My mom calls me on Friday.

"Don't forget about tomorrow's family dinner. Cody loves shrimps, so you should buy more of those at the seafood market in the southern district.

"Lexi loves lamb chops. Go take a look in the eastern district for them. Also, don't forget to buy the imported strawberries. Noah loves them a lot."

I say yes to each and every request Mom makes.

But as soon as I end the call, I receive a text on the family group chat.

"I've already given Eileen a list of our favorite foods. It's tough for you to earn money these days, so you shouldn't buy anything."

One second later, that message is deleted.

Still, I'm flabbergasted by what I just read.

I've been married for two years. Every Saturday throughout those years, I'm the one paying and organizing the family dinner of the week.

I thought there's no need to be so petty when it comes to family. But it seems that they've already viewed me as the outsider a long time ago.

In that case, I won't be attending the family dinner anymore.

Nobody replied in the group chat.

A moment later, a WhatsApp message from my mother, Paige Lawson, popped up. "Forgot to mention, your dad's craving nachos."

I knew she was testing the waters. She wanted to see if I'd noticed her text in the group chat.

My fingers flew across the screen, typing furiously. "Why? I'm your biological daughter! Why am I suddenly an outsider just because I got married? Don't you guys love me anymore?"

But in the end, I deleted it all.

I left only a brief reply. "I have plans tomorrow. I won't be making it."

The second the message went through, my phone rang. It was Mom.

As soon as I answered, she launched into a tirade. "What is wrong with you? Saturday family dinner is a tradition. How can you just not show up? I don't care what else you have going on. You need to be there!"

Unable to hold it in any longer, I snapped, "Mom, I saw the message you sent."

The line went dead silent for a second, but she recovered quickly. "I just sent it by mistake. Besides, we're family. Is there really any need to be so petty?"

She said it so matter-of-factly that it made me look like the unreasonable one.

I let out a bitter laugh. "Have you ever actually treated me like family? You call it a family dinner, but I'm always the one running around while everyone else just sits around waiting to be served. I buy everything based on what everyone else likes, but has a single person ever asked what I want?"

I foolishly thought my words might spark a shred of remorse, but Mom only doubled down. "Your dad and I raised you. You owe us. That's just how it works! Besides, once you're married, you just have to pave your way back home with a little cash!"

A sharp ache pierced my chest.

So that was it. All my efforts were just a baseline expectation for her.

It never occurred to her that I had feelings, too, or that she was actively breaking my heart.

Before I could even speak, Mom continued, "Anyway, I'm hanging up. Come back early tomorrow."

With that, she ended the call.

I walked back to my desk and booked an evening train ticket to Solvane.

My coworker, Alice Hart, leaned over. "Don't you have that family dinner on Saturday? You're not going?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Not this time."

A look of suspicion crossed her face. "And your mom is okay with that?"

I managed a bitter smile but didn't answer.

Sensing my mood, she quickly changed the subject. "Well, I'm glad you finally came around. You and your husband barely see each other as it is. You should spend your weekends with him."

As soon as work let out, I packed my things and rushed to the train station.

When my husband, Hector Kline, saw me, his eyes lit up. "What are you doing here?"

"I missed you," I said quietly.

He was always incredibly attuned to my shifts in mood. Concern instantly flooded his face. "Hey, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

Hector continued asking, "And wait, isn't your family dinner tomorrow? Why are you here today?"

That was all it took for my tears to start falling.

Hector and I had been married for two years, and he had been nothing but patient and loving.

Because of our jobs, we had a long-distance marriage, but he was the one who made the trip to see me every single weekend.

Even when my family treated him like a ghost at those dinners, he never once complained.

Lately, his schedule had been brutal, yet he still carved out time for me.

I couldn't bring myself to say a word.

He seemed to sense what had happened and didn't push for answers.

The next morning, Hector was up early. He had called out of work just to spend the day with me.

He made breakfast—oatmeal, omelet, and waffles. They were everything I loved.

Over all these years, he was the only one who actually remembered my likes. And he was the only one who made me feel like I didn't have to lift a finger.

Right on cue, Mom's name flashed across my phone screen.

I ignored it. I already knew what she was going to say.

Hector glanced at the vibrating phone. "Are you not going to answer?"

I shook my head. "No."

But ignoring her phone call only made the family group chat blow up.

First came Mom's text. "@Eileen Where are you? Look at the time! Your brother and sister-in-law are already here. We're just waiting on you.

"Did you get the shrimp and the lamb chops? Your dad is waiting on those nachos to go with his drinks."

Then came a text from my brother, Cody Allen. "Eileen, how close are you? Hurry it up. Don't forget the strawberries. Noah is throwing a fit for them."

Finally, my sister-in-law, Lexie Duncan, messaged. "Eileen, it sounds like you have a massive haul to bring over this time. Take your time."

None of them cared if I was okay or if something had happened to me. The only things that mattered to them were the groceries I was buying and the free labor I was providing.

That was my so-called family.

With a bitter laugh, I typed back into the chat. "I told you. I'm not coming."

The group chat went dead silent for about three seconds. Then, it absolutely erupted.

Mom was the first to strike, firing off a full 60-second voice note.

I couldn't bring myself to listen to her voice, so I hit text-convert. The screen filled with an avalanche of exclamation points.

