My dad worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant, earning a measly $400 a month. My mom had bad legs, so she could only scrape by collecting trash.

When my academically-gifted younger brother was in middle school, they pulled him out of school and made him work to earn extra money so that they could afford to send me to the best school in the state.

I didn't let them down and aced my high school, becoming the top student in my state.

The day I got my SAT scores was also my birthday.

Dad, all hunched over, came to my school with a pink cake, followed by Mom in her tattered clothes and my brother with his face covered in grime.

But instead of being grateful, I grabbed a sharp compass and threw it at Dad, drawing blood. "You think you can buy me off with a cake? Get lost! Don't let me see you again!"

The principal stared in disbelief. "Yvonne, what are you doing? If it weren't for your family working hard to support you, you wouldn't be this successful!"

I held my head high, unperturbed. "So what if I'm the top student in the state? It's no big deal! If they really loved me, they would give me a million dollars so I could live a life of luxury!"

Dad's tears hit the ground as he called me an ungrateful brat.

Mom wanted to slap me but was held back.

Meanwhile, I silently opened the cake box and cut the cake.

The next second, everyone was shocked.

When I walked out of the classroom, I saw Dad waiting for me outside with a kind smile on his face, holding a pink cake.

Behind him, Mom, in ragged and patched clothes, was holding a brand new doll.

My younger brother's eyes sparkled as he shouted "Yvonne" and ran toward me excitedly.

However, I pushed him hard to the floor. "What are you doing here?! You shouldn't be here!"

It was recess, so the hallway was packed.

The principal and teachers that happened to be passing by were drawn over by the commotion.

Dad smiled apologetically and took my hand. "What's wrong, Yvonne? Did something upset you? Here, I bought you a strawberry cake, it's your favorite..."

I grabbed the cake and threw it on the floor. The pretty cake immediately turned into a mess.

"Get lost! You think you can buy me off with a cake? In your dreams! Nobody wants your lousy cake!"

The students around me pointed and whispered.

Even the principal couldn't help but frown. "Yvonne, you can only become the state's top student because your parents and brother work hard to support you. How can you treat them like this? You're so ungrateful!"

My homeroom teacher, Ms. Langford, also sighed. "That's right, Yvonne. You're not usually like this. Why are you acting so strange today?"

I held my head high and yelled at them, "So what if I'm the top student in the state? If they really loved me, they would give me a million dollars so I could live a life of luxury! I don't think they really care about me that much!"

Mom, seeing that I was getting emotional, quickly shielded me behind her and explained to the teachers, "I'm sorry, Yvonne is just in a bad mood. Please don't take it to heart. It's my fault, I didn't raise her well."

As she spoke, she stuffed the brand new doll into my hands.

"Didn't you say you liked this doll? I bought it for you. Happy birthday!"

I snorted, took out a pair of scissors from my bag, and cut the doll to shreds in front of everyone.

Suddenly, my brother, Steven, lunged at me and said something that shocked everyone.

"Yvonne, are you crazy? My grades were better than yours, but Mom and Dad made me drop out of school to work so that you could study! They did it because they loved you! Without them, would you have this kind of achievement? Most poor families favor boys over girls, but our family is the opposite. All these years, we paid for all the food you ate, all the clothes you wore, and all the school supplies you used! How dare you!"

After he said that, my classmate also stepped forward, her face flushed with anger.

"I can testify! Yvonne's family comes to school every year on her birthday, rain or shine, to celebrate her birthday with her! I know because we were in the same middle school too!"

My best friend also shouted, "That's right, I can testify too! Mr. and Mrs. Wesley don't dress well themselves, but they always buy Yvonne new clothes. When she needed a laptop for online classes, they bought her an expensive one without batting an eye."

"Yvonne is such an ungrateful brat!"

Turning away, I smiled slightly, "Sally Gray, if you like them so much, why don't you cut ties with your parents and be their daughter instead?"

"You're impossible to reason with!" My best friend huffed and turned away, refusing to talk to me.

Dad, hunched, overstepped forward and handed out candies to my classmates.

"I'm sorry, my precious daughter didn't mean what she said. Please don't be mad at her…"

I rolled my eyes and kicked the candies from his hand. "Enough! How much longer are you going to keep up the act? You make me sick! Get lost!"

Dad stood helplessly, tears welling up in his eyes.

Mom walked over to take his arm and nodded at me. "Okay, we'll leave. Sorry for troubling you, Yvonne. I know the cake and the gift are too shabby; they're not good enough for you. We won't come to your school again. Please don't be mad, okay? Mom will send you money. Is $10,000 enough? It's all I have…"

Mom lowered her head and quietly wiped away her tears.

