Ten years ago, I bought a wedding house for my younger brother. Who would have thought that ten years later, the housing price would drop by half?

“Emily, the house you bought for us has already dropped to one hundred thousand. You must make up the difference! Otherwise, we’re the ones who’ve lost out!”

“Or you should just sell the house! You can’t let me take the loss all by myself!”

Megan suddenly appeared at my door in the middle of the night, shouting at the top of her lungs, determined not to leave until she got what she wanted.

She even raised her hand, as if she was about to hit me, still thinking I was the pushover I used to be.

I raised my hand and slapped her across the face. Megan fell to the floor and immediately started coughing up blood.

…

“Are you insane? Housing prices fell, and somehow that’s my fault?”

A surge of anger rushed through me.

Since their wedding, neither Daniel nor Megan had ever come to see me. They hadn’t even invited me to the reception. And now, out of nowhere, they showed up demanding money.

Megan, sprawled on the floor, stared at me in disbelief. In her memory, I was still that silent, compliant sister-in-law.

“Emily Harris! How dare you hit me! I don’t care—if you don’t give me the money, I’ll take you to court!”

Was she out of her mind? She could try suing me if she had the guts.

“I don’t care! I already sold the house! Now my family has nowhere to live! Who could’ve known it would drop this much? Did you do it on purpose? Were you just waiting for me to lose money?”

She screamed hysterically.

Selling at the lowest point in the market? And it was a necessary home, too. I wanted to rip her head open and see what was inside—she’d end up destroying herself sooner or later.

I was furious and didn’t want to hear any more of her stupidity. I tried to close the door, but she jammed her leg in the doorway, refusing to let me shut it.

“Help! Somebody help! She’s going to kill me!”

She shouted like a madwoman, waking up the entire apartment complex. My face darkened. What the hell was she trying to do?

Within minutes, people were crowding outside my door.

Seeing Megan pitifully lying there, they immediately turned their fire on me, assuming I owed her money and was refusing to pay. Without asking questions, they began pointing fingers and shouting.

“I knew it! Always buying things left and right—turns out she’s drowning in debt!”

“I can’t stand people like her, deadbeats who think no one can touch them, and now she’s even violent!”

“Exactly! I’ve seen strange men coming to her place all the time—her lifestyle is questionable too.”

Those were delivery guys! How could these people spread rumors without a shred of judgment?

I was seething, but my explanations were drowned out by their accusations. No one cared about what I said; they pinned me straight to the pillar of shame.

Splat!

Someone hurled a rotten egg at my head. The stench spread instantly, making me gag.

“Get out! All of you!”

My last defenses collapsed. I shoved Megan out the door with all my strength and slammed it shut.

Forcing down my fury, I scrubbed the foul smell off my body. By the time I came back out, most of the crowd had dispersed. Megan was gone too.

I hoped that lunatic had given up. I exhaled in relief and was heading to the living room when—bang, bang, bang—the door rattled again.

The pounding was even louder than before, more than one set of fists this time.

I froze and peered through the peephole. Staring back at me was Daniel’s face, with Mom and Dad standing right behind him, their expressions dark and fixed on the door.

Daniel shouted at the top of his lungs:

“Emily Harris! Get out here right now!”

Why were they all here?

I had thought it was just Megan being crazy, but apparently, Daniel was the same.

I didn’t want to respond, but Daniel kept pounding harder and harder, making the noise unbearable.

I yanked the door open, a kitchen knife in my hand, and thrust it toward his face.

“Daniel Harris! Have you lost your damn mind too?”

His face went pale. A moment ago, he’d been full of bluster, but now he was too terrified to speak.

Megan shoved him forward, refusing to let him retreat.

“You ungrateful brat! How dare you treat your brother this way!”

Mom rushed forward without hesitation, grabbing the knife, acting as if she’d sacrifice herself just to protect her son.

Dad cowered to the side but wouldn’t stop running his mouth, pressing me to hand over the money.

I was stunned and angry. Since childhood, Mom had always been this way—willing to risk her life for her son, threatening suicide to force me into buying him a house. Back then, the whole neighborhood called me unfilial.

And now, nothing had changed.

A wave of exhaustion washed over me. I had thought maybe, as they grew older, they might finally appreciate me. But I had been wrong.

In the end, I had to call security to get them out of my apartment.

Even when I got to work, my irritation lingered.

Years ago, I had worked myself to the bone to buy them that house, thinking I could cut ties with the family. Yet here they were, clinging to me again—for such a ridiculous reason.

That evening, when I returned home, the hallway was finally quiet. I let out a breath of relief, hoping they wouldn’t come back.

But the moment I opened my door, something felt wrong.

The lights were on.

