"Mom, I didn't score that low back then. I-I scored over 1,350." I forced the words out with everything I had.

Mom froze for a second, then stared at me for a long moment before speaking. "Regina, what kind of fantasy are you living in? Are you out of your mind, or am I?"

The way she said it made me panic.

"No, Mom. I still have the slip from back then. It's saved on my phone. I'll find it…"

I pulled out my phone and started scrolling through it in a rush as tears continued to stream down my face.

How pathetic of me. Even after all this time, I would still cry whenever something like this happened.

I kept scrolling through my gallery until I reached the pictures from when I had first started working.

Back then, I messed up almost every day and got chewed out by my manager constantly. I barely had enough to eat myself, yet every month, I still sent half my salary back home.

And every night, when I got back to that tiny rented room, I would look at that photo.

I often found myself wondering whether things might've been different if I'd told them the truth about my score back then.

Would they have celebrated for me the way they celebrated for Sabrina?

If they had, maybe I wouldn't have had to struggle this hard. Maybe I would've had a different life, too.

Over the past five years, I had spent four of them watching Sabrina's university life through the photos she posted on her Instagram.

From the day she moved onto campus as a freshman to the day she graduated in her cap and gown, every one of those moments belonged to the life I had given up.

Did I regret it? I didn't know.

A few years ago, I probably would've answered without hesitation and said no. But now, all I could say was that I didn't know anymore.

That feeling only became stronger the more I grew up and the more of the world I saw.

Even so, I kept reminding myself that I couldn't say anything because I couldn't make things harder for Mom and Dad, and that I shouldn't let myself become bitter like that.

After all, they had always loved Sabrina more. Even if I had been the one with the better score, they might not have been happy for me anyway.

I kept scrolling through my gallery, but no matter how far I went, I couldn't find that old test slip.

Mom rolled her eyes at me, full of contempt.

"That's enough, Regina. I know you're just trying to protect your image, but do you really need to lie about something like that? If you ask me, you never had that good a score. Since when did you get so comfortable lying?"

Her words hurt so badly that I could barely breathe, and tears kept dripping onto my phone screen.

Why? Why couldn't I even find the only photo that could prove what I had scored back then?

Wasn't the whole reason I gave up going to university so Mom and Dad wouldn't have to make such a difficult decision?

If that was true, then all the years of hardship I went through barely amounted to anything.

My voice broke as I uttered each word with effort. "I'm not lying…"

"What did you say?" Mom frowned as if she hadn't heard me clearly.

I raised my voice. "I said I'm not lying!"

She took a deep breath and visibly tamped down her temper, clearly annoyed by my crying. Then, she waved her hand dismissively.

"Enough. Stop crying. If you want to cry, go to your room and do it there. I've had enough of this!"

As she spoke, she stood up and was about to shove me.

"Crying is all you know how to do. Can't I speak my mind around you? You were the one who couldn't get into university back then. Don't stand there acting like your father and I owe you something!"

As she shoved and hit me without the slightest bit of mercy, I couldn't keep it together anymore and finally shouted back, "But I really did score over 1,350! Why won't you believe me?"

Meeting her startled eyes head-on, I continued, "You've always been like this! Every time I did better than Sabrina, nobody said a word. But the second Sabrina did better than me, she became your precious daughter all over again.

"Mom, I'm your daughter, too. How could you do this to me?"

Mom froze, then slapped me hard across the face.

"Oh, so now raising you was our mistake? You ungrateful little brat. How dare you talk to me like that?"

Her tone sharpened, and the next slap landed against the side of my head.

My face was swollen, but the tears hung stubbornly in my eyes. "So you never loved me, did you? Even though I was your first child."

Mom's hand stopped midair. She stared at me in shock. "You…"

Before she could finish, I heard the sound of the lock turning at the front door.

"Mom! Dad and I are back. Look what I brought you."

Sabrina's bright and cheerful voice rang out from the entryway.

"Oh, you're back, Rina."

Mom, whose face had been twisted with anger a second ago, instantly broke into a smile. She hurried over and took the huge bag of snacks from Sabrina.

"Looks like you bought yourself something good to eat. That's my girl. You know how to enjoy yourself."

Sabrina's gaze casually swept past my puffy, tear-streaked face, completely unmoved. "Oh, Regina's home, too."

She then turned to Mom. "Mom, look what I got you."

Like she was pulling off a magic trick, she pulled out the newest phone from her pocket.

At that moment, Mom's smile was genuine.

"Oh, wow! Why did you buy me something this expensive? The phone you got me last time still looks brand new, and now you bought me another one!"

She turned it over and over again in her hands like it was a treasure. "This is the newest model, right? And you even picked the color I like. You're amazing, sweetheart!"

I sat there awkwardly, not knowing what to do, until Dad noticed I'd been crying. He casually pulled the smallest bag of snacks from the pile and handed it to me.

"What's wrong? Arguing with your mom again? Give it a rest. That's just how she is. You're a grown woman now. Why are you still so immature? You're too old to be sniveling like that."

