My mom placed her hand on the will and stared me straight in the eye: «You’re not getting a single cent!» «Alright,» I smiled. «Then don’t expect a dime from me.» I slowly put down my knife and fork, then stood up. That’s when the nightmare began….

My father, the man who never once opposed any of my mother’s decisions, even when she treated me unfairly. Parker, the one who had burned through an endless amount of my money, on courses he never completed. Olivia, the one who had never worked a serious job a single day in her life, yet had enough designer clothes to fill three rooms.

I laughed but not out of amusement, my voice dripped with bitterness. And what about the money I spent on all of you? Does no one think that deserves any recognition? My mother crossed her arms, her gaze sharp as a razor. Sophia, all you ever talk about is money.

No amount is ever enough for you, is it? I felt my throat go dry. Never enough? I repeated, almost whispering. I’ve been paying the mortgage on this house for the past six years.

I was the only one who stepped up to take on the loan when you were on the verge of bankruptcy. I also paid for the renovations on the Tahoe Villa because you said you wanted to keep it as a family asset. And now, I’m not even considered part of this family.

Olivia shrugged, raising an eyebrow with mock indifference. No one forced you, Sophia? You just like playing the hero. That sentence felt like a slap to my face.

You’re right, no one forced me. I met her green eyes, searching for even a trace of remorse, but finding only ridicule. I did it, because I thought family was supposed to support each other.

But I was wrong. I was the only one making sacrifices, while the rest of you only knew how to take. Parker scoffed.

You’re acting just like a child who lost their favorite toy. I felt the rage building in my chest. A toy? I enunciated each word, feeling the heat rise to my face.

I’ve spent nearly half a million dollars helping this family over the past decade. I put my dreams on hold, passed up chances to travel, to buy a bigger home, to invest in my own future. All so that you wouldn’t have to struggle.

And now, you call me greedy, just because I ask for a little fairness? My mother shook her head, sighing as if I were some pitiful fool who couldn’t understand reason. Family is about love, Sophia, not money. I let out a hollow laugh.

Love? I looked around the room. The house I had poured so much time and money into maintaining. If that were true, then why does love only seem to matter when it comes from me? Why am I always the one making sacrifices? No one answered.

No one ever answered that question. A cold silence filled the room, I could see it in their eyes. They felt no guilt.

They didn’t think they had exploited me, they were just annoyed that I dared to demand fairness. A sharp pain clenched in my chest. Why had I ever thought they would change? I took a deep breath and stood up.

The chair scraped against the hardwood floor, the screeching sound cutting through the tense air. I’ve heard enough, I said coldly. I’m done.

My mother blinked. What, did you just say? I met her gaze, my words slow and deliberate. I’m done.

I have no more obligations to any of you. Parker laughed, but there was something uneasy in his tone. What? You’re going to cut off the family just like that? I stared at him, unblinking.

Yes. And you’ll soon understand exactly what that means. I turned on my heel, not waiting for their reaction.

My mother’s voice rang out behind me, sharp and frantic. Sophia, what the hell are you doing? Family is supposed to stick together. You can’t just cut us off over a little disagreement.

I paused, a smirk curling on my lips. But this time, it was ice cold. A little disagreement? I repeated, then turned back, my eyes like steel.

This isn’t a little disagreement. This is betrayal. I walked swiftly toward the door, but before I crossed the threshold my mother’s voice rang out one last time, filled with anger and warning.

If you walk out that door, don’t ever think about coming back. I didn’t stop. I didn’t need to go back, I had all the answers I needed.

Driving back to San Francisco, I felt my chest tighten, as if a boulder was pressing down on me. My mind spun with the bitter words from dinner, the disdainful looks from Olivia, Parker’s smug smirk, and the suffocating silence of my parents. The buildings blurred past my car window, the streetlights stretching endlessly along the boulevard like hollow streaks of light…