Five years after I severed ties with my family, I finally earned enough money to buy an apartment by moving bodies. While waiting for my paycheck, I ran straight into my brother, Brandon. He was there to pick out a burial plot for Tiffany, the adopted daughter’s dog. He gave an awkward laugh: “Five years, huh? How have you been since you left home?” I glanced at the black card in his hand. “Doing okay. Not as well as Tiffany’s dog, of course.” He was spending $100,000 on a grave for Tiffany’s dog, while my apartment would only cost $300,000. Brandon’s voice was strained and stiff: “You clearly can’t handle a tough life. If you just apologize to Tiffany, I’ll let you come home.” I shook my head, carefully tucking my money into my pocket. Go home? I scoffed. My real estate agent just sent me a message. I’d have my own home very soon. 0 I left the funeral home. On my way to meet Maya, my agent, I grabbed a small cake. I hadn’t walked far from the bakery when I suddenly felt a hand clamp around my wrist from behind. I jumped in surprise. The cake slipped from my grasp, falling to the ground and shattering. When I turned back in anger, I was caught off guard by my brother’s dark eyes. I froze. His voice was cold and hard: “Don’t you have anything to explain to me?” Annoyance surged. I pulled my hand free. “Explain what?” He pursed his lips, looking me up and down. “You’re my sister. How can you work at a funeral home? You might not find it unsettling, but I find it humiliating!” I squatted down to pick up the cake. “I earn my money through honest work. There’s nothing humiliating or unsettling about that!” He grabbed my wrist again, forcefully pulling me to my feet. “Aurora, do you really have to talk to me with that attitude? You’re the one who decided to leave five years ago. Haven’t you gotten over it yet?” My patience was worn thin. I yanked my hand away. “You’re the one who can’t get over it, Brandon! We have nothing to do with each other anymore, can you just leave me alone?” His face completely darkened. “Mom is sick, and she’s been missing you terribly. How can you be so heartless? Don’t you feel any guilt towards her?” Always me being heartless. Five years ago, Tiffany commanded her dog to attack and kill my cat. All I did was hit that dog once. And Brandon slapped me across the face. Even then, he’d said: “It’s just a dog, it doesn’t know any better. How can you be so cruel?” I cried hysterically, my face buried in my hands, pleading with Mom for help. But she doused my hopes with a bucket of cold water. “That cat of yours was just a stray you brought from the country, and it scratched up all the sofas.” “If a cat like that dies, it dies. What’s there to cry about?” Those two sentences were the last straw. I completely lost hope in them and proposed severing all ties. Brandon’s face was grim as he asked: “Over such a trivial matter? Are you serious?” Trivial? My eyes were red, tears falling silently. The cat was just the spark. It was the final straw that broke me. From the moment I returned to that family, Tiffany had always made things difficult for me. And my own mother, my own brother? Not once did they stand by me. Tiffany claimed I stole her money. They’d search me, search my room. Even when they found nothing. They wouldn’t make her apologize. Because I’d lived in the country for twenty years, my hands were always chapped with frostbite, and my face easily flushed red. So she took photos of me and posted them in our shared SnapChat group, leading everyone in mocking me. At twenty, I was still very self-conscious. I hid my chapped, red hands behind my back. And kicked her in the chest. That was the only time I ever laid a hand on Tiffany. The result? That very night, Mom made me kneel in the snow. And write “I’m sorry” a hundred times. My feelings for them had been burning down since I first rejoined that family. Three years, and they were finally consumed. Lucky’s death solidified my decision to leave. I resolutely dropped out of that prestigious school and entered the workforce. As I left, Brandon’s face was ashen as he threatened: “Think this through. Without this family, you’re nothing.” “One word from me, and you won’t even find a job!” I said nothing. I only took the two outfits I’d brought from the country. After that, began my long journey of job searching. At Brandon’s instruction, I did indeed hit rock bottom everywhere. No matter the job, I’d be fired within two months, for various reasons. But it only took a year. I found my own way out. Moving bodies at a funeral home, $500 per corpse. Though there were many rules, I excelled at it. In four years, after expenses, I’d saved $150,000. I was very satisfied. Brandon in front of me now had the same angry expression as when I’d left home five years ago. Looking at his face, a wave of disgust rose from the depths of my heart. “The heartless one is someone else. From now on, let’s pretend we don’t know each other.” Saying this, I bent down again to pick up the cake, then turned to leave. His cold voice drifted into my ears: “No matter what, you can’t continue that job.” “Tiffany is already a member of the New York Animal Protection Society.” “And then there’s you. A disgrace!” 0
