The Rigged Lottery

After my mother passed away, Dad came up with a bizarre rule for our house. Everything my sister and I wanted was decided by a lottery draw. Who got new clothes, whose favorite diner we ate at, who got to go on weekend trips with Dad—it all came down to him drawing wooden sticks from a box. Unfortunately, my name was never picked. When I grew up, Dad said he could only afford college tuition for one child. He used the exact same method. My sister won again. I had no choice but to work part-time jobs and take out substantial student loans to finish my degree. Five years into my career, Dad suddenly called me. "Summer, I can help buy a house for one of you." "You and Chloe each put a hundred thousand dollars into the family trust. Whoever wins gets that two hundred thousand, plus my savings, to buy a house." I didn't want to play along, but Dad called relentlessly, even threatening to show up at my office. I went home, but I told him I wouldn't transfer a cent until I'd seen the draw for myself. Yet the night before the drawing, I accidentally knocked over the lottery box. Two wooden sticks tumbled out by my feet. Both had my sister's name on them. His so-called fair rules were rigged for Chloe all along. My phone buzzed. It was Julian, an old friend I'd only recently reconnected with. He wanted to know if I still wanted him to come home with me for Thanksgiving. I let out a bitter laugh and typed back a single word: "Yes." Thanksgiving Day, the day of the draw. Seeing my packed bags, Chloe burst out laughing. "Summer, you really have no shame! Are you that desperate to make Dad buy you a house?" She swung around to Dad and leaned into his side, whining. "Dad, I'm not like Summer. She's only after your money." "Even though she acts like this, you still favor her." Dad chuckled and cut her off gently. "Stop talking nonsense." "I treat both of you equally." "Since you were little, everything in this house has been decided by the draw. Buying a house is no different." Dad brushed Chloe's hair back. They took it for granted that we would go ahead with the draw. Neither of them bothered to ask what I thought. It had been five years since I started working, and this was the first house-fund drawing since Dad set up the family trust account. Nearly a thousand miles away, my grandmother could only guess how I was doing through our phone calls. She had called several times urging me to come home. I could only say, "Soon." When "soon" would actually be, I didn't know. After all, Dad still wanted to play his little lottery game with Chloe. Remembering how I hadn't been picked a single time growing up, I fought down the burning sting behind my eyes. I walked forward and looped my arm through Dad's. "Let's go. Time to draw." A faint smirk touched my lips. "Grandma's waiting for me to come home for dinner." As Dad was pulled forward, Chloe's hand slipped off his arm. She gritted her teeth, glaring at me with blatant malice. "Summer, seriously." "What makes you so sure you'll win the down payment?" A smug grin crept back onto her face. "All these years, you haven't been picked once!" "Maybe God just doesn't like you." Seeing how confident she was, it was clear she knew Dad had rigged the box. My name was never inside. How could I ever be drawn? My chest felt like it was being pricked by a thousand tiny needles. Still, my steps didn't falter. Dad brought out the wooden box. He shook it twice and casually pulled out a stick, tossing it onto the floor. Clack. The moment the stick hit the ground, Chloe began chattering with Dad about her house-hunting plans. Remodeling, shopping for furniture, throwing a housewarming party, going on a celebration trip... No matter what Chloe said, Dad nodded along unconditionally. "You're truly impossible," he said, affectionately rubbing her head. "I don't know how any future husband will put up with you." Chloe sniffed. "They say daughters are their fathers' greatest treasures. I'm going to cling to you forever and never get married!" "Nonsense," Dad said with a chuckle. Watching them laugh together, I felt like a complete outsider once again. I lowered my gaze. Then I spoke up, cool and quiet. "You haven't even checked whose name was drawn." Chloe scoffed reflexively. "Summer, you really won't give up until you hit a brick wall, will you?" "You honestly think there's any chance you could..." Realizing she had nearly slipped, Dad slapped a hand over her mouth. He flashed me an apologetic smile. "Chloe's just careless with her words. She didn't mean anything by it." "Let's look at the stick now." He bent down slowly to pick it up, his face already adopting a practiced look of regret. "Summer, look, I'm sorry I can't give the down payment to—" His voice caught in his throat. He finally saw the name carved into the wood. Summer Reed. His other daughter.Dad had secretly promised Chloe long ago that he would always put her needs first. Chloe had let that slip, intentionally or not, during a family dinner. Even so, I had never doubted Dad's love for me. Until I saw both sticks bearing Chloe's name. I carved my name onto a spare stick that night and put it in the box in place of one of hers. And until I saw the look on Dad's face when his game was blown wide open. Dad froze for a second. Then his expression twisted into fury. "You went through my box?!" "How dare you!" He clutched the wooden stick tightly in his fist, as if channeling his rage into it. He was the one who had gaslit me for years. He had let me act like a fool, praying desperately before every single draw: Please, let it be me this time. I just want a place to call my own. Dad had always brushed it off with a smile. Then, after pulling the