My Mother Sold My Life for a House

Chapter 4

I took the diagnosis report out of my bag and placed it in front of my mother.

I'd thought that seeing the printed diagnosis report would convince my mother I wasn't lying, but she didn't even look at it before ripping it straight to shreds.

My mother snapped, "Elowen, aren't you done yet?"

She held her stomach with one hand while still managing to jab a finger at my nose. "I could let it go once or twice, but now you've actually cooked up a fake report to deceive me. Are you really that desperate for me to die?"

My mother's face flushed, and she looked at me as if I were some hateful stranger.

Lyle's eyes darted around, and he suddenly softened his tone as he walked over to persuade me. "That's enough, Elowen. Stop making Mom angry. Hurry up and go buy medicine for Mom. When you get back, there's something important we need to tell you."

I shot back, puzzled. "What else is there?"

My mother and Lyle exchanged a glance. In the end, my mother slumped back on the sofa and spoke lazily. "It's not really a big deal. Lyle is twenty now, but he hasn't found a suitable job. Your job paid fairly well, so let him have it."

I felt as if I'd heard the most ridiculous joke.

Not to mention that the minimum education requirement at our company is a bachelor's degree; Lyle didn't even graduate from middle school. He wouldn't even qualify to be a security guard. New hires have to go through proper channels. It's not something you can just hand over.

Only now did I realize that Lyle tricked me into coming back not just to make me pay their bill. He had his eyes on my job.

Seeing that I didn't say anything, my mother's face darkened again. "What, you're not willing?"

I paused before continuing. "It's not about whether I'm willing or not. Even if I were willing to give my job to Lyle, our company wouldn't hire him."

Lyle flared up and shouted, jutting his neck out. "Stop talking nonsense. Why wouldn't they want me?"

I let out a cold laugh. "Why? You didn't even graduate from middle school. You can't even tell the difference between documents and spreadsheets. If you went to the company, you wouldn't be able to do anything. Why would they want you?"

My mother, who had just come out of the bathroom, got worked up again upon hearing me say this. "Elowen, how dare you say that! If you hadn't spent your whole life only caring about your own studies, never even bothering to come home and teach Lyle, he would have gotten into college!"

When Lyle was little, my mother had indeed made me help him with his homework. But he wasn't interested. He was always throwing tantrums and smashing things, then lying to make me look bad in front of my mother.

In the end, my mother scolded me and, feeling sorry for her precious son, told me not to teach him anymore.

In the end, my mother blamed Lyle's poor education on me.

I refused to back down. Furious, my mother pointed at me and cursed me out. "You damn ingrate! If you won't hand your job over to Lyle, then get out of this house and never come back!"

I tried to protest, but Lyle shoved me out the door. "Get out, get out! Mom doesn't have a daughter like you."

The cold wind blew against my tear-stained face, stinging. But the pain in my heart was far worse than any physical pain.

It wasn't until three days later that I got another call from Lyle.

This time, his voice was choked with tears, so anxious he could barely get a word out. "Elowen... get to the hospital, quick... Mom, she... she... She's not going to make it!"