I felt anger burning inside me.

So everything I'd done for this family all these years was nothing but a performance in Mom's eyes.

I spent 20 thousand dollars on a gold bracelet for her, and it still meant less than a five-dollar pancake. I didn't even take a single bite of the pancakes, yet she still thought I'd taken advantage of Henry.

I was an outsider. A walking ATM.

In that instant, everything felt pointless.

The sales assistant finished packing the necklace Mom had picked out for Henry and awkwardly asked how she'd like to pay for it.

Mom lifted her chin slightly, signaling for the assistant to come to me.

She knew I cared about appearances and that I wouldn't cause a scene in public. She had me all figured out.

I drew a deep breath and asked, "Mom, do you really think Henry shouldn't spend a single cent? That even those pancakes should be on me? Why are you upset? Why are you making me buy him a necklace?"

My voice came out sharper than intended.

"I've always treated you both fairly!" she shot back. "If you hadn't been constantly scheming against your brother and taking advantage of him, I wouldn't even have brought this up!"

My chest tightened. I recalled how Mom had sulked the whole ride home after Henry casually paid my bus fare during the heavy snowfall this past New Year.

I had to split the lobster and steak I'd bought for my daughter, Nancy Luster, with Henry just to earn a smile from Mom.

Spending even a cent of his money felt like some unforgivable crime.

"I took advantage of him, huh? Fine. From now on, he can have it all." I scoffed, shoving the bracelet meant for Mom back into my pocket before turning to leave.

The manager panicked when she saw me walk off. "Excuse me, how would you like to pay?"

"Ethan, where are you going?" Henry called out anxiously. "You haven't paid for my necklace!"

Lucy threatened, "Ethan Luster, if you walk out that door, don't ever call me your mother again!"

Something inside me finally broke.

Sometimes I wished that she would just admit that she favored Henry and hated me.

Behind me, shouts, cries, and Henry's soft attempts to comfort Mom filled the jewelry store. It was as though I were some kind of villain.

If that was what they wanted, then I'd play the part.

I pulled out my phone and called the furniture company to change the delivery address for the new furniture I'd bought for my parents.

Then I called the doctor and stopped Mom's targeted medication for her lung cancer.

After picking up Nancy, I went back to my parents' house.

I had left my briefcase there when I went out to buy the gold bracelet.

The moment I stepped inside, an air conditioner remote flew past my face and slammed into the doorframe.

Mom sat on the couch with red eyes. She scoffed. "Look who had the nerve to come back."

She exchanged a glance with my dad, Isaac Luster, as if they had me completely under control.

I didn't say a word. I grabbed my briefcase and turned to leave.

Dad stepped in front of me.

"Did you just embarrass your mom in public just because she said a couple of things? It was just some pancakes. Here's five bucks. Don't make a scene."

He transferred five bucks to me and glared at me as though he were tossing coins to a beggar. "There. Now go apologize to your mom."

It turned out that when someone was pushed past a certain point, they really did start laughing.

I let out a short laugh.

Mom thought I'd given in. She leaned back in the massage chair I had just bought for her and said impatiently, "Alright, give me my bracelet back. Tomorrow, you'll go buy that gold necklace and bring it for Henry. You're always scheming over the smallest amounts of money."

"I won't be putting on a show or taking advantage of Henry anymore," I said, enunciating every word.

Mom's expression stiffened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I didn't answer. Just then, a loud knock came from the door.

When it opened, movers from the furniture company I had purchased from came in.

There were seven of them. They were all tall and well-built.

"We're here to move the furniture. Mr. Ethan updated the delivery address," the leader explained.

Dad adjusted his glasses and shot me a resentful look, then quietly retreated into the bedroom.

Mom tried to stop them, but she didn't stand a chance against a group of muscular movers.

The TV, air conditioner, range hood, washing machine, refrigerator, and massage chair were dismantled and carried out of the house.

Then, I called a scrap yard and paid double to have their old furniture brought back.

By the time I was done, the house was a complete mess.

"Are you insane? Why are you doing this? All I did was say a few words, yet you're retaliating like this?" Mom screamed.

"This isn't retaliation, Mom," I said with a smile. "Didn't you say all I do is take advantage of Henry to build a good reputation for myself? From now on, I'll let him have all the chances to look good."

Dad kept sighing. He burned through cigarette after cigarette, while Mom kept crying and shouting.

But none of that was my business.

…

When I got home, the new furniture had already been placed in the living room. It felt a little cramped.

My wife, Evelyn Gilbert, had prepared a full table of food.

My ten-year-old daughter ran up to me with a drawing in hand. "Daddy, look!"

"It's beautiful! Your mom and I will take you to the amusement park tomorrow."

The drawing showed the three of us at the park. It was ordinary, yet it felt like a dream.

Last year, Mom was diagnosed with lung cancer.

A single box of her medication costs anywhere from 7 to 20 thousand dollars.

To keep her condition stable, I worked nonstop, sacrificing time with my daughter and wrecking my own health.

Yet I decided to stop. I would earn a little less, but it would give me a break to spend more time with my family.

I slipped the gold bracelet onto Evelyn's wrist.

