The Girl They Ignored Got Married, Then They Regretted Everything Chapter 04

The Girl They Ignored Got Married, Then They Regretted Everything Chapter 04

Grant shot to his feet and roared, “Evelyn, do you even know what you’re saying?”

“You missed one meal. So what? She’s our mother.”

Dad slammed his palm against the table.

“That’s enough! You made this family a laughingstock in front of our relatives over something this small.”

“Your mother gave birth to you and raised you all these years, and this is how you repay her? You heartless ingrate!”

“Besides, Grant bought that watermelon for Chloe. You ate it without her permission. That’s stealing.”

I laughed so hard that I doubled over.

After a long moment, I straightened and looked around the room.

I had bought the massage recliner in the living room because Dad’s back was always bothering him.

I had bought the gold jewelry Mom was wearing because appearances mattered so much to her.

I had bought the newest computer in Grant’s bedroom because gaming was his thing.

I had bought all the collectibles filling Chloe’s room because she was my sister.

And now, because I had eaten a piece of watermelon, I was the thief in that house.

I pressed my wrists together and held them out, as though waiting to be handcuffed.

My voice was thick with mockery.

“So, are you going to call the police and have me arrested?”

Mom stared at me as though I were an enemy instead of her daughter.

After a long silence, she said, “Either spit the watermelon back up or pay for it.”

Chloe tugged on Mom’s sleeve.

“Mom, stop fighting. I’ll never eat watermelon again.”

Then she looked at me.

“Evelyn, just stop. She’s still our mother.”

Chloe had never been a bad person. She was spoiled, but she wasn’t overbearing.

She was simply the person who benefited from everything in that family.

That was why I hated her.

“Fine. I’ll pay for it.”

I took out the gift envelope Mom and Dad had given me and set it in front of them.

“Is that enough?”

“No!” Mom snapped. “We raised you for twenty-seven years. We poured endless time and effort into you. Do you think all of that was worth only fifty dollars?”

She lifted her chin and looked down at me as though I were something beneath her shoe.

“Half a million dollars. Pay us half a million, and you can do whatever you want. We’ll never interfere in your life again.”

Every drop of blood in my body seemed to freeze.

My throat closed so tightly that I couldn’t force out a single word.

Mom stepped forward until she was standing directly in front of me.

“You don’t have it?”

I stared at her in stunned silence.

Mom smiled.

“You don’t? Then shut your mouth.”

“You don’t run this house.”

With that, she strode away, leaving behind one final order.

“Clean up the dishes and the table.”

Dad, Grant, and Chloe followed her out.

I collapsed to the floor with a thud, tears already streaming down my face.

Was I wrong?

Was I wrong to eat that watermelon, or was I wrong to talk back to my parents?

I didn’t know.

All I knew was that my parents’ love had a price: half a million dollars.

For a moment, I almost felt valuable.

I was apparently so precious, so expensive, that I could never afford to repay them for their hollow love.

Over the next several days, they all seemed to agree that I needed to be punished for upsetting Mom.

They changed the lock on my bedroom door without telling me.

They stopped setting aside any food for me.

They even changed the Wi-Fi password.

Thankfully, I would be married soon.

Adrian arrived the day before Thanksgiving.

I put on the white dress he had bought me and applied a little makeup.

When I left the house, no one asked where I was going or what I planned to do.

I didn’t tell them.

I simply held Adrian’s hand tightly as we walked into City Hall.

We checked in for our appointment, waited our turn, completed the marriage-license paperwork, and were married in a brief civil ceremony.

I went through every step with care.

When the clerk handed us our signed marriage certificate, I began to cry.

Adrian pulled me into his arms and gently reassured me.

I thought I had finally found a family of my own.

By the time I finally left my parents’ house for good, Thanksgiving had arrived.

The table was covered with fruit, pies, and holiday treats.

I walked into the kitchen.

“Mom.”

She turned toward me, her voice cold.

“Are you ready to admit you were wrong?”

I shook my head.

“I’m leaving—”

Before I could finish, Chloe rushed into the kitchen and interrupted me.

“Mom, my boyfriend’s here!”

Mom walked away without even listening to the rest of my sentence.

I watched Mom and Dad settle onto the couch with the solemn air of parents preparing to size up a potential son-in-law.

They would never show that kind of concern when it came to me.

I smiled faintly and left without taking a single thing.

I went downstairs and climbed into the car.

The car sped away.

The next time we met, we would be nothing more than relatives.