The room went dead quiet.
Wanda's face pinched with discomfort, her lips moving without a sound coming out.
Jayden glowered at me, but couldn't find a single word to throw back.
Only Theresa came forward, her eyes rimmed red.
"Sister, this is my fault."
"I stole your whole life from you."
"Let me give it back to you, all right?"
Seeing Theresa like this, Wanda broke her silence.
She stepped over and took Theresa's hand, patting it gently.
"How could this be your fault!"
"You were only a child yourself back then!"
Then she sighed and looked at me.
"Never mind. You just got here."
"Come inside first."
I carried my woven sack into the villa.
The place was huge, decorated to the point of extravagance.
The floor was polished bright enough to see myself in, and it only made me look shabbier.
I stared, a little dazed.
Wanda watched me and let out a scornful little laugh.
"Enough. Stop acting like you've never seen the world."
I didn't answer. I set the sack down and walked to the dining table.
An elegant five-tier cake sat on it.
Written across the top:
"Congratulations to Theresa on getting into her dream school."
Following my gaze, Theresa looked over.
She smiled and drifted toward me.
"Sister, you came at just the right time."
"The family happens to be celebrating my acceptance today."
"Come share in the luck!"
Then she cut me a slice.
"Here, Sister, try it."
Then, as if the thought had only just crossed her mind:
"So what are you doing these days, Sister?"
"I hear the girls out in the countryside drop out young to work, or marry off early. What about you?"
I didn't so much as lift an eyelid. I sat at the table and ate the cake.
Grandma bought me a small cake every year for my birthday too.
A cheap one.
But back then it was the thing I looked forward to most.
Whenever I offered her a piece, she wouldn't touch it, no matter what.
She always said she didn't care for cake.
But I saw her at the end, taking a spoon and scraping every last crumb from the box, eating it in tiny bites.
The cake was good.
Better than the ones Grandma bought me.
I glanced at it again.
The bakery's name was printed on the base.
Someday I'd buy one like this for Grandma too.
Seeing that I stayed silent, Theresa spoke up again.
"Do you want more, Sister?"
She coaxed me in that soft, thin voice.
"One slice is plenty. Too much cake is hard on the stomach."
"You mustn't be greedy, Sister."
Jayden gave a cold snort, his face full of distaste.
"Theresa's right."
"Don't be greedy. It just shows how badly raised you are!"
I drew my eyes back, ignored the jab, and only asked, "I'm tired. I want to sleep. Where's my room?"
Only then did Wanda remember there was no room prepared for me.
She spoke with visible reluctance.
"How about you stay in the maid's room for now."
"Give me a couple of days to clear a room out, then you can move in."
Before I could get a word out, Theresa came over and grabbed my hand.
"Sister, take my room!"
Her tone was earnest.
"I took your room from you, so I'll give it up."
Jayden looked at Theresa with clear approval, then glanced at me beside her and snorted.
Wanda's face was all comfort for Theresa and ache on her behalf.
She looked at me the way you'd look at a thief who'd nested in a stolen home, her voice cold and shutting me out.
"Theresa has too many things. It's a lot to move."
"You'd better stay in the maid's room."
Theresa smiled at me, apologetic.
"That's right, sorry, Sister, I forgot."
"I was only thinking of giving you the room, I forgot about all my things..."
This time, I cut Theresa off before she could finish.
"Fine."
"I'll take your room."
"Too many things? No problem."
"I'll move them for you."
With that, I walked straight for the stairs. Seeing Theresa frozen in place, mouth open, I asked, puzzled, "Not coming?"
"Or were you just saying it to sound nice?"
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Theresa's face.
Wanda immediately pulled her behind her.
"You're barely in the door and already snatching your sister's things?"
"Petty and small-minded, just as I thought."
"You see something nice and you want it for yourself!"
"Vain, shallow, not an ounce of manners!"
I curved my lips into a smile.
"I'm your real daughter."
"Wasn't all of this mine to begin with?"
"So what's wrong with taking it back to live in now?"
Theresa froze.
Wanda's finger trembled, pointing at me, unable to say a thing for the longest moment.
I looked at Theresa, out of patience.
"Are you going or not?"
Theresa glanced at Jayden and Wanda, both shaking with anger and both helpless to do anything, and could only lead me to her room, resigned.
I cleared out every one of Theresa's things and set them by the door.
I shut the door, took a bath, and lay down on the bed.
The freshly changed bedding was silk.
Smoother than the coarse, washed-out set at home by a factor I couldn't begin to count.
The mattress was so soft I felt like I'd sink into it.
I let out a sigh.
I thought of Grandma.
"Grandma, what if I go and they don't like me?"
Grandma stroked my head, her smile gentle and warm.
"That's all right too."
"Just think of it as going to see the world."
"Grandma's got no schooling, no learning. I've spent my whole life in this village watching over these few acres. I don't know what it's like out there."
"So you go out and broaden yourself. Look at more, learn more."
"The good and the bad, you take it all in, and that's how you grow up."
Right. I was just here to see the world.
And to go back and tell Grandma all about it.
