Chapter 3

3、

On a Wednesday morning, Sienna called me.

"Valerie, you need to get home right now! Jace is being bullied at school!"

My nephew was a little tyrant. There was no way he was being bullied.

But these people were exactly the same as before. They wanted me to handle every little problem.

As soon as I showed up, they'd drop everything on me. I'd pay the fines, do the work, and get blamed for the results.

"Sienna, I'm really swamped at work. I can't make it… maybe later―"

Before I could finish, Zach started screaming in the background.

"Do you even have a heart, Valerie? Your nephew is being harassed and you're worried about your stupid job? Are you even human?"

When I was three, my parents divorced. My dad hid me at my aunt's house just to win the custody battle.

My aunt always told me, "Valerie, you have to be good to your father. You're Zach's big sister. You have to protect him if you want the family to love you."

I spent my whole life believing that if I sacrificed enough, they would finally care.

I was wrong.

"Sienna said the principal loves Jace because he's so smart," I said calmly. "Who would dare bully him?"

My father grabbed the phone. "If you still consider me your father, get your ass home right now! We're having a family meeting!"

They were desperate to get me back. It must be something they couldn't handle.

I finished my workday, had a nice dinner, and then drove back slowly.

The second I opened the door, a glass cup shattered near my feet.

"You ungrateful brat!" my father roared. "You don't care about this family at all!"

I walked in calmly. "Dad, I was working so I can afford a big gift for Jace's graduation. I'm doing this for us."

Cora's eyes lit up at the mention of money. She started "soothing" my dad.

"She was working, dear. It's late, let her sit down."

"Hmph! Her nephew is being targeted by his teacher and she doesn't even care," Dad grumbled.

I acted shocked. "Targeted by a teacher? Why?"

Sienna jumped in. "That woman is out to get him! She claims Jace is smoking and dipping tobacco. He's just a little boy! How is that possible?"

"She just wants a bribe. Now she's threatening to suspend him!"

Jace was sitting on the sofa playing video games, acting like we weren't even there.

Sienna continued, "Last week, Jace took an entrance exam for a city school. The principal said he was number one! But this teacher gave him a failing grade on his monthly test just because we didn't pay her off!"

It was hilarious. If Sienna ever attended a single parent-teacher conference, she'd know Jace was a pathological liar.

"Jace, I heard you won first place in that Math competition," I said. "Do you have the trophy or the certificate?"

Jace stiffened. He wouldn't look me in the eye.

Sienna, however, got fired up. "He's so talented! The principal put his certificate in the school's main display case for everyone to see! Jace, show your aunt the picture."