My father snorted, and spat, "So what if she's back? She's nothing but a lowly thing. She'll never compare to you."
My mother, full of concern, asked, "Rianne, why would you say that? Did that dirty thing bully you? Don't worry. She won't be around anymore."
Rianne didn’t deny it; instead, she smiled ambiguously. "Thank you, Mom."
My brother, Julian, laughed and said to Rianne, "Lil sis, your birthdays should be even grander from now on. After all, that idiot is out there working her fingers to the bone to make money for us."
"I heard from a friend that she's doing all kinds of filthy, degrading work just to scrape cash. Even cleaning toilets."
My mother waved her hand dismissively, her face filled with disgust. "Enough. Just thinking about that dirty thing makes me sick."
I stood at the restroom door, tears streaming down my face as I listened.
So this was how my biological family saw me.
I remembered how indifferent my mother was to me when I first came back, keeping her distance.
Once, during dinner, I finished all the food in my bowl.
Her expression changed immediately, and she looked at me with disdain.