Vivian rummaged through the bag, going through everything, complaining one moment that I had bought too much, the next that everything was too expensive.

In the end, she went straight into lecturing me. "You only have 300 dollars a month. You spent 100 dollars on snacks. How is the remainder supposed to cover groceries and meals? You need to plan your spending!

"This month, buy a bag of chips—then next month, maybe a drink. That way, you don't overspend, and you'll still get to try everything… I'll let this slide, but don't let it happen again."

At first, I honestly thought I had misheard her. Yet when I saw the look on her face, I knew I hadn't. I was just about to lose my temper when my younger brother, Brian Ford, called.

He asked to borrow 50 thousand dollars to buy a car and said he would pay me back by the end of the year once his bonus came in. The amount he asked for was almost exactly what we had saved.

After I hung up, Vivian piped up before I could. "No—don't even think about it! He says he'll pay it back by the end of the year, but can he really? Will his bonus even reach 50 thousand?"

Brian worked at a company with solid benefits. Even as someone only a year into his job, his year-end bonus could easily reach that amount. His monthly salary was around ten thousand dollars, and his wife also earned well.

Still, they had just gotten married and hadn't had the chance to build up savings yet, which was why he'd turned to me for help.

Vivian fell silent. Seeing that, I tried again. "He'll definitely pay it back by the end of the year. Listen to me and transfer the money to him, okay?"

The firmness in my tone prompted her to speak up. "Our money is locked in a fixed deposit. If we take it out now, we'll lose six thousand dollars in interest."

"But Brian's in a pickle right now. Interest can be earned at any other time. Family matters more."

"I'm not lending it, no matter what you say."

Looking at her cold face, I felt something inside me sink. The disappointment hit hard.

"Fine. If you won't lend it, give me back the money I've been handing you every month."

At that point, anyone else might have softened, but Vivian only doubled down.

"We're a family. Why are you labeling things as 'yours' and 'mine'? It's not that we can't lend it. It's that we can't take it out. Fixed deposits can't just be withdrawn."

Did she really think I was that ignorant?

When Brian called again, I glanced at Vivian, who then grabbed her things and slammed the door on her way out. I picked up, steadying my voice, and lied, saying that I hadn't spoken to Vivian yet and that we would discuss it tonight.

Cautiously, he asked, "She doesn't want to, does she?"

I quickly covered for her. "No, it's nothing like that. She's been busy at work today. I just haven't had the chance to talk to her. Give me a day. I'll get back to you tomorrow."

Brian sounded relieved and hung up happily.

That night, Vivian and I had a full-blown fight. It escalated to the point that it nearly turned physical.

I lost control and smashed whatever I could get my hands on. In the middle of the shouting, she finally transferred 25 thousand dollars to me. "Half—that's all we're lending!"

At that moment, I didn't feel any relief at all. It was my money to begin with, so why did it feel like I had to beg for her approval?

Later, I borrowed another 25 thousand dollars from a colleague and scraped together the full amount for Brian. He was over the moon, thanking me profusely, and even said that he wanted to call Vivian personally to express his gratitude.

I didn't know how to explain it to him, so I told him a text message would suffice.

Within a minute, Vivian received Brian's message of thanks. She came straight to me, demanding, "You lent him 50 thousand dollars? Where did the other half come from?"

This time, I didn't argue. I answered flatly, "I borrowed it from someone."

"You only have 300 dollars a month. How are you going to pay back 25 thousand? I'm telling you right now, I am not helping you with that!"

I looked at her like she had just made a joke. I said nothing and turned to walk into the small bedroom.

I thought she might come after me, but she went straight to the master bedroom and fell asleep as if nothing had happened.

The next morning, Vivian acted unbothered, but I could tell something was off.

We went to work as usual, clocked out as usual, and even went grocery shopping like we always did. I asked her what she wanted to eat, but she simply brushed it off and told me to decide.

Faced with that attitude, I stopped asking.

At the checkout counter, I was bagging things while listening to the total being scanned. "That'll be 101 dollars."

I was short by a dollar. I turned to look at Vivian, but she was already standing far away near the exit, her eyes wandering everywhere but in my direction.

The cashier reminded me again, "Sir, your total is 101 dollars. How would you like to pay?"

Feeling awkward, I pulled out a 100-dollar bill and called Vivian. She glanced at her phone, then stuffed it back into her pocket. The people in line behind me began to complain.

"Ugh, it's just a few items. Why is he taking so long to pay?"

"What's with young people nowadays, living paycheck to paycheck? Can't even pull out another dollar?"

"If you don't have money, don't come spending at the grocery store!"

Their complaints kept piling up. I could feel my face burning.

Eventually, I had no choice but to take out my favorite chili sauce and put it back, just to bring the total down. The cashier didn't say anything, but the look she gave me said enough.

When I walked over to Vivian with the bags, she immediately started complaining too. "Took you a decade just to check out."

A knot of anger tightened in my chest. I kept my voice down and shot back, "I was a dollar short. I wouldn't have taken so long if you had just picked up the damn phone."