I ignored him. I threw the ruined cake into a trash can. Then I bought two milk teas. I was delayed a bit on the way. Maya smiled when she saw me. “Aurora, here’s the contract. Take a look.” I handed her a milk tea, a little embarrassed. “I’ve delayed you. I bought you a cake, but a dog ruined it on the way.” Her smile didn’t fade; she was very gracious. “It’s okay. Good news will definitely come your way from now on!” My heart warmed, and I picked up the contract, reading it clause by clause. Truth be told, I didn’t understand most of it. But I felt that for something so important, I needed to read it longer. The family couldn’t give me a sense of security. Instead, they made me feel like an outsider. After severing ties, I desperately wanted my own home. It had become an obsession. Maya waited patiently for me to finish reading before handing me a pen. “If there are no problems, you can sign.” I nodded, just about to take the pen, when her phone rang. She said it was a company call, smiling as she answered. The next second, she froze. “Fired? What… what did I do wrong?” A bad premonition surged in my heart. My heart instantly leaped to my throat. Sure enough. After Maya hung up, her eyes slowly welled up with tears as she looked at me. “You have such a powerful brother. He can make me lose my job with just a few words. Why are you still looking at apartments?” My pupils constricted. I quickly explained: “I cut ties with my family a long time ago!” “That person must have been Brandon. He and I—” “I think you’re just messing with me!” She shot up, enraged, snatching the contract from my hand. She grabbed the milk tea, intending to throw it at me. But in the end, she only threw it beside me, her eyes red. The milk tea cup exploded at my feet. I wanted to explain again. As I opened my mouth, she had already stormed out. I stood there stunned for a long time. Then I took out my phone and called Brandon. The call connected quickly. I couldn’t control myself and shouted: “What do you want?! Messing with me is one thing, but the agent is innocent!” “Sister…” Tiffany’s voice came through the receiver. “Brother is busy handling Lucky’s funeral. You can tell me if you have anything to say.” 0
Tiffany and I naturally had nothing to say to each other. I was about to hang up the phone. She suddenly said: “Sister, I actually forgave you a long time ago.” “Brother and Mom miss you very much. Just come home.” As her words fell, Brandon’s voice came through the receiver: “Whose call is it?” “It’s Aurora. I’m trying to persuade her to come home.” “What a show.” I coldly cursed, then hung up the phone decisively. Thinking that no matter what, I should still try, I went to the real estate company. Maya had already left. I found their boss and explained my relationship with Brandon in detail. I pleaded with him not to fire Maya, explaining it was all because of me. The boss looked troubled. “Your brother paid a very high compensation package.” “Actually, Maya leaving doesn’t affect her ability to find another job.” “Getting such high compensation is a good thing.” His implication was that Maya had to be fired. I felt like I’d fallen into an ice cellar, my blood chilling. I once again realized that confronting Brandon would only lead to my defeat. After a long pause, I pursed my lips and asked: “Can I still buy that apartment?” “That one has already been bought by your brother , along with several similar ones nearby. He reserved them all.” The boss pulled out two brochures and handed them to me. “You can take a look at these developments.” “The price is similar to the previous one, it’s just a bit farther out…” “I’ll take this one.” I casually pointed at one on the brochure. Then I took out the $10,000 paycheck I’d just received and handed it over. The boss looked at me strangely as he pulled out a money counting machine. After verifying that the money was all there and legitimate, he handed me the contract. This time, I didn’t read much, just flipped to the last page and signed. The boss hesitated. “The deposit for this one is $20,000. Did you see that clearly?” “Yes, give me some time.” The boss sighed: “I really don’t understand what you and your brother are thinking. You’re family, why make such a scene…” I didn’t want to listen. I picked up my bag and left, calling the funeral home owner. “I’m coming in to work today.” He was surprised. “Didn’t you say you were taking two days off?” “Not anymore. I won’t be taking any days off for the next two months.” “Alright then, just come in as usual.” After hanging up, I contacted Maya. She didn’t answer my calls, so I had to apologize to her via text. I don’t know how many times I said “I’m sorry.” Finally, she replied with one sentence: 【Forget it, let’s just pretend we never met.】 When I tried to send another message, it was a red exclamation mark. I held my phone, stunned for a long time. I didn’t go to work until the afternoon. There weren’t many people at the funeral home. I walked in and saw Tiffany and Mom. They were hugging an urn and crying sorrowfully. It must have been Lucky, already cremated. I subtly averted my gaze and walked towards the working area. The boss had told me earlier in the afternoon that I only needed to move one body today. I accurately found the deceased’s family. Under their guidance, my colleague and I lifted the body together. However, just as we were about to place it in the coffin, Brandon’s voice suddenly rang out behind me: “Aurora! Why are you still working here!” Before I could react, my arm was forcefully yanked. My grip loosened, and the body fell with a thud. It hit the ground.
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