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.

Mom was quick to notice. "What are you doing?"

"Calling the police."

Her face went pale, and she lunged forward to grab my phone. "Don't you dare!"

I dodged her, speaking clearly into the receiver. "I need to report an emergency. I have individuals trespassing on my property, and I've just been assaulted."

Cody's expression shifted from anger to panic. "Eileen Allen, have you lost your mind?"

I ignored him and gave the dispatcher my address.

Ten minutes later, the police arrived. By then, a small crowd of curious neighbors had gathered in the hallway.

When the officers questioned Cody, he was still trying to talk his way out of it. "I'm her brother! What's wrong with a brother keeping his sister in line?"

The officer frowned. "It doesn't matter who you are. You don't lay your hands on someone."

Mom immediately started wiping away tears. "Officer, please. We're a family. This is just a private family matter. There's really no need to blow it out of proportion."

Dad spoke up too, his tone significantly softer than before. "Our daughter is being unreasonable. We'll take her home and handle this ourselves. Sorry for the trouble, officers."

The officer turned to me. "Miss, how would you like to handle this?"

The distinct, red outline of a handprint was still burning on my cheek.

I looked at Cody. His eyes were full of resentment and unspoken threats, but there wasn't a shred of remorse.

"I want to document my injuries, and I want to press charges."

In the end, Cody was taken down to the station to be booked.

Mom and Dad followed closely behind. Before Mom stepped into the elevator, she looked back at me with a complicated gaze. "You really are… a deeply selfish child."

I didn't say a word. I just shut the door.

The next day, I called in sick. The swelling on my face was too severe to cover up with makeup.

By the afternoon, my phone started buzzing. It was Alice.

"Eileen, you need to look at the company group chat right now!"

My stomach dropped. I opened WhatsApp, and the unread notifications were already past 99.

Someone had dropped a photo into the group chat. It showed Mom standing outside our office building, holding a huge cardboard sign.

The sign had a few large words on it. "Ingrate Eileen Allen abandoned her parents! Shame on her!"

Below, in smaller letters, it said I had forgotten my roots after getting married, let my parents go hungry, forced my sister-in-law to return to her parents' home, and called the police on my brother.

Coworkers were tagging me left and right. "Eileen, is this actually your mom?"

"Is this real? Did you seriously neglect your parents?"

"She looks like such a sweet, harmless old lady. She's been standing out there all afternoon, drawing a massive crowd."

"Eileen, you need to come out and explain this."

My hands began to shake violently.

Alice sent me a private message. "Do not reply to anyone! HR is already on it. They sent security to ask your mom to leave, but she refuses to budge. She's just crying and telling everyone that you disowned her…"

I didn't reply.

A few minutes later, a text from HR popped up. "Eileen, we've been made aware of the situation outside. Regrettably, this is reflecting poorly on the company.

"There's a large crowd gathering, and people are already filming and posting videos online. Why don't you take a few days off? We can revisit this once you've sorted things out."

It was phrased politely, but the subtext was crystal clear. Taking a few days off was a euphemism for a suspension.

I typed back a single word. "Okay."

Then, I opened a local news app. Sure enough, someone had already uploaded a video clip.

The headline read, "Corporate Employee Shamed Outside Office by Elderly Mother for Neglect".

The comment section was a toxic wasteland.

"How is this woman still employed?"

"Fire her immediately!"

"You're better off raising a dog than a daughter like that."

As I scrolled through the comments, I felt the last remnants of my warmth drain away.

These people were my flesh and blood, yet they were entirely willing to destroy my life.

Right then, Hector called me. "Come to Solvane."

I nodded. "Okay."

I booked the next train to Solvane. At the same time, I submitted my resignation email to HR.

I didn't want anything to do with this city anymore.