"Why didn't you ask your colleague instead? Aren't you pretty good at that?"

I stared at her in disbelief. The situation felt absurd.

"That was an emergency, while this is just groceries for both of us," I snapped. "Why did you walk off without paying?"

Vivian let out a cold laugh, hands in her pockets. "I paid for groceries last week. This week, it's your turn. And you need to know your limits when you shop. You can't just grab whatever you want.

"I don't waste money like you. I only buy what's necessary. That's why I never go over budget, not even by a dollar."

I almost laughed from how ridiculous she sounded. She took ten thousand from me every month, yet I didn't even have the right to overspend by a dollar.

Before I could say more, she grabbed the bags and walked out, calling for me to follow. I didn't drag out the fight in front of everyone. I just followed her.

Back home, Vivian started unpacking the groceries.

"Four apples for ten dollars? What did you buy, gold-plated apples? And these potatoes—there are ones for ten cents per pound. Why did you buy the ones at 50 cents?"

Her nonstop complaints finally made something in me snap. I grabbed the bags and threw all the groceries out the door.

"Zane Ford, are you crazy? Why are you throwing perfectly good food away?" she shouted.

I couldn't hold it in anymore. I raised my voice. "Yeah, maybe I am!"

She shot me a look of disgust, then went out and picked up every piece of food I had thrown away. She even rinsed the cooked items that had fallen on the ground with water and placed them back on the table.

"You're really something, huh? Throwing away 100 dollars' worth of groceries," she remarked coldly.

Even now, she was still mocking me.

I didn't touch dinner that night.

Vivian came over and started lecturing me again, going through the same old logic about saving while we were young, only spending on what was necessary at the grocery store, and cutting out everything else.

I'd had enough. I shut my eyes, rose to my feet, and stormed straight into the bathroom. That was when my salary hit my account.

For the first time, I didn't transfer it to her immediately. I simply stared at the number on the screen. That money was enough for a decent set of clothes, a proper backpack, and even a solid gaming setup if I wanted it.

Because I had been handing all my money over to Vivian every month, I was still wearing the same clothes I had worn back in school—ones that hadn't completely worn out yet.

My backpack was a cheap canvas one worth barely 20 dollars. Even my so-called entertainment was just sitting at home doing nothing.

A sudden sense of emptiness hit me. I started to wonder what the point of all these years of working so hard and earning money even was.

The bathroom door was pushed open. Vivian leaned against the frame and looked at me. "You usually get paid around this time every month. Why haven't you transferred the money yet?"

"I won't. What are you going to do about it?"

I looked up and met her calculating gaze. A wave of nausea rose in me.

"What do you mean, what am I going to do?" she asked. "I've been managing it for you. It's not like I spent it. Why won't you transfer it?"

There it was, the entitlement that came from getting so used to receiving.

"It's almost New Year's. I want to buy some new clothes," I said.

"You need your salary for that?" she countered with a scoff. "Look at you. You don't need something that expensive. Transfer the money first. When you actually buy them, I'll give you the money."

I walked out of the bathroom. She followed behind me, still talking incessantly. It felt as if I wouldn't make it to the next day if I didn't hand over my salary right then and there.

I froze for a second, then hardened my tone. "I'm going to start managing my own salary."

Vivian immediately panicked, stepping right up to me. "You're reckless with money and can't save anything on your own. With me controlling it, it's safe, at least. If I leave the money to you, we'll both end up broke!"

I let out a bitter laugh. "How am I reckless when I only have 300 dollars to spend every month?"

For a moment, she looked caught off guard, perhaps due to guilt. Then, an urgent call broke the silence.

It was Vivian's younger sister, Janine Spencer, who needed 500 thousand dollars for a down payment on a house. It was urgent, and the money had to be transferred immediately.

I watched as Vivian unlocked her phone. The moment her finger touched the screen, I knocked the phone out of her hand. "Did I say I agreed to lend her the money?"

She gave a cold laugh. "That's my savings, not yours. I didn't touch your money. Besides, we already lent your portion to Brian!"

How ridiculous. Her sister could get half a million instantly, without even discussing it with me, but when it came to my brother, we had to go through a huge fight and giving each other the cold shoulder. Why?

"Tell Janine to call me. If I agree, you can transfer it."

Vivian's anger became visible. "What's this? Is this even necessary? You're pushing your luck!"

She bent down to pick up the phone from the floor. I ran into the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and rushed back toward her, shouting, "I said she only gets the money if I agree!"

A sharp slap landed across my face. In the next second, the knife was snatched out of my hand.

Vivian glared at me. "I'm giving my sister money, and you don't get a say in it!"

I stood there, numb, touching my cheek. For the first time, I seriously thought about leaving. Without another word, I grabbed my phone and bolted out the door.

Behind me, Vivian screamed, "You've got one minute to transfer your salary!"

I looked back at her, still standing there with her head down, trying to make the transfer. Something inside me burned.

From then on, I wouldn't let her take another penny from me.