Mom, I Don't Want to Be Your Daughter Anymore

Believing her mother’s promise of a house as a wedding gift, she pushed herself to the limit. To help with her mother's tight finances, she worked tirelessly until she died at her desk. Yet, death was not the end. Returning as a ghost to watch over her family, she is shattered by a devastating truth. Her mother and brother's family are already joyfully settling into a brand-new home—completely financed by the massive payout from her own tragic demise.

Chapters

Chapter 5

After the divorce, Jim kept the house he'd bought before they were married. The rest of the savings went straight to Karen.

In my previous life, I was clueless about this deal.

Life post-divorce was a financial struggle.

Karen handed me just five bucks a day—enough for a plain plate of spaghetti with a side of pickles at the school cafe.

High school was tough, and I was still growing; a single bowl was never enough.

But I knew money was tight, so I kept my complaints to myself.

That was until I saw her dropping off lunch at my brother's school.

A box full of jumbo shrimp and a plate of beef that had been stewed till it fell apart.

Seeing that spread, teenage me almost drooled.

"Mom, what are you doing here? I thought you were at work?"

Karen's face flickered with embarrassment when she saw me.

"Mind your own beeswax, kiddo. Your brother needs his strength. You think cafeteria food's gonna make him tall?"

Karen got more defensive the more she spoke.

Then, patting my brother on the head, she said with a sigh, "I worry about him, you know. Ever since your dad dumped him at that boarding school, it's like he doesn't even care. That son of bitch!"

I glanced at my brother, not even out of middle school and already heavyset, then down at my own scrawny uniform.

No words came out...

I felt like a rat peeking out from the sewer, spying on someone else's happiness.

Mom, am I not your kid too?

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