That made everyone around tear up too.

Steven gritted his teeth and slapped me hard.

My cheek burning, I stared at him in disbelief.

He looked at me with bloodshot eyes, his tears dripping to the floor.

"You're worse than an animal! Do you know how hard Mom works? Every morning, she goes to the park to scavenge before the sun comes up. It took her years to save that money. If you think we're dirty and shameful, fine, we won't come to your school anymore!"

Dad suddenly grabbed Steven's collar and slapped him.

His face instantly swelled and turned red.

Dad, shaking with anger, pointed at him and yelled, "You piece of trash! How dare you speak to your sister like that! No matter what she does, you must respect her!"

"Why? She's not worthy of my respect!"

My brother pulled his sleeves up and gripped Dad's hand.

His hands, white from the cold, were covered in blisters and sores, some oozing pus in the cold weather.

Dad became even angrier. He kicked my brother away and yelled, "You little brat! What are you doing? Haven't you embarrassed your sister enough?"

People around me shot me scornful looks.

"I thought Yvonne was nice, but she's actually so heartless."

"I heard her dad works as a dishwasher and makes only $400 a month. Our tuition and boarding fees cost over $8,000 a year! She's so ungrateful."

"Her brother dropped out of school to work as an attendant in a hospital. It's a tough job. Meanwhile, she gets everything but acts like a spoiled brat."

Everyone got angrier and angrier. Some people even threw erasers and rulers at me.

I couldn't stand it anymore. I grabbed the compass in my bag and threw it at my father's head.

It hit him in the forehead, cutting a gash, and blood gushed out. He winced in pain and covered his forehead but didn't scream.

I glared at them coldly. "If it's so hard for you, then don't pay for my school! I don't even want to study! I know, I'll quit school immediately. You can pay for Steven's tuition instead. How about that?"

Mom looked at me, hurt, and approached cautiously, "Your brother dropped out of middle school and has already fallen far behind. Yvonne, you're Mom and Dad's pride. We only want you to be happy. Please don't be so willful."

Steven helped Dad with his wound, his face reddening with fury. "Are you trying to make us mad on purpose?! If you're sick in the head, go see a doctor! I don't want a sister like you! Let's sever ties officially. From now on, you're no longer part of our family!"

My brother grabbed my bag, ripped out a sheet of white paper, and wrote on it with a pen.

After he was done, he walked up to me and slapped the disowning agreement on my forehead, glaring at me fiercely.

I burst out laughing.

"A disowning agreement? Fine, I don't want to be family with people like you anyway. The thought of having a family like you people makes me sick. I hope you guys suffer."

I picked up the pen from the ground to sign the paper, but Mom rushed over, hugged my waist and wetted my hand with her tears.

"Yvonne, your brother is just confused. Don't listen to him. You can't sign that!"

Dad, tears running down his pale cheeks, knelt before me, slapping himself hard.

"Yvonne, I apologize to you, okay? I don't know what I did to make you upset… You can hit me or yell at me, I don't mind… But please, don't disown us. We love you. If you're still angry… I'll let you vent. You can take it out on me."

He took out a knife, trembling, and put it in my hand, gesturing to cut off his thumb.

Mom cried, urging me not to, since he's my father.

She recalled countless things from the past in front of everyone.

She recalled how good they had been to me over the years.

Back in elementary school, my brother got a perfect score and excitedly brought it home to show Mom and Dad.

Dad was too engrossed in smoking in the yard to look up. Mom was busy cooking for me in the kitchen, so she just gave a perfunctory nod and told him not to be too arrogant.

Then, I also came home.

I scored in the 80s in every subject in the final exam.

Dad was moved to tears, saying I was born to be a scholar.

Mom picked me up and spun me around, showering kisses on my left cheek. "Oh, my dear, you're amazing! Scoring in the 80s means there's room for improvement. Come, try the ravioli I made for you! It's your reward!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Steven awkwardly picking at his fingers.

That kind of favoritism happened many times in our lives.

In middle school, my brother wanted to take a chess lesson. He begged Dad to sign him up since his friends were joining.

Without hesitation, Dad tore the registration form to pieces and scattered them on my brother's face. "You little brat, already wasting my money at such a young age!"

"Your sister will be going to high school soon, and there are plenty of expenses. You should drop out and work to earn money to support her."

The sky that day was gray, just like today.

Steven ran out crying, cursing me for being a demon who stole Mom and Dad's love.

I touched my face and saw tears sparkling in my hands.

Later, I searched for Steven for two whole days but couldn't find him.