After finishing her milk, my daughter started crying, wanting to be held.
"Be good and go find mommy. Daddy still has to cook."
But she wouldn't let go, clinging to my leg and crying. She and Clara weren't close … Clara barely spent time with her.
My mom frowned, clearly annoyed.
"Clara isn't feeling well. Don't let her get tired, just carry the baby yourself!"
Really? I saw Clara holding Victor's son, playing with him using a new toy she just bought. She hadn't looked sick at all.
If she could just give my daughter half the attention, my daughter wouldn't be so distant from her.
With no other choice, I strapped her to my back and started cooking.
My lower back has been aching a lot lately. Ever since the surgery, I've felt even more drained.
And now, emotionally, I feel even worse. No one in this family truly understands, protects, or cares for me.
As I was washing vegetables, I fought back tears.
Was this really how my life was going to be?
I'm only 28 … Am I supposed to endure this for another 50 or 60 years?
It just felt so unfair.
While I was still busy, my daughter suddenly started crying again. She's just a little over a year old, of course she didn't want to be strapped to my back.
With no other choice, I carried her into the room, hoping to calm her down and help her get to sleep.
She slowly settled down in my arms.
At that moment, I remembered my own childhood. Only my dad ever tried to comfort me. My mom was always off at my uncle's house, visiting Victor.
Victor was really good-looking; he looked like a little prince. Arthur, on the other hand, was always messy and untidy.
Why was I messy? It's because I never got any nice new clothes to wear.
Victor and I are the same age, but whenever my mom buys new clothes, she always gives them to Victor first. Only after he'd worn them out or lost interest did she pass them on to me.
So, my clothes never fit properly and by the time I got them, I had already grown a bit taller.
But my mom just criticized me for looking ugly and not having any charm.
Even though my grades were better than Victor's, I never get any praise from her.
She said boys should be judged by how much money they make, good grades didn't really matter.
Later, when I started dating, I brought Jeane home and the first thing my mom did was call Victor over to see.
I knew Victor had tried to ask Jeane out a few times, but she never agreed.
I told my mom about it, but she just said I was being petty.
"Victor likes Jeane, just let him be with her," she said.
I couldn't believe what she said. For the first time, I didn't listen to her and insisted on marrying Jeane.
But on the wedding day, my mom still got her way.
She suddenly demanded a bigger dowry. Jeane could afford it since her family was wealthy, but she could tell my mom was greedy. Not wanting to be taken advantage of, she angrily walked away.
I begged her to stay, but it didn't work.
The invitations were already sent and the banquet was set. Then Victor stepped in, refused the dowry and even offered a higher bride price. Just like that, he took Jeane away.
In the end, it was all part of my mom's plan.
My mom's phone was charging when a message suddenly came in from my uncle.
"Sis, Victor is coming over to be with you. Thanks for taking care of him."
I felt a little tearful, that was what a parent's love for their child really looked like.
But every time I visit my aunt's house, my mom always tells me, "Keep your eyes open, don't just sit around. Take good care of them and don't embarrass me."
I remembered my mom's social media posts, she only ever posted about Victor.
"Victor is already 18 and has been accepted to college! I’m very proud of him. He will get a MacBook as a reward!"