I slowly reached out and took it, but I didn't eat it.

If I hadn't taken it, Dad would've scolded me anyway. He was rarely ever that pleasant.

Sabrina tossed her designer purse aside, stretched out on the couch, and smiled at me. "Regina, why are you arguing with Mom again? Don't tell me this is about the SAT. It's been years already. Even if you did score over 1,350 back then, Mom and Dad could only afford to send one kid to university."

I stared at her in shock, and when I spoke, my voice came out hoarse. "What do you mean by that, Sabrina? You knew I scored that high this whole time?"

She picked up the remote, turned on the TV, and answered casually, "Of course, I knew."

My fists tightened, my chest heaving with every breath. "You knew? Then why didn't you say anything all those years when Mom was screaming at me? And back then, why did you accuse me of cheating?"

The entire living room went quiet.

Mom and Dad exchanged suspicious glances, their expressions strange.

"What's going on? Did she really score that high?"

Mom's eyes darted back and forth between Sabrina and me.

Meanwhile, Dad crushed out the cigarette in his hand and looked over at me. "That's enough. What's done is done. Regina, you're not a kid anymore, so just let it go."

I sat there without saying a word. I just felt disillusioned.

Mom busied herself pouring a glass of water for Sabrina, never once considering that I hadn't had a single drop of water since I walked through the door.

All of a sudden, I understood what Sabrina meant.

She was right. Even if I really had scored over 1,350, would anything have been different?

No. They still would've chosen to put Sabrina through university, and I still wouldn't be worthy of a glass of water.

I looked at Sabrina, my voice shaking. "Sabrina, why didn't you tell them?"

She met my gaze head-on, malice flickering in her eyes. "Would it have made a difference? I don't think so."

Beside her, Mom slammed a glass onto the table.

"Haven't you had enough? So what if you really scored over 1,350? That doesn't mean your life would be any better after university. If anything, it was better for you to get out into the world early and toughen up!

"You were so shy when you were little. And now look at you, talking back and arguing with your own mother. Isn't that proof you needed to get out there?"

I honestly couldn't believe those words were coming out of her mouth.

"Get out into the world? Toughen up?"

I spoke softly and slowly, then suddenly laughed.

"Mom, was living in a tiny room with barely enough space to move around supposed to toughen me up? Was being screamed at by my manager until midnight and not being allowed to get off work supposed to toughen me up?

"When I first started, I couldn't even find a decent job. I washed dishes at a restaurant all winter long, and even now my fingers ache so badly every winter that I can't sleep. Is this what you call toughening me up?"

Mom seemed momentarily thrown off by my string of questions, although her confusion quickly curdled into defensive rage.

"Regina, what is wrong with you today? Have you lost your mind? We're living just fine, and you just have to stir things up, huh?"

My chest tightened, and I struggled to breathe as a wave of dizziness hit me.

"Yeah," I said. "Maybe I have. I've been through so much these past years, and all you have to say is that it was to toughen me up?"

I turned to leave, but Mom grabbed me.

"Alright, that's enough!" she said. "Sending you into the real world earlier was an opportunity. You've been working years longer than your sister, and aren't you doing fine now?"

Dad stepped forward as well. "That's enough. It's the holidays. Why are you making a scene? Don't get so worked up. Come sit down and eat. Your mom and I even have some good news for you."

…

At dinner, Mom placed two drumsticks onto Sabrina's plate, one after the other.

"Rina, eat more," she said. "You've gotten thinner again. Is work too stressful? If something's bothering you, just tell me, alright?"

Sabrina merely coughed once, and Mom was already on her feet, heading to the fridge to grab her a chilled bottle of juice.

Ever since we were kids, Sabrina always had a glass of juice with her meals, while I never did.

I ate in silence, the food tasting like nothing. I couldn't even tell what I was doing here anymore.

Mom noticed my expression and tried to soften her tone. "That's enough. Don't act like you've had it so hard. Back when your sister was working out of town with us, she didn't even have a birthday cake on her birthday.

"Now that things are finally better, why do you have to keep bringing up all these dusty, old grievances? Be honest with yourself. Ever since you moved in with us, haven't we treated you well enough?"

I didn't respond, merely lowering my head to hide my eyes.

Back when I stayed with my grandparents, I had never celebrated a birthday either.

Mom and Dad only went back every few years. To me, they felt no different from family members who came to visit during the holidays.

Moreover, the first time I ever tasted cake was at Sabrina's birthday.

Dad took a sip of his wine and added, "You've been working all these years, and it's not like you were sending any money back. How hard could it have really been?"

"Dad, how can you say that?" I asked quietly as an exasperated laugh slipped out of me. "Haven't I been sending half my paycheck home every single month?"

"What paycheck? I've never seen a cent of it," Dad shot back.

I pulled out my phone and pulled up my bank statements.

"I've been transferring money to Mom's account every single month, and I never missed a single time. In the last five years, those transfers total 150,000 dollars. How could you not know?"