During the holidays, I specifically go home to spend quality time with my family.

Mom brings out a bowl of persimmons and says in a half-teasing manner, "This is for the Sherman family. Once you eat a persimmon, you'll be blessed with good luck. Outsiders aren't allowed to take from this bowl."

Everyone begins fighting for the persimmons. I decide to grab one for myself as well.

The next thing I know, the living room goes eerily silent. Dad drags me to the corner before he starts berating me.

"You didn't get to eat any fruits when you were living with your in-laws, huh? Must you steal from our family?

"Didn't you hear your mother saying that outsiders aren't allowed to take from the bowl? So why did you still take one?

"Because of you, Vivian doesn't get anything at all!"

I look around my surroundings.

It turns out there are only eight persimmons when in reality, there are nine of us in the living room. Mom has been hinting at me the whole time that I'm the actual outsider here.

So, I pass the persimmon to Vivian Andrews, my parents' goddaughter. Then, I dial my husband's phone number.

"Kevin, there's no need to bring the holiday gifts over."

"What's the matter, Rene?"

My husband, Kevin Garrett, sounded anxious on the other end of the line. I just looked at the room full of people and replied calmly, "It's nothing. I'll explain on the way back. You can just forget about bringing the gifts over."

Then, I hung up.

Mom was frantic.

"What do you mean by telling him to forget about it? It's just a damn persimmon! Must you be so petty about everything?

"Don't you know just how hard it's been for Vivian? What's wrong with you giving up your portion to her?

"Your dad and I raised you for years with so much hardship, and this is how you repay us?"

I stared intently into her eyes, remaining silent. Mom then realized she had spoken too harshly and quickly softened her tone, taking my hand and speaking to me more gently.

"I was just too anxious. That's why I spoke like that. But Viv has been the one taking care of us ever since you got married. Don't you know that what you're doing is making things awkward for both her and us?

"Just go and apologize properly to Viv later and give her 500 dollars for her trouble. We'll then call it quits. Your dad and I aren't getting any younger now. Don't keep making us angry for no reason."

She sounded like she was pleading with me, but I only looked around at all the electrical appliances I had bought for them, the house I paid for, and the clothes and accessories they were wearing—all of which I had also paid for.

I laughed out loud.

So, as it turned out, none of the things I spent a fortune on buying for them measured up to Vivian Andrews' effortless "companionship".

Mom thought that my silence meant that I was willing to compromise, so she pulled me back into the living room, where everyone else was.

Just then, I noticed the gold bracelet on Vivian's wrist. It looked exactly like the one that I'd bought for Mom.

Vivian also felt my eyes on her, and a smug look crossed her face. Yet, she quickly masked it with an aggrieved look.

"Irene… About t-the bracelet… I-I just tried it on because I thought it looked nice on Mom's wrist. But don't worry. I'll return it to her very soon.

"Also… You don't have to apologize to me for the persimmon. I was never really a part of the Sherman family anyway…"

Her eyes were wet with tears as she spoke in a choked voice, as if she'd been horribly wronged.

Mom instantly felt sorry for her and shielded Vivian behind her.

"What do you think you're trying to do? I was the one who gave the bracelet to Viv! If you're going to yell at anyone for it, then it should be me!

"Also, this is something that you bought for me, which means it belongs to me now, and I can do whatever I want to it as I wish! What else do you still want from us? Can't you see that you've given Viv a terrible fright?"

I was stunned. I hadn't even said a single word, yet she was painting me like I was some form of hardened criminal.

Had this been in the past, I would have immediately apologized just so that Mom wouldn't fly into a temper.

After all, I hadn't kept Mom or Dad company at home ever since marrying Kevin and moving in with him, and it had made me very accommodating with my family's demands.

I even repeatedly tolerated it when they started replacing me in the family portraits with Vivian's photos and serving only her favorite dishes during every Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner over the past few years.

I even comforted myself, saying that it was good for someone to keep Mom and Dad company while I wasn't at home. I thought that nothing else mattered as long as my parents were happy.

But now, the persimmon incident had thoroughly woken me up from my delusions.

Since they were treating me like an outsider, there was no point in my continuing to make a fool of myself.

I chuckled coldly and said, "I'm not thinking of doing anything. I just wish you and your family all the best."

After that, I went into my room to pack up my things.

Dad came in after me and slapped me hard across the cheek.

"Don't you know that it's Christmas! What do you think you're doing with that damn attitude of yours? It was just a damn persimmon! Why the hell must you make the entire family so awkward and uncomfortable over that?

"And as for Vivian, don't you know that she's already been reserved enough while living with us as a family? What the hell was your outburst for, embarrassing her like that?

"You're just set on making things difficult for your mom and me, aren't you, you ungrateful brat?"

My head was slapped to the side. I then glared at him.

Before coming back for Christmas, I had specifically told them I would arrive a day or two early to spend the holiday season with them, but none of them came to pick me up from the station. They said that they were busy at home and couldn't get to me.

However, Vivian had posted multiple Instagram stories of her out Christmas shopping with Mom and Dad that very same day.

Her captions read, "It feels so good being spoiled and pampered at home! I told Mom and Dad that they didn't have to come with me, but they insisted. I guess it can't be helped that I mean the world to them!"

I had felt upset about it and questioned Mom and Dad at once. However, they got mad at me instead and chided, "Viv was the one busying herself taking care of your dad while he was hospitalized! It's only right that we accompany her out on a shopping spree!