She looked at me in surprise. Her lips parted as if she had forgotten how to speak.

I nodded with teary eyes. "Yeah. I've made up my mind."

She hugged me tightly. "Congratulations. You're finally free."

Nancy wrapped her arms around me too.

In that moment, I felt strength flowing back into me.

The old furniture at home had needed to be replaced a long time ago. As Evelyn arranged for them to be taken away, Henry called me.

"Do you really have to be this petty, Ethan? Just say you don't want to get the necklace for me. Fine, I don't want it anymore. Just come back and apologize to Mom. She's been crying because of you," he said, sounding utterly entitled.

I'd already seen through him. "I'm not apologizing. I've taken care of our parents for the past five years. It's your turn now."

"You're unbelievable! Do you really have to throw a tantrum?" he snapped. "You're rich. Why don't you give more? No wonder Mom doesn't love you!"

He knew exactly what to say to hurt me.

"Speaking of money, when Nancy wanted to go to a summer camp in Thenon last year, you threw a tantrum, saying you wanted to travel there. Mom pressured me into lending you 100 thousand. When are you paying that back?" I asked calmly.

His confidence immediately faltered. "Ethan, I just opened a cafe. I don't have any money right now…"

I tightened my grip on the phone.

"You don't? Then why were you showing off your new car on social media a few days ago?"

Some noise broke out on the other end of the line, then Mom's sharp voice cut in. "Money—that's all you care about! Ethan, if you keep pushing Henry, I won't go to the hospital for my checkup this month!"

I was worried Mom's cancer might spread, so I used to take time off every month to take her to the hospital for follow-ups.

But the medication had worked so well that she barely felt any symptoms. She always thought I was overreacting.

She used it against me, thinking she could control me that way.

"Did the hospital not inform you?" I asked flatly. "I've already canceled all your checkups. I've also stopped ordering your medication."

Mom fell silent on the other end of the line. It was like she couldn't believe what she had just heard. Then came the shouting. "You really were just putting up a show. You can throw as much money at me as you want, but it'll never mean as much as a single word of concern from Henry!"

I'd already gone numb by then.

"Henry, transfer the money to my account by next Monday. Otherwise, don't blame me for what happens."

"You wouldn't dare! Go ahead and try getting the money back from him!"

Mom's voice was so shrill that it felt like it was drilling into my ears.

I hung up.

Evelyn pulled me into a hug and patted my back.

I used to think that if I just gave a little more, my parents would eventually see my worth, that maybe they'd give me even a fraction of the love they gave Henry.

But not anymore.

…

Monday afternoon came, and I still hadn't received the money.

I called Henry. He declined the call. But the food delivery app showed that his cafe was open.

So I called a group of street thugs who hung around the corner of the block.

A dozen men, with arms covered in loud tattoos, squeezed into tight shirts and flashy loafers, showed up. They ordered just one cup of coffee.

They started shouting over each other and playing games, causing a scene.

Customers took one look at them and bolted from the cafe.

"Get Henry out here! Pay up!" one of them yelled, slamming his hand on the table.

The cafe was a joint business, and his partner clearly didn't want trouble. He dragged Henry out of the back room without hesitation.

Henry's eyes were red. Shaking, he called me. "Ethan, this is absurd! It's just a little money. Do you really have to go this far?

"The cafe hasn't had a single customer all day. My partner's furious. Are you trying to ruin me? Call them off, will you?"

I laughed. "Pay me back, and they'll leave."

"Ethan, please. Just give me three more days, okay?" he sniffled. He was terrified.

I didn't give him an answer.

Right after that, Mom gave me dozens of calls. I declined every single one of them.

The guys told me Henry had been so scared that he ended up in a mess of snot and tears. He wrapped himself up tight and slipped out through the filthy alley behind the kitchen.

It reminded me of middle school.

Back then, I'd been bullied by a group of kids. I went home bruised and begged Mom for help, but she slapped me so hard that I hit the ground.

"Why do they only pick on you and not anyone else? It takes two to tango. You must've done something wrong," she snapped in annoyance.

But when Henry got scolded by his homeroom teacher for cheating, all he had to do was come home with red eyes and Mom immediately panicked. She even took him to see a therapist.

That same afternoon, she stormed into the school, argued with the teacher, and filed complaints everywhere she could. She didn't stop until the teacher was suspended, pending investigation.

Every time I thought about it, it felt like a slap to my face all over again.

Just then, Nancy called and told me to come home for cake. She had used her allowance to buy me a birthday cake.

Something in my chest softened. By the time I realized it, tears were already streaming down my face.

My daughter had somehow healed the wounds of my gloomy childhood.

Sure enough, Mom showed up at my office with a photo of me as a naked three-year-old the next day.

Every time someone walked in, she shoved the picture at them and cried out, "I feel so miserable. Your coworker Ethan is an ungrateful child! He won't even look at his own mother now that he's successful.

"Do you know him? He's been stealing since he was a kid. He used to take Henry's allowance! You should fire him!

"He pretends to be a devoted son, but he's cheap to the core. He even mooches off Henry for meals! Where's your boss? You can't keep someone like him around!"