My Sister Controlled My Life with Pocket Change Chapter 06
Back in the family home, Mom was half-heartedly sorting through the things I’d left behind in my room.
It was only then that she realized how little I had owned. Everything didn’t even fill a single cardboard box.
“Mom, what are you spacing out for?”
Rhea walked over and glanced at the box.
“Just throw Zelda’s stuff out. I haven’t finished sorting all my clothes yet. Hurry up, will you? The renovation crew’s going to be here soon.”
Mom didn’t say anything else and went over to help Rhea organize her clothes instead.
By the time the renovation crew showed up, the small room had been completely cleared out.
The wall connecting it to Rhea’s room was covered from top to bottom in densely written physics formulas.
One of the workers asked, surprised. “Your kid must study really hard. She’s got great grades, right?”
“Great grades? She just likes to show off.”
Dad frowned, his voice dripping with disdain.
“Who knows where she copied all that from? She scribbled all over a
—
perfectly good wall. Just knock it down already!”
The moment the hammer struck the wall, Rhea couldn’t hide her excitement at all.
The walk-in closet renovation was quick. It was finished in just a few days.
Rhea hummed happily to herself as she hung her clothes inside, one piece at a time.
That evening, Mom cooked a huge feast, and Dad even cracked open a bottle of wine, which he rarely did.
But then Mom suddenly spoke up. “Zelda’s been gone for so many days. I wonder where she went.”
Dad scowled. “Who cares where she went? She’s always been like this, off on her own!”
Rhea nodded in full agreement. “It’s better with her gone. Finally, some quiet around here.”
Mom let the subject drop, but there was a faint, unexplainable sense of relief on her face as well.
They all believed that with me gone, their lives would become so much easier.
And at first, they were right.
Rhea no longer had to bother collecting coupons. Mom didn’t have to
—
make extra dinner rolls anymore.
There was one fewer person in the house constantly asking whether this or that would cost money.
Rhea went on a full-blown shopping rampage, buying things not just for herself, but for Buddy too.
She said she needed to fill up the new walk-in closet, and she even ordered a brand-new vanity table.
Mom didn’t say anything, but she still sent Rhea a huge chunk of money.
But the happiness didn’t last long.
When I had lived there, I handled almost all the housework.
Now that I was gone, those chores naturally fell on Mom.
Every morning, she got up, cleaned the house, did the laundry, and cooked the meals.
After every meal, she had to wash the dishes.
Her entire day revolved around taking care of the household.
She gradually started to lose her patience.
One morning, Rhea called out from her room.
“Mom, where’s my jacket?”
—
Mom shouted back while chopping vegetables.
“Find it yourself!”
Rhea frowned, went back inside, and rummaged around for ages before slamming the door in frustration.
“Everything’s just thrown everywhere. When Zelda was here, she always put things away neatly.”
The knife in Mom’s hand paused mid-chop.
It suddenly struck her that I had been doing so many invisible things around the house all along.
After the rooms were combined, Rhea was initially thrilled with the new space.
But within a few days, she started complaining about everything.
“This place still stinks like Zelda. Can we gut it and start over? I can’t even wear my clothes without them smelling like her.”
She curled her lip with dissatisfaction and continued.
“And this closet is way too small. I can’t even fit all the new stuff I bought. Mom, buy me a new one.”
Mom felt her head starting to pound.
“We just knocked down the wall a few days ago. Why does it need to be renovated again?”
—
Rhea immediately got upset.
“From the day Zelda was born, I haven’t had a single comfortable day. Now that she’s finally gone, all I’m asking for is to redo my room. Is that really too much to ask?”
She got more and more worked up as she spoke.
Dad tried to soothe her.
“Let’s just tidy things up for now. We can look into renovating again later.”
Rhea refused to back down.
“Everything has to wait with you people! Do you just not want to spend money on me?”
The moment those words left her mouth, Mom’s expression completely changed.
“Where exactly do you think the money for all this would come from?”
Rhea exploded.
“So that’s it, isn’t it? You don’t think I’m worth it! You kept saying I was the only daughter, but it was all a lie!”
Mom’s temper finally snapped.
“From the day you were born, have we ever not given you enough? Why can’t you just be a little more content, like Zelda?”