My parents' voices carried their usual indulgent warmth.
"Oh, sweetheart, you've always been so thoughtful. It was just a transfer. No trouble at all."
"That's right. You're the apple of our eye. Nothing we do for you is ever too much."
I yanked the door open. The three of them stood there, a picture of domestic bliss, and something inside me cracked. Fury. Disappointment. A bitterness so deep it burned.
"Mom. Dad. That ten million was my compensation. You transferred it without even asking me? Give it back."
The smiles on my parents' faces hardened. They looked at me the way they always did when I inconvenienced them.
"We're family. There's no 'yours' and 'mine.' If we don't use this money to pay off Ethel's debts, you think the loan sharks will just leave her alone? Why can't you stand to see your sister catch a break?"
Anger flared white-hot in my chest. "I can't stand to see her catch a break? Every dollar I've earned for years went to this family or to covering her gambling debts. But she keeps doubling down, every single time. I'm done."