I rushed inside to find Megan, Daniel, and my parents sitting comfortably on my couch, watching TV. The cushions I had just cleaned were now covered in muddy footprints.

The snacks I’d just bought had been devoured by Ethan, and the stench of garbage filled the room.

I nearly vomited. Rage swirled inside me.

“How did you even get in here?”

They barely glanced at me before continuing to eat. I slammed a glass to the floor, and only then did they finally look up.

“This is your place? Everything you buy should also belong to us! Helping your brother is only natural!”

Daniel smirked and strolled toward me, acting like it was all a joke.

“If you want us to leave, fine. Just give me the money, and we’ll walk right out.”

Megan stormed toward me, grinning maliciously, ready for a showdown.

So that was still their plan.

I refused to swallow this humiliation. If I gave in now, they’d never stop bleeding me dry.

Mom and Dad pretended not to see any of it, focusing instead on fussing over Ethan.

“In your dreams!”

I sneered, unwilling to give that woman an inch.

I stormed into my bedroom—only to find my bed buried under piles of clothes, the foul odor stronger here than anywhere else.

Disgust rose in my throat. Megan was deliberately pushing me to the breaking point. My home was now crammed with their belongings, leaving me nowhere to sleep.

“You’re just a girl—what do you need the master bedroom for? Tonight you can sleep on the couch. Your brother and your father can’t be allowed to suffer.”

Mom hadn’t uttered a single word of concern for me. Instead, she lashed out, accusing me of being ungrateful.

All my life, I had never had a bed of my own. As a child, I shared with Grandma Rose. And now, even as an adult, they wanted to take it from me.

Daniel and Dad stayed silent, as though none of this concerned them.

I drew in a long breath. I wouldn’t endure it like I had as a child. If they wanted to force money out of me, it wasn’t going to happen.

“Mom!”

I grabbed Ethan by the collar, making him wail. For a moment, it looked like I was going to toss him down the stairs.

“You dare! You crazy woman! How could I have given birth to something like you?”

Mom slapped her thigh in panic, tears streaming down her face. Megan was terrified too, but she still refused to give in. The two men in the room didn’t even look up from the television.

So this was who my mother protected with all her heart.

I laughed bitterly at the scene. Mom begged and cried, even dropping to her knees, until finally she agreed to clear out my bedroom. Only then did I release Ethan.

Megan glared at me furiously, not out of concern for her son, but because she still wanted money.

I collapsed onto my bed, my head pounding. Calling 911 was useless—this was a “family matter,” and in the end, I’d be told to resolve it myself. And with Megan acting like a lunatic, who knew what she might do next?

I dozed the whole day in a haze. The following evening, as soon as I reached the entrance of the apartment complex, a group of people blocked my way.

“Emily, I know you’re a good girl, but your family is just too disruptive. Could you… maybe consider moving somewhere else?”

It was Mrs. Brown, forcing a smile while her eyes brimmed with irritation.

I stared at her in confusion. I’d lived here for five years. Why would they suddenly want me gone?

Then I saw them—Mom and Dad downstairs, blasting loud music from portable speakers, so loud it rattled through the entire building.

The other neighbors weren’t as polite as Mrs. Brown. They glared at me and launched into furious complaints about Daniel and Megan’s antics.

“They’ve been banging on doors since morning—we can’t sleep, our kids can’t rest! All of you need to leave!”

“That’s right! I didn’t move here to have my peace destroyed by this trash. Don’t think I don’t know—you and your parents are all the same! Get out!”

Their voices grew louder and louder. Even security couldn’t hold them back, while property management stood by helplessly.

I was reaching my breaking point. Why did my family always have to bring me nothing but trouble?

“Emily, it’s really simple. Either give me the money and we’ll leave, or sell the house so we can all share the loss.”

Megan sauntered over, smirking as she watched me crumble.

They were certain I couldn’t stay here. The neighbors despised me, my home was in shambles, and the noise was endless.

The crowd grew more agitated, ready to throw us all out.

“Why don’t you just give the house to your brother? That way you’ll stop fighting. It’s all for your own good,” Mom sobbed, pretending to care.

A chill ran through me.

“For my own good? Everything he has came from me! And now even my home should be his? You just want me to spend my life taking care of Daniel, don’t you?”

I screamed at Mom, fury burning as I looked at her pitiful face. This had been my whole childhood—I had believed her, always putting Daniel first.

But now, I saw it clearly.

I shoved Mom aside, ignoring their curses, and stormed back into my apartment.

Megan and the others followed, spewing insults.

When I opened the door, I froze.

My belongings were strewn across the floor, jewelry boxes ripped open, and every piece of jewelry gone without a trace.