Chapter 1: The Gift Nobody Expected Me to Refuse
The black SUV stood in the driveway, polished until the afternoon sunlight reflected off its windows. A giant red bow stretched across its hood. Beside it, golden balloons floated above a birthday table covered with pink flowers, champagne glasses, and a three-tier cake.
My father held out a set of keys.
I knocked his hand away.
"Con không nhận.""
I don't accept it.
The keys swung between his fingers as his wrist dropped sideways. For a moment, nobody moved.
My mother, Linda, stepped forward in her cream-colored dress. She looked at my father's hand, then at me, as though I'd just slapped him.
"Maya, what's wrong with you?""
I was wearing the pink dress my mother had chosen for me, with a white cardigan draped over my shoulders. My younger sister, Chloe, stood slightly behind our father in an ivory outfit, holding a white envelope against her stomach.
I pointed toward the SUV.
"That's my birthday present?""
My father, Richard, smiled impatiently.
"Of course. You like it, don't you? It's exactly the model you wanted.""
I looked at Chloe.
"And what did she get?""
My father immediately raised the keys toward the vehicle again.
"It's your birthday, Maya. Don't start a fight.""
"She's your daughter too.""
The words landed harder than I expected.
Chloe lowered her eyes.
My mother stepped closer and grabbed my right forearm.
"Don't ruin this.""
She pulled me one step toward the SUV. My shoulder twisted, and my foot stumbled against the edge of the driveway.
I looked down at her hand.
Then I pulled my arm firmly against my chest.
Her fingers slipped away.
"Don't touch me.""
"Maya!"" my mother snapped.
I moved closer to Chloe, leaving the SUV behind me.
"Favoritism isn't a surprise.""
My voice was quieter now. I wasn't shouting. Somehow, that made my parents look even more uncomfortable.
I looked directly at my father.
"Treat both your daughters fairly, or keep the car.""
His smile disappeared.
"Maya, you're being ridiculous.""
"Am I?""
"You have no idea how much this costs.""
"And you have no idea how much it hurts.""
My mother folded her arms.
"Your sister doesn't need a scene today.""
I turned toward her.
"Neither do I. But apparently, I'm the only one expected to pretend everything is fine.""
Chloe shifted behind my father.
For years, I'd watched that same scene unfold in different forms.
Chloe received a new laptop because she needed it for school.
I received a secondhand one because I was older and supposedly more responsible.
Chloe got a bedroom renovation.
I got told to be grateful for the room I'd already had.
Chloe's college tuition was discussed around the dinner table as a family priority.
When I asked about help with my own student loans, my father told me that adulthood meant standing on my own feet.
I had learned to swallow disappointment with a smile.
But this SUV was different.
Not because I wanted one.
Because I knew exactly what it represented.
My father had spent the entire week telling relatives how generous he was. My mother had posted photographs of the red bow before I had even arrived. The family group chat was full of congratulations.
Nobody had asked whether Chloe would receive anything.
Nobody had even considered it.
My father took half a step toward me.
"Maya, wait.""
I turned around.
"Remember both your daughters next birthday.""
Then I walked toward the garden gate.
Behind me, I heard my mother whisper something to my father.
I didn't stop.
I had barely reached the gate when Chloe's voice cut through the silence.
"Maya?""
I turned.
She was still standing beside the SUV, the white envelope in her hands. She had held it throughout the entire confrontation, almost as if she'd been afraid to let it go.
She opened it.
A folded document slid halfway out.
Chloe glanced down.
Her eyes widened.
Then she looked at me.
"Maya, you need to see this.""
My father froze.
My mother stopped moving.
Chloe slowly raised the paper, but its printed side remained turned toward her. From where I stood, I could see only the blank back.
"What is it?"" I asked.
Chloe didn't answer.
She looked at the paper again, then at our parents.
Her lips parted.
For the first time that afternoon, my father looked genuinely frightened.
And my mother whispered, "Chloe, put that away.""
Chloe didn't move.
Instead, she looked directly at me.
Then she turned toward the camera, still visibly stunned.
May you like
"Want to see what's inside? Watch part two in the first comment.""
And for the first time in our lives, my little sister was the one holding a secret our parents desperately wanted to hide.
