My dad sm;as;hed my tooth for refusing to give my salary to my sister. Mom laughed and said, “Parasites like you should learn to obey.” Dad laughed too and added, “Your sister earns happiness. You earn nothing.” Then their faces went pale.

I wiped my mouth, straightened my spine, and forced my trembling legs to hold me upright.

“You’ll regret this,” I said. My voice was quiet, muffled by the rag, but steady.

His eyes narrowed, the vein in his temple pulsing. “You’re already regretting it,” he mocked, tapping his own front tooth.

“You’ve always thought you were smarter than us,” Mom chuckled, shaking her head. “But you’re nothing without family. Remember that.”

Melissa set her phone down, sighing as if this was all a terrible inconvenience to her schedule. “Actually, let’s make this easy. Just give me your banking password. I’ll transfer it myself.”

I stared at her. The audacity was almost surreal. “You’ve lost your mind,” I whispered.

Her face hardened into stone. “No, you’ve lost your place in this family. And it’s about to get worse if you keep talking.”