My Mom Called It Fairness. I Called It Betrayal.

Chapter 2

I hightailed it out of there that very day and headed straight out of town for a week-long work trip.

A dull, nameless ache gnawed at my chest, so I threw myself into work again, filling every waking moment with deadlines and meetings.

But the texts kept pouring in, one after another.

Ryan: Lauren, don't be mad, okay? Mom didn't mean to get you a ring that didn't fit.

Ryan: I don't even want you to buy me a new house anymore. Mom and I have been miserable these past few days. We can't eat, can't sleep.

Ryan: Lauren, you haven't come home in years. Mom never says it out loud, but she misses you like crazy. She's getting old now, and her health isn't great. All she wants is for the whole family to spend more time together.

My resolve finally crumbled.

Once I wrapped up my work, I planned to stop by my apartment, pack a few things, and head back to my hometown for a couple of days.

I'd just reached my front door and sent my leave request to HR when I heard voices coming from inside.

Ryan and Patricia.

"Mom, Lauren has made a ton of money these past few years. Look at this huge luxury apartment. The decor is so fancy. This place must've cost a fortune, right? Just be sweet to her and play the family card. She's been out here all alone for so long. She must be dying for a little family warmth. Once we fool her completely, her house, her car, all her money, they'll all be mine!"

Patricia let out a low, mocking laugh. "Don't worry, son. Mom will play the part perfectly. I've been keeping up this whole 'boys and girls are equal' act for years. Keeping it up for a few more days will be a piece of cake! That little slut must've slept her way into some rich guy's bed to have this much money now!"

Ryan's footsteps came closer and closer, heading straight for the door. "When Lauren sees that we came all this way to apologize, she's gonna be so moved. This place is so nice. I should take a picture as soon as I walk in to..."

The door swung open.

Ryan froze when he saw me, his eyes going wide with shock.

"Lauren... w-when did you get back? Mom and I... I mean, Mom and I came here to give you a surp..."

I pulled my arm back and slapped him hard across the face. The sharp c***k cut off his unfinished sentence.

"Breaking and entering is a crime."

Patricia came rushing over and yanked Ryan behind her, shielding him with her body.

"Have you lost your mind? How dare you hit your own brother! We're not strangers. We're your family, your only blood relatives in this world! Without us, you'd be nothing but a worthless orphan!"

I didn't bother arguing with her. I simply pulled out my phone and called the building manager.

"Call the police. There are two trespassers in my apartment."

Seeing that I wasn't backing down, Patricia grabbed Ryan and ran.

The building manager showed up soon after, huffing and puffing as he apologized, "Ms. Lawson, that woman said she was your mother, and she even showed me the family record to prove it. I couldn't get ahold of you, so I let them in. I'm so sorry."

I nodded. "It's fine."

I sank onto the couch without turning on the lights, curled into a tight ball, and trembled so badly I could barely breathe.

So they'd known where I lived all along. They'd just never bothered to visit me until now.

I'd known for years that Patricia didn't love me, but how could someone who'd never received even a scrap of family warmth not ache for it deep down?

My phone buzzed nonstop. Every notification was from Ryan or Patricia.

Their messages started with half-hearted apologies and eventually devolved into furious, venomous rants.

Ryan: Lauren, everything we said earlier was just a joke. I'll apologize for Mom and me, okay?

Ryan: We're still on the same family record, so Mom and I have just as much right to your house as you do! And you actually wanted to call the cops on us?

Ryan: Lauren, don't push your luck! We don't even want the dirty money you made, you cheap w***e!

Ryan: Next time your future husband beats the hell out of you, don't come crawling back to your family begging me to stand up for you, you useless orphan. Disgusting!

I stared at the wall of venomous texts on my screen, my stomach churning so violently I thought I was going to throw up.

In that single moment, every last scrap of hope I'd held onto for this so-called family shattered.

I went straight to the government services office. The clerk removed me from the family record across the counter. And I made sure the apartment owner is me, Lauren Lawson.

I thought that would finally sever every tie between me and those two.

But I never expected that just a few days later, at a business networking event, a portly, greasy-faced middle-aged man would point at me and sneer.

"Ms. Lawson, you really shouldn't be such an ungrateful daughter to your family. Otherwise, those embarrassing photos of you might end up getting leaked by your own relatives, you know? How come you're not wearing that little skirt from the photos? You've got a great body, after all."