunt did it for my own good."

"For you?" I turned to her. "Jessica Zhao, using my money to make you look good?"

Susan grabbed my hand: "Emma, Jessica is getting married next month. Her fiancé's family demanded a dowry of $68,800, saying anything less would be losing face. We scraped together twenty thousand from home, plus the eighteen thousand Jessica handed over these years, still thirty thousand short..."

"So you touched my money?" I shook off her hand. "Mom, that's my money! That's the money Lucas and I prepared to buy a house and get married!"

"The house can be bought later!" Susan also raised her voice. "Jessica's wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event! She has no parents. If we don't help her more, how can she hold her head up in her in-laws' house!"

This sentence again.

I've heard it for twenty years.

When I was seven, Jessica's parents died in a car accident, and she moved into my house.

Since then, my room was given to her, my new clothes were worn by her first, and my birthday cake had to be shared with her.

Now, even my hard-earned money from ten years is given to her.

"What about me?" My voice was trembling. "My wedding is on June 18th next month. How much dowry did you prepare for me?"

The living room suddenly went quiet.

David lowered his head, Susan's eyes dodged.

Jessica whispered: "Emma, Uncle and Aunt actually prepared for you."

"Prepared what?" I stared at her. "Say it, what did they prepare for me!"

Susan took out a plastic bag from the drawer of the coffee table, containing two pairs of slippers, two sets of pajamas, and towels and toothbrushes.

"These are all good brands." She said.

I looked at that plastic bag, then at the transfer receipts on the coffee table, and suddenly laughed.

Laughed until tears came out.

"So, Jessica's dowry is $68,800, and my dowry is two pairs of slippers?"

"Emma, don't compare like this." David tried to comfort me.

"How should I compare?" I roared. "Compare who is stupider? Compare who handed over their salary for ten years like a day, only to have it all taken by parents to subsidize someone else's daughter?"

Jessica's tears fell as she spoke: "Emma, don't blame Uncle and Aunt. It's all my fault. Or I won't get married."

"Jessica, don't talk nonsense!" Susan immediately hugged her. "The marriage is set, invitations are sent out, how can you not get married!"

She turned to me, tone strict: "Emma Lin, look at what you've pushed Jessica into! We raised you so big, is it just to make you so selfish!"

"I'm selfish?" I pointed at myself. "My monthly salary is $1,200, I give $1,000 to the family, keeping $200 for myself. I haven't bought new clothes for three years, haven't traveled for five years, working overtime until late every night! Every penny I saved was taken by you to save face! Now you say I'm selfish?"

David sighed heavily: "Emma, Jessica's situation is special, her parents left early."

"Her parents left early, so I deserve to die?" I completely broke down. "I am also your daughter! Doesn't my wedding need face? Lucas's family is also an ordinary family. What will they think of me when they see I only have two pairs of slippers as dowry! What will they think of our family!"

Jessica sobbed and said: "Emma, Lucas loves you so much, he won't mind."

"He doesn't mind, but I mind!" I grabbed the transfer receipts on the coffee table. "This is evidence! I'm calling the police! Suing you for theft!"

"You dare!" Susan rushed over to grab them.

I stepped back to dodge, quickly taking photos of the receipts with my phone.

"Now, I give you two choices." I held up my phone. "First, return my fifty thousand dollars, not a penny less. You figure out the shortfall for Jessica's dowry yourselves."

"Second, I call the police immediately, then post this matter in the family group chat, to your workplace, to Jessica's in-laws. I want everyone to know you stole your own daughter's money to give your niece as a dowry."

Susan's face turned pale: "Emma Lin! You are trying to drive us to death!"

"You forced me first!" My tears poured out. "Ten years! How many ten years do I have in my life! I scrimped and saved, I worked hard, I didn't even dare to take leave when sick! What about you? Have you ever thought about my feelings!"

Jessica cried even harder: "The money has already been transferred to my account. Part of it bought gold jewelry, part was withdrawn and spent."

"Then go return it! Go sell it!" I stared at her. "Jessica Zhao, if you don't return this money to me today, I will go to your company, to your fiancé's workplace, and tell everyone you are a thief!"

"Enough!" David roared.

He panted heavily, eyes bloodshot: "Emma Lin, we raised you for twenty-eight years, just to get you forcing us like this today?"

"You forced me first." I wiped my tears. "Choose, want her, or want me."

Susan cried: "How can you make us choose! Jessica is also our daughter!"

"She is not!" I screamed hoarsely. "Her surname is Zhao! My surname is Lin! She is just your sister's daughter! I am the one you carried for ten months!"

David slumped back on the sofa, covering his face with his hands.

Long silence.

The ticking of the clock was particularly ear-piercing in the deadly silent living room.

Finally, David looked up, daring not look into my eyes: "Jessica's wedding cannot have mistakes. Her in-laws have status, invitations have been sent out."

I nodded, heart completely dead.

"Okay, I understand."

I turned back to my room and started packing.

Susan chased in: "Emma Lin! What are you doing!"

"Moving out." I threw clothes into the suitcase. "From now on, I cut off relations with you."

"You're crazy! You are our daughter!"

"You made your choice just now." I zipped up the suitcase. "From now on, I am not your daughter. That fifty thousand, consider it buying out twenty-eight years of upbringing."

David stood at the door, voice hoarse: "Emma, don't be impulsive, we can discuss the money matter again."

"Nothing to discuss." I dragged the suitcase out. "My wedding is on June 18th, you don't need to come."

Walking to the door, I looked back at them one last time.

Susan was crying, David was sighing, Jessica shrank in the sofa, peeking at me from the corner of her eye.

"Wish you family of three, happiness and perfection."

I closed the door, shutting twenty-eight years of affection behind me.

Going down in the elevator, I took out my phone and called Lucas.

The phone rang only once before connecting.

"Emma?"

"Lucas," my voice trembled, "I moved out, come pick me up."

"Send me the location, arriving immediately."

Three minutes later, Lucas's car stopped in front of me. He got out and took my suitcase, asking nothing, just hugging me tightly.

"Go to our place." He said.

When the car drove out, I looked at the apartment complex one last time.

Goodbye, the Emma Lin who always had to yield to others.

From today on, I live only for myself.