Mom’s Fake Fairness: The Fixed Family Draw Chapter 06

Mom’s Fake Fairness: The Fixed Family Draw Chapter 06 Karma

In fifteen minutes, there wasn’t a single place left to sit.

Lily saw what was happening and sprinted to her room. She came back out clutching her laptop to her chest.

“Not this, this is mine! My thesis is on here!”

I looked at her. “I gave you that for your birthday last year. Drew the losing slip for it, same as everything else. Five thousand dollars.” I held out my hand. “I’m taking it back.”

Lily burst into tears and hugged the laptop tighter. “You can’t do this, I’m your sister! If you take my laptop, how am I supposed to finish my thesis? You want me to fail out?”

I walked over and pulled it out of her arms. “Buy your own. Or ask your brother, the one who just scored a ten–million–dollar house. I’m not your sister.” I handed the laptop to one of the movers. “Careful with that.”

When the movers were gone, all that was left in the apartment was the beat–up old dining table and that rusty cookie tin.

Mom was sitting on the floor, staring at nothing. Dad was crouched in the corner with his head in his hands. James and Lily were on the ground next to each other, both of them crying.

I stood in the doorway and took one last look at what used to be my home. Then I reached into my bag, pulled out a letter, and dropped it on the floor.

“That’s a legal notice ending our financial relationship. Don’t call me, and don’t show up at my job.” I met each of their eyes one last time. “If you do, I’ll see you in court.”

I walked out and didn’t look back.

My mom’s wailing followed me out the door. “What have I done to deserve this? Why?”

I smiled. Yeah. You totally brought this on yourself.

I moved into a small apartment I’d been quietly saving up for. I’d originally planned it as a surprise for the family, some big announcement about how well I was doing. Instead, it became the best gift I ever gave myself.

The place wasn’t big, but every inch of it was mine. No lottery, no schemes, no one with their hand in my pocket. Just peace.

I blocked the whole family, changed my locks, and asked the receptionist at my office to turn away anyone claiming to be my relative. Just like that, the noise was gone, and my life started moving forward.

Without my family bleeding me dry every month, my savings actually grew. I bought a car, signed up for yoga classes, and started taking weekend trips. For the first time in my adult life, I felt like I was living for myself.

I heard about the family through old neighbors. James stopped paying his credit cards and had his car repossessed.

Lily missed her thesis deadline because she didn’t have a laptop and had to push back her graduation

When she cried to her classmates about how heartless I was, someone dug up the full story and posted it online. She became the punchline.

And Mom got so worked up that she made herself sick, spending her days at home calling me ungrateful and saying karma would get me.

It did come for someone. Just not me.

Six months later, my phone rang. It was an unknown number, but I picked up.

Hi, is this Riley Hartland? This is the ER at Center Hospital. Your mother was just brought in with a brain hemorrhage. She’s in surgery and we need a family member herefright away to sign off and handle the deposit.”

My stomach dropped.

When I got to the hospital, James, Lily, and Dad were already there, all three of them looking completely wrecked, like they hadn’t slept in days. James spotted me the second I walked in and rushed over

‘Riley, thank God. Mom’s in bad shape.” He grabbed my arm. “The surgery is 200 thousand dollars. You need to go pay right now.”

He said it like it was obvious. Like it was just the natural order of things.

I looked at him. “What about the house? Wasn’t that worth ten million dollars? Sell it”

He looked away. “The buyout hasn’t gone through yet. We don’t have liquid cash right now Just cover it for the moment and we’ll pay you back.”

Pay me back? Yeah right.

I turned to Lily, who had tucked herself into a corner. “What about you? You love Mom the most right