"You're not coming? If you weren't coming, you should have said so earlier! Cody and Lexie are here, and Noah is crying from hunger because he's waiting for those strawberries! Now you say you're not coming? What are we supposed to eat?"

Cody immediately followed up. "What's your problem, Eileen? The whole family is waiting on you. How could you throw a fit like this? Mom and Dad are getting old. You're really going to make them sit around starving?"

Lexie put on her usual passive-aggressive act. "Eileen, did I do something to upset you? If you have an issue with me, just say it. Don't take it out on the family dinner."

Watching them play off each other like a well-rehearsed theater troupe, I actually laughed.

I didn't reply, but that didn't stop them.

Mom sent another text. "Your dad's blood pressure is going through the roof! Get over here right now! Don't make me come to your apartment to drag you back!"

Cody lost his temper next. "Now that you're married, you think you're too good for us? We wasted all those years raising you for nothing!"

Lexie kept playing the peacemaker. "Oh, forget it. She belongs to another family now. We don't have the status to grace her presence anymore."

Finally came a text from my father, Samuel Allen. He almost never posted in the group chat, but this time, he chimed in with a single line, "If you don't come back today, don't ever bother coming back!"

I watched the notifications pop up one by one, each message twisting like a knife in my chest. I finally turned the phone face down on the table and chose silence.

Hector slid a bowl of oatmeal in front of me. "Eat first."

During those two days with Hector, I completely cut myself off from my family.

On Saturday afternoon, he drove me out to a hot spring resort in the countryside.

As we soaked in the steaming water, I asked him, "Do you know what I like to eat?"

Without hesitation, Hector blurted out, "You like your oatmeal simple, without any extras. When we barbecue, you love drumsticks and shrimp. But I always have to grill the shrimp for you, or you overcook them.

"You love fruit, but only if it's already sliced. And you crave anything with a kick of spice."

I was stunned.

He remembered every single detail.

I looked at him and asked, "How do you even remember all that?"

Smiling, Hector reached out to pull me into his arms. "Silly. Because you're my wife and I care about you."

So this was what it felt like to actually matter to someone.

The contrast only served to highlight just how deeply my family neglected me.

To them, I was just a daughter who had married out—an outsider.

By Sunday evening, I was heading back.

Hector's parting words still echoed in my ears. "Don't carry it all on your own. I'm right here."

As I approached my apartment building, I spotted three figures crouching near my door from a distance.

Mom was the first to notice me. She snapped up, storming over to face me in a matter of seconds. "So you finally decided to come back?"

Dad rose to his feet behind her, hands clasped behind his back. His expression was grim.

Cody stood at the very back, a lit cigarette dangling from his fingers. The look he gave me was full of disdain, as if he were staring at a bratty child.

I tightened my grip on my purse strap. "Mom, what are you all doing here?"

Her voice pitched high and sharp, echoing through the narrow hallway.

"You didn't answer your phone and ignored our texts. What choice did I have? It's been two days! Do you have any idea what chaos you've caused at home?

"Your dad's blood pressure spiked to 180! Noah cried for two days straight because he couldn't get his strawberries, and Lexie got so fed up that she went back to her parents' place!"

As she hurled one accusation after another at me, I actually smiled. "So, it's all my fault?"

My smile threw her off for a split second, which only fueled her rage. "You have the nerve to smile? The whole family waited on you during Saturday dinner, yet you ran off to be with your husband? Do you even care about this family anymore?"

I looked at her, suddenly feeling like I was staring at a total stranger.

This was my mother—the woman who gave me life and raised me. Yet here she stood, spitting nothing but blame, without a single word of concern for how I was doing.

Dad let out a cold snort from the back. "Once a daughter marries, she's gone for good. Now that she can stand on her own two feet, she thinks she doesn't have to come home anymore."

Cody tossed his cigarette butt onto the floor and crushed it beneath his shoe. "Alright, stop wasting your breath on her. Eileen, you're coming back with us right now. Apologize to Mom and Dad, and then you're going to go get Lexie."

I took a step back. "I'm not going."

The air froze for a second.

Mom's face turned a violent shade of red. "You've completely lost your mind!"

Cody took two large strides toward me and grabbed my arm. "You're coming back today whether you like it or not!"

His grip was brutal, sending a sharp burst of pain through my arm.

"Let go of me!" I wrenched my arm violently, but I couldn't break free. "Cody, let go!"

Instead of releasing me, he tightened his grip, dragging me toward the stairwell.

Panicking, I used my free hand to claw at his fingers.

He winced in pain and fiercely shoved me away.

I stumbled back a few steps, crashing hard against the wall.

Before I could even find my footing, Cody suddenly spun around and slapped me across the face.

The sharp, ringing crack echoed down the hallway.

I froze, entirely numb.

My face burned with a stinging heat, and my ears rang in the silence.

Mom blinked in surprise, but she didn't step in. Instead, she muttered, "Good. You brought that on yourself. You never listen until you're forced to."

Without a word, Dad kept his hands behind his back, his face a mask of cold indifference.

Clutching my cheek, I slowly forced myself to stand up straight.

I looked at the three people standing in front of me—my father, my mother, and my brother.

I pulled out my phone and dialed three digits.