Despite all the cold shoulders and mistreatment at home, I managed to keep up with my schoolwork and was accepted into a top high school.Meanwhile, after being sent to a neighboring city, Amy spiraled out of control without any parental supervision. Her poor grades dropped even further, and she ended up at a vocational school.She started coming home less often, and when she did, it was only to ask her parents for money.By the end of my freshman year, Nancy got pregnant. Given her age, it was considered a high-risk pregnancy, and Charles treated the situation very seriously.On the first day of summer break, Charles called me into his room and commanded, "Julia, Nancy's pregnant now. Since you're on break, it's your responsibility to take care of her."I frowned and immediately refused. "I don't know how to take care of a pregnant woman, and I have a ton of homework to do.""You'll learn," he said flatly. "I'm not asking for your opinion but telling you what to do."Then, Char
After lunch, Charles and Nancy went to their room for a nap, but Amy lingered in the kitchen. As I cleaned up the dishes, she continued to taunt me."Julia, you act all high and mighty at school. You've got Anna and Betsy wrapped around your finger, but let me remind you that you're just an orphan in my house. You're nothing without your parents."The word "orphan" made me flinch. I stopped what I was doing and stared at her. "This is my house. What makes you think it's yours?"Amy scoffed. "It's only a matter of time before it's mine. We'll see."Amy must have figured out that Nancy was pregnant. Fearing Nancy might neglect her after giving birth to another child, she frantically went to desperate lengths.It was true what they say—like mother, like daughter.That afternoon, I sat in the living room, pretending to study the postpartum care book. Amy came home, ignored me completely, and took a bottle of water into her room.A little while later, she emerged with a glass of wate
About half a year later, Amy reconciled with her parents. The moment she returned, she came straight for me."Julia, you wretch! You ratted me out. I'll kill you!" she spat furiously."You're the one who crossed the line. You poisoned your unborn brother. I'm really tempted to post everything you did online," I shot back.Amy's face turned pale. She didn't care if videos of her bullying me surfaced, but the truth about poisoning her unborn baby brother was a whole other matter. It could land her in jail.The bravado she had just mustered quickly faded.Nevertheless, she wasn't ready to give up just yet. Gritting her teeth, she said, "You did me wrong, so you owe me compensation. I'm broke right now. Give me a thousand dollars."I shrugged. "Your parents treat me so badly that I can barely eat in this house. Do you think I'd have any money? I don't even have 50 dollars."Amy eyed my clothes, which I had worn since last year. She seemed unsure if I was telling the truth. I guessed
After Amy had been thoroughly beaten, she showed no sign of remorse.Still sporting bruises, she stormed up to me and roared, "Julia, everything that's happened to me is your fault! Just you wait, one day I'm going to kill you!"Seeing her rage-filled expression made me want to laugh. Every time she planned to come after me, she had to announce it first with a dramatic threat.Yet, the malicious glint in her eyes sent a chill down my spine. Amy wasn't exactly smart, but when she was pushed to the edge, there was no telling what she might do. Thus, for the first time, I used another bank card Mom had left me.I withdrew a few thousand dollars and purchased a set of high-definition, hidden cameras. When the house was empty, I discreetly installed them in the corners of the living room.From that point on, every day before coming home from school, I would check the footage to see what had been happening at home.And it turned out my precautions weren't in vain.Three days later,
Amy was sentenced to several years in a juvenile detention center for poisoning me. After I was discharged from the hospital, Charles and Nancy completely turned against me.They stopped giving me food or even a drop of water. Left with no other option, I had to dip into my savings again to discreetly buy meals outside.I was constantly on guard and watched their every move. One day, when I got home from school early, I overheard a conversation between Charles and Nancy through the door."Julia's about to turn 18. I say we marry her off and get rid of such inconvenience," said Nancy.Charles hesitated. "Isn't that a bit too much? She's barely an adult.""Why, are you getting attached to your niece now?" Nancy's voice sharpened. "Have you forgotten how Amy ended up in jail because of her?"Charles fell silent, and Nancy continued, "I've already found someone to help us. He promised to find a man for Julia. There's no way she will escape this. It's settled."Charles didn't protest
That night, Charles and Nancy had a huge fight. Charles furiously accused Nancy of cheating, and instead of showing any remorse, Nancy lashed back at him.She called him incompetent and weak, then blamed him for not earning enough or securing ownership of the house. She even threw in the fact that Amy was now in prison because of him.The argument escalated, and soon, they were physically fighting.In the heat of the moment, Nancy accidentally pushed Charles down the stairs. His head hit the corner of the wall with a sickening thud, and blood poured out.Charles was rushed to the hospital, where his life was saved. However, he fell into a coma and was left in a vegetative state, condemned to spend the rest of his days bedridden.Nancy, on the other hand, was charged with intentional injury.To avenge Charles, I spared no expense to hire a top lawyer and ensured she was convicted. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison, meaning she would likely spend the rest of her life behind b
To be honest, the people I called my parents weren't my biological parents. Instead, they were my uncle, Charles Brown, and his wife, Nancy Baker. My sister wasn't my biological sister, either. She was my cousin, Amy Brown.I was an orphan.An accident had killed my parents when I was 14. Other people would probably assume that such things only happened in the news or some TV drama.However, this accident had actually happened in my life, and it had even taken place on my birthday.My parents had been on a business trip out of the city, and they had taken the trouble to drive all the way back home to celebrate my birthday.Halfway through their journey, a large truck transporting coal collided with a car, causing the truck to overturn.My parents' car had just so happened to be driving past. The overturned truck had fallen toward my parents' car along with the mountain of coal it was carrying. In an instant, my parents' small car had been crushed and buried under the coal.My da
I gritted my teeth before forcing a sweet smile on my face. I said, "I'm fine with sleeping in the living room. My parents' photos are placed in the living room, anyway, so I'll pretend they're keeping me company. But…"I was hesitant to speak. Nancy frowned a little as she looked at me, prodding, "But what?"I whispered, "Aunt Nancy, I read in a book that you're not supposed to use a dead person's belongings. It's really bad luck! Look, my mom's photo is looking right at you!"I extended my hand and pointed at the photos of my parents placed next to the TV in the living room.When Nancy heard that, she looked up to find that she was meeting the gaze of the person in the photo. Startled, she looked like she wasn't interested in the high-end skincare products anymore. She shoved them aside in disdain.I subtly turned up the corners of my lips, deciding to add more fuel to the fire.I went to the living room and retrieved the first aid kit stored there. Taking out a tube of ointmen