My Mother-in-law's Assistance

"Get out! It's because of you that your father divorced me! If I had known, I wouldn't have bothered giving birth to you!"

With a furious shout, a glass flew at me.

I quickly ducked, the cup shattering into a million pieces on the floor.

Fragments sliced across my ankle, leaving a trail of blood.

I didn't bother to respond; I'd grown used to her screams and rage.

After picking up the shards of glass, I stood up, locked the door behind me, and headed out to the office.

My mother, Miranda Sinclair, had spiraled into bipolar disorder ever since her divorce from my father. Sometimes, she'd ignore me completely, while other times, her glare pierced through me like daggers, filled with a hatred that felt like it could scorch.

The doctor had suggested I send her to a psychiatric ward for treatment, but I knew that place was no sanctuary.

Out of respect for our mother-daughter bond, I brought her back to the house we once shared.

Yet now, as I looked around at the chaos and at my mother's twisted expression, doubt began creeping into my mind. Was it really right to keep her here?

As I approached the company entrance, I spotted my father, Greyson Parry, someone I hadn't seen in quite a while.

An overwhelming surge of anger bubbled up inside me at the mere sight of him. My feelings toward my father had long been tainted with disgust and loathing.

I remembered the day I was ecstatic to show him the award I received from school, only to find him strutting in with his mistress, ready to announce his divorce from Miranda.

At the peak of his career, he had exuded confidence, flaunting his designer watch, a stark contrast to my mother's worn-out clothes and our dilapidated home.

Miranda had screamed at him, calling him worthless, but her words fell on deaf ears.

After the divorce, he cut ties with Miranda but attempted to keep in touch with me in secret.

He even tried to lay claim to my gift money for marriage, expecting me to fork over money so he could live comfortably with his new partner.

No way, not a chance! I had to pay 20 thousand dollars just to sever our ties completely.

How ridiculous was it that twenty-plus years of father-daughter relationship boiled down to a mere 20 thousand dollars?

"What do you want? Didn't I make it clear? We have no relationship anymore," I snapped.

"We're still family. I'm your dad. There shouldn't be any distance between us," Greyson said, a disingenuous smile spreading across his face.

I shot him a cold stare, recognizing the desperation in his eyes. He was clearly short on cash again.

"Oh really? Funny, I don't remember you being so keen on family when I begged you for tuition money or to help Mom with her medical bills," I retorted.

"That was in the past, but look here. I brought you some mangoes! You can't stay mad over something so little, right?"

Greyson was attempting to apologize, but the undercurrent of resentment in his tone was unmistakable.

I had been allergic to mangoes since childhood; if I consumed even a tiny bit, it could send me into shock. Greyson was my father, yet he didn't even know that about me.

"What do you want?" I asked sharply.

"Honestly, I'm in a bit of a financial bind. I heard your husband's family is wealthy. Could you ask him for 50 thousand dollars to tide me over? I promise I'll pay it back as soon as I can. Think of it as you honoring your old man."

"Not a chance!" I seethed, trying to walk away, only to have Greyson block my path.

With an angry flush, he shouted, "Everyone, come here! I've got a tragedy in my family! My ungrateful daughter refuses to help me with a little living expense. Can you believe this? She's got the heart of a wolf!"

Instantly, a crowd gathered around me, pointing fingers as if I were the most despicable villain in their midst.

I looked at the familiar face of my father, yet it felt foreign and suffocating at this moment.

How could he stand there in public, publicly berating and slandering me, all for the sake of squeezing out the last drop of value from me?