“So young and already lying!”
Blood poured down my face, but I didn’t dare make a sound.
Jacob gloated nearby, shouting:
“Mom! She looks so ugly like that!”
Mom’s fury ignited further. She dragged me into the living room.
“Now you’re not just greedy and lazy—you’ve learned to lie too!”
“What’s next? Selling yourself on the streets?”
“I’ve never seen anyone so shameless! Tell me! How much more do you have? Hand it all over!”
“If I find you hiding even one more dollar, I’ll break your legs!”
I clenched my teeth and whispered:
“There’s no more.”
“No more?”
She sneered, grabbed a broom, and struck me across the head and shoulders.
“You dare lie to me?”
Jacob, still eating cake, shouted with glee:
“Mom, hit her hands! That’s what they do on TV—she’ll confess then!”
My hands were beaten bloody. I lay on the floor, hardly daring to breathe.
Just then, the door opened.
Dad staggered in, reeking of alcohol.
Since I was in his way, he glared with disgust and kicked me aside.
“What now? Crying all day again? You’re nothing but a jinx!”
Mom immediately pointed at me to complain:
“She stole the chocolate you brought back for Jacob and lied about hiding money! She’s no better than a stray dog burying bones!”