Chapter 5 Quarrel and Leaving Home
She instinctively reached out to fix his tousled hair, but unfortunately, he was too tall for her. Even when she stood on her tiptoes, she couldn't reach the top of his head.
Damien silently lowered his body a little, and Amelia's eyes immediately lit up with a smile as she lightly smoothed his hair.
"Mr. Kingsley, even with messy hair, it doesn't diminish your handsomeness at all. I'll be leaving now."
Damien's expression subtly changed, and he reached out to stop her.
"Wait, leave me your contact information."
Amelia pursed her lips and entered her phone number into Damien's phone, handing it back to him. "Well...I'm leaving."
Damien followed her a few steps, still concerned.
"Take care of yourself, don't lift heavy objects anymore. If you have any problems, just give me a call."
Amelia smiled at him and nodded.
"Yes, I will take good care of the baby."
The brightness of this girl's smile, warmed Damien's heart, which had been riding a roller coaster of emotions all morning. Feeling reassured, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
Once Amelia returned to the shop, Judy reached out her hand to collect the money.
"You didn't say anything wrong, right? Didn't cause trouble with those supervisors. This is a business deal that your father worked hard to negotiate."
Amelia took out the money from her bag and placed it in Judy's hand. Judy's eyes suddenly lit up as she walked over to the counter to count it.
David, sweating profusely, came out from the kitchen and expressed concern.
"Amelia, it's hot today. Are you tired? Here's five dollars, go buy an ice cream nearby."
Just as Amelia was about to take it, she heard Judy's voice coming from the counter.
"She's already such a big girl, just delivering a fried chicken. How tired could she be? She hasn't even gotten into college yet. It's only right for her to help out with some chores at home. Ice creams are so expensive, you know? Ryan at school only splurges on one per day."
Amelia looked at the money in David's hand and didn't take it.
"Dad, I'm going to wash my face."
Entering the back kitchen and standing in front of a small mirror obscured by fog, Amelia tried hard to hold back her tears. She had been through this her whole life, so why did hearing those words today make her feel so upset?
She raised her hand to gently wipe away the fog on the mirror, gradually calming down her emotions. The person in the mirror had red eyes, but there was no trace of tears.
Taking a few deep breaths, Amelia started to reassure herself, as she had done countless times before.
Breathing, coming out of the kitchen, David stood next to Judy, and the two seemed to be discussing the profits of fried chicken, both seemingly satisfied.
Amelia subconsciously touched her pocket. This time, she was extremely bold, and had given the money to Judy according to the eighty dollars for a fried chicken. She was afraid there might be an urgent need for money, so she wanted to keep some money on herself.
Seeing Amelia come out, Judy quickly collected the money.
"There is still half a truckload outside. Unload it all. Today we need more."
Amelia paused in her footsteps and turned to look at Judy.
"I can't move it. I don't have the strength in my hands and feet."
Judy couldn't believe it. She took a few steps out of the counter and stared at Amelia angrily.
"What did you say? Can't move it? How tiring is it for you to move a few chickens at your size? You're just lazy, Amelia. Among the three siblings, you are the most worthless and lazy. Whenever the family asks you to do some work, you always resist and make excuses. I must have fed you too well."
Being scolded by her, Amelia was used to it. In the past, she would silently listen until Judy got tired of scolding her.
But today, she couldn't help it. She looked at Judy, and her lips trembled.
"I'm lazy? Mom, tell me honestly, don't I do more household chores than anyone else? I even do more than you and Dad. I clean the house, do the laundry, cook, and wash the dishes - all in addition to going to school. The day before I took the college entrance exam, I even washed all the bedsheets and sofa covers in the house until 2:30 am before going to sleep. When Ryan wet his bed in the middle of the night, you knew, but you didn't get up. You called me to get up and change his sheets and clothes. What did I do wrong?"
Judy raised her hand and slapped Amelia hard, her face filled with anger, and her fingers trembling.
"Shut up! Don't you dare bring up Ryan wetting the bed. Did you hear me? If I hear it again, I'll kill you."
David grabbed Judy's hand and tried to reason with her.
"Judy, why did you hit her? Thankfully, there's no one in the store right now. It wouldn't look good if someone saw it."
He then looked at Amelia, his brows furrowed, and said gently.
"Amelia, Ryan is still young and has a strong sense of self-esteem. If he hears what you just said, he'll feel uncomfortable and refuse to eat again. He is your little brother. How come you don't know how to take care of him?"
Amelia had been holding back her tears, but she couldn't hold them back anymore. She was used to her mother's angry scolding and even physical abuse, but her father's words felt like soft thorns pricking her heart, more painful than being slapped.
She remembered how her mother would go into Ryan's room and coax him for a long time whenever he threw a tantrum and refused to eat. In the end, she would either give him pocket money or buy him gifts to make him happy. Meanwhile, because her duty day at school ended late, she would often come home without dinner. Her father would ask if she had eaten, but it was just a casual question.
David pulled Amelia and said, “Amelia, apologize to your mother quickly and stop causing trouble. People might make fun of us later."
Amelia pushed him away and looked at Judy and David, crying and shouting,
"I didn't, I did nothing wrong. Where did I go wrong? You've never liked me, is it because I'm a girl?"
Judy's face turned pale with anger and she raised her hand to hit Amelia, but David stopped her. Judy pointed at her.
"Yes, who let you be a little girl? Little girls are useless. We've raised you for over a decade and look at what we've got. You can't even get into college. What can we expect from you in the future?"
Amelia bit her lip tightly, tears streaming down her face.
"Fine, then you can rely on your sons."
She turned around and ran outside.
"Amelia!"
David shouted, but Judy angrily said,
"Why chase after her? Let her run, I want to see where she can go. What can a little girl like her do? When she can't have meals outside, she'll know how good our home is."
Amelia ran out of the shop, still able to hear Judy's angry insults behind her. She covered her ears and desperately fled, tears blurring her vision, unable to see the road clearly.
The screeching sound of a car's horn startled her back to reality, only to find a car speeding towards her.
Amelia's body went rigid, and in that moment, she was torn between quickly avoiding it or letting herself be hit and no longer endure the contempt and insults.
But she had a baby!
Her body acted before her brain, and she used her hands to protect her stomach, desperately trying to dodge to the side.