Refusing to Marry a Divorced Man, I Become the Scapegoat

My parents have always favored my younger brother. They used all the money I sent them for their retirement to subsidize my younger brother.

That was not enough. They even planned to marry me to a divorced old man for 660 thousand dollars.

Because of this, I had a falling out with my family and stopped giving them any money.

Unexpectedly, my father had an accident and died while working on a construction site. Everyone blamed me for causing my father's death.

***

This year, my mother called me early to ask if I had booked a train ticket to go home for Christmas.

I felt a warm feeling in my heart. After drifting away from home for so many years, I still missed my family.

But at this point was the one earning the most in the family. My parents still relied on me for their retirement, so I couldn't afford to take a break.

I was 29 years old this year, and my younger brother was one year younger than me. My parents couldn't wait to have a second child after giving birth to me.

My younger brother and I grew up together. When we were young, I was always bothered by my parents' favoritism. But later, they sent me to high school and university, while my younger brother didn't even finish high school. So I stopped caring about the favoritism in terms of material things.

My parents were urging me to get married in the past two years, but at this time, they were focused on my nephew, because my sister-in-law had given birth to a second child, and they no longer urged me.

My parents worked hard and exhausted themselves in the earlier years, and they hadn't been working for the past two years. I felt sorry for them, so I sent them three thousand dollars for living expenses every month.

I hurriedly returned home on Christmas' Eve, and my mother and sister-in-law had already prepared a table full of dishes. The whole family was waiting for me to have dinner.

My nephew and niece cheered and asked me for gifts. They didn't wash their hands and started eating until they got the gifts they were satisfied with.

Love Actually was playing on the TV, and the whole family gathered around the table. This warm scene cannot be felt by those who were struggling outside.

In order to earn more money, I had been working two jobs every day. During holidays, I had to find part-time jobs for more money. I was already physically and mentally exhausted.

At the dinner table, I was thinking about telling my family that I wouldn't go to another city for work next year. My parents would be able to receive their pension in two years, and then I could find a job in our city and live a stable life.

Everyone had drinks, and the atmosphere at the table was just nice. I was about to speak, but my sister-in-law's words stopped me.

"Mandy, you don't usually come home, and there's something I don't know if I should say during the Christmas.

"As a family, there's nothing that shouldn't be said. Just say it, Agnes." I didn't think too much about it.

"Here's the thing. Prices have been rising rapidly in recent years, and your parents are getting old and sick. You are rarely at home, so it's me and Michael who take them to the hospital. It really costs a lot.

I didn't want to ask, but Michael also felt embarrassed to say it," Agnes looked hesitant, "so I'll get to the point. The monthly allowance of three thousand dollars is a bit too little."

I was a bit surprised. I considered myself generous to my family. I rented a house and ate outside, which didn't exceed three thousand dollars a month.

My parents lived at home and didn't have to pay rent. They usually cooked themselves. What high expenses could there be? If they really went to the hospital, why didn't I know about it?

"Have they been hospitalized recently? Why didn't you tell me? I bought insurance for them, and most of the hospitalization expenses can be reimbursed," I said to my parents.

My mother had been silent tonight, wanting to say something in response, but my sister-in-law interrupted, "It's not a serious illness. They have some minor health problems at this age, and it's been a hassle for me and Michael to take care of them."

"Agnes, how much do you need?" I hesitated to ask.

"To be honest, it should be at least five thousand dollars a month. Everything is so expensive now, and it's not cheap to cook nutritious meals at home." My sister-in-law nudged her husband with and said, "Right, Michael?"

"Right." My brother lowered his head, ate his rice, and replied softly.

It was then that I noticed that except for my sister-in-law, everyone was a bit silent today.

I was a bit hesitant and did not directly agree with my sister-in-law. On the one hand, I thought the family's expenses were not high, and there shouldn't be so much spending at home. On the other hand, I needed to have some savings in my hands to feel at ease.

If my parents' living expenses increased by two thousand, then I couldn't save any money even if I worked two jobs every day.

"It's inappropriate to talk about it at table. Let's eat first and talk about it later," my father said, trying to smooth things over with his wine glass, but I knew it was not that easy to let this matter go.