"So what if we never picked you up? How could you be so jealous and petty over such a tiny thing?"

They had completely forgotten that I was the one who paid for Dad's entire hospital bill. I'd even purposely taken a whole week off work to come back and care for him.

Yet Vivian only showed up at the hospital for a few days, and suddenly she was the one "busy taking care of Dad" instead.

I'd stood at the station in the frigid cold, tears rolling down my cheeks as I waited for nearly two hours before I finally got an Uber.

Things like this have been happening ever since Vivian arrived in this household. Every time Mom and Dad were displeased about something, they would immediately blame it on me.

They blamed me for moving away from them after marrying Kevin and told me that Vivian was the only one keeping them company. They called me an ingrate and a jealous bitch.

And now that I thought of it, I had indeed been demanding too much of them as an outsider after all.

Dad got goosebumps as I kept staring at him. He cleared his throat.

"You only said all those things because you wanted us to pay more attention to you, didn't you? But you're never home. Viv's the one who's been with us the entire time.

"And yet, you come home and make a huge fuss about it because of your jealousy and pettiness. Is that what your mom and I taught you when you were young?

"You'd better put that attitude away while you're back. Stop making the entire family awkward and upset during the holiday season. And don't do this again. You're being exceptionally rude. Now go out and help your mom with dinner!"

I glanced out the door and saw Vivian sitting comfortably on the couch, munching away on a fruit platter, and Mom busying herself in the kitchen alone.

I thought about the past when Mom and Dad used to spoil and baby me, putting me first in everything they did.

They would still wake up early on winter mornings to send me to school, even when they were ill or feeling under the weather. They would also take half a day off work just to pick me up from the station whenever I came home for the holidays during my college years.

I told them that I was already an adult and could do things by myself, but they refused to listen and told me, "It doesn't matter how old you get, Rene. You'll always be our precious baby daughter."

Only a few years had passed since then, but everything had changed drastically.

I was no longer Mom and Dad's "precious baby daughter" who needed to be spoiled. Instead, they painted me as a jealous, petty, and unreasonable brat.

I looked Dad straight in the eye and said, "Well, I'm sorry that you gave birth to a jealous, petty daughter like me. But it's fine now. I'm not your daughter anymore!"

Dad's face turned dark.

"I've already told you to put that attitude away! What else do you want from us? I see now that your Mom and I have spoiled you too much, Irene Sherman!"

I scoffed and said, "Well then, we'll just go our separate ways from now on."

With that, I turned and continued packing my things. Dad just stared at me incredulously. Then, he grabbed me by my arm and yelled at me.

"Are you out of your damn mind, Irene Sherman? How dare you say something like that to us!

"When have your mom and I ever treated you wrong? We've raised you for years! And now, you're planning to cut off relations with us because of a stupid persimmon? Do you not have a conscience?

"How dare you walk out on us like this during Christmastime! Are you trying to make us look like fools in front of the neighbors?"

I flung his arm off and iterated clearly, "You're the ones making a fool of yourselves first!"

Just then, Dad suddenly rushed out in a hurry. When he came back, he had a whole handful more persimmons in his hand. He flung them at me and yelled, "Fine! You've never eaten a persimmon before? Eat them all! Finish everything!

"You want to leave? You'd better finish every single one of them before you even think about it again!"

His outburst got everyone crowding around us at once.

Isaac Sherman, my older brother, finally spoke up. However, he only continued to chide me and pin the blame on me throughout.

"Irene Sherman! Can't you behave yourself for once? Must you go and get Dad angry like this? Look at what you've done to the family!"

His wife, Cathy Morrison, chimed in and said, "He's right, Irene. You should have just kept your mouth shut and put up with it. Mom and Dad are getting older now. You should stop causing trouble for them!"

My two nephews saw Isaac and Cathy chiding me and began shouting at me, "You're a bad aunt! You're a very bad aunt!"

Meanwhile, my younger brother, Ivan Sherman, wasn't as "poised" as they were and just shoved me hard instead.

"The entire household has been thrown into chaos ever since you came back, Irene! When will you finally realize that it's all because of you? Viv would never have acted like a petty bitch like you!"

Vivian pretended to talk sense into him. "Don't be like that, Ivan… I know that Irene never meant for any of this to happen.

"Irene, hurry up and apologize to Mom and Dad. We'll just let bygones be bygones after that."

She then came up to me to tug me along, and I neatly stepped aside. However, a split second later, she threw herself flat on the floor.

I chuckled coldly. Her clumsy acting was simply laughable.

Yet, everyone else in the family fell for it.

They immediately went up to her and picked her up from the ground, asking her if she was alright.

Vivian had tears in her eyes.

"I'll be fine. It's not Irene's fault. I was just too clumsy and tripped over nothing. Please don't blame Irene for it."

Her words only stoked their anger.

"Irene Sherman! How could you be such a vicious bitch?" Mom yelled at me in disappointment. "You've disappointed me!"

I ignored them completely and began eating all the persimmons on the ground. Then, I turned around to face them and calmly said, "I've finished the persimmons. That means I can leave now, right?"

A complex look appeared in everyone's eyes at once. They never expected that someone who had once been so docile and obedient would suddenly become so stubborn and determined this time.

Mom then fell to the ground with a loud wail and began to sob.