My mother hid her grin behind her hand. My sister, Vivian, lifted her glass as though she were delivering a toast at my funeral.
“I agree,” she said. “This family has carried you long enough.”
From the head of the table, Mom gave me a smug look. “The only value you have is the money you bring home.”
Silence fell for half a second.
Not because anyone felt guilty.
They were simply waiting for me to fall apart.
I studied my parents’ dining room, shining beneath golden candles and filled with crystal glasses and costly flower arrangements I had purchased. My father’s friends surrounded the table. Vivian’s fiancé sat beside her. Two cousins, an uncle, and the family accountant watched with a mixture of discomfort and fascination.
Fireworks burst above the city outside.
Inside, my father had chosen to disgrace me in front of everyone.
I should have expected it.
For most of my life, I had bee