inevitable result, he would console me: "Since Chloe won, we have to respect the rules." "Just wait for the next chance, Summer." Now that the truth was out, he didn't offer a single word of explanation. All I received was resentment and accusation. A chill settled in my chest. "I should be asking you that," I said, the emotions I had bottled up for years finally erupting. "Why wasn't my name ever in the box?" "All these years... I actually thought I was just unlucky..." Every word felt like a blade twisting in my heart. Tears streamed down my face. Dad stared at my tears and let out a heavy sigh. He stepped closer, trying to say something. Chloe cut in immediately, shoving herself between us. Her eyes dripped with contempt. "Since you found out, I'll just say it straight." "Dad was never going to give you that down payment." "The whole lottery thing was just a game to keep you quiet!" My ears roared with a deafening ring. "What did you just say?" Dad took Chloe's hand, stepping in to speak for her. "When your mother died, I promised her I'd look after both of you." He sighed again. "You were always worried I'd leave everything to Chloe." "Chloe was younger. I kept telling myself she needed more from me. I rigged the draws so I could give her what she wanted and still tell you I was being fair." His eyes shadowed over. "I thought you'd get tired of asking eventually." He'd let me hope for years because it was easier than telling me what he was doing. Hearing him say it so casually ripped my heart to shreds. From the very beginning, my entire life had been a punchline. Chloe snapped the wooden stick bearing my name in half. Then she gave me a sweet, wicked grin. "Older sisters are supposed to give in to the younger ones. That's just how the world works." "You really think he's going to give you the money just because he drew your name?" Dad stood to the side, not uttering a word of denial. "I'm not giving you the house fund, Summer," Dad said. "And I promised Chloe I'd spend Thanksgiving with her and my relatives." "We'll do another draw some other time." Looking at my pale, devastated face, a fleeting hint of guilt passed over his eyes. "Summer, there's always next time." "Don't make a scene and act like a sore loser." Then, lowering his voice, he added, "Next time, I'll make sure it's a completely fair draw." As if a cheap promise was all it took to keep me waiting like an idiot again. I clenched my fists until my nails dug into my palms, letting the sharp sting anchor me. Then I forced a small smile and nodded at him. What he didn't know was this: Grandma had given me a strict order to be there for Thanksgiving dinner. And the person walking through her door didn't have to be him.When Dad was getting ready to leave for Chloe's place, he gently took my hand. "Wait for me to get back." "I still remember that little townhouse you liked. Once Dad saves up more money, we'll go look at it together." I stared down at the ring on my finger, momentarily dazed. It was an heirloom ring from Dad's father, who'd put it in my hand himself. He had been dead for five years. Over those five years, Dad had been completely indifferent to my life. Two years ago, when I was saving to buy a place, I tried showing him listings. He was too busy texting in Chloe's family chat to care. He had merely glanced up and muttered, "All houses look the same." "Just handle it yourself." Yet now, he suddenly remembered the exact place I had loved. It took me a long time to manage a faint, "Okay." Chloe ran over holding her phone up on FaceTime, deliberately speaking loudly. "Hey, everyone! Look at Dad. He's still trying to talk his way out of this!" "Summer is something else, though. Dad can't even step out the door without her needing reassurance." "When I wanted to upgrade my car, I didn't even ask Dad for a whole speech." Through the screen, Dad's relatives chuckled. "Didn't your dad just buy you a car?" "What, you want another one already?" One of them hinted openly, "Well, there are so many new electric cars with autopilot features out now. Just have your dad get you one of those!" Chloe flushed, grinning. Then she turned to me. "Summer, don't overthink it." "Dad just worries about my safety on the road!" Her lips curved into a smug smile, her eyes flashing with pure condescension. "Even though Dad picked me in every single draw, I'm sure he loves you too." I glanced at Dad. He just wore an amused, indulgent smile, staring at Chloe with fond eyes. During my first year working, he had taken me to meet those relatives. One of them had made a bet right in front of me, sneering that I wouldn't last long in the family. "She looks stubborn and aloof. Nowhere near as sweet and generous as Chloe." Back then, Dad's face had darkened instantly. He had told them, "Chloe is sweet, yes." "But Summer is the daughter I owe the most to in this life." "I won't let anyone badmouth her in front of me!" Yet now, he stood by and laughed while they humiliated me. Whatever faint warmth had sparked in my chest was instantly extinguished by a bucket of ice water. My eyes burned, but I kept my face utterly calm. "I know that," I said evenly. "Otherwise, why would I be the one drawn to get the house fund today?" Chloe choked on her words. The relatives on the video call immediately started buzzing with questions, but she glared and slammed the red end-call button. A bitter irony washed over me. Wasn't she the beloved golden daughter? Why react so defensively? "Alright, Summer, that's enough," Dad finally snapped. "Chloe was just joking. Why do you always have to blow things out of proportion?" Those words drove into my ears like icy spikes. The thread of restraint holding my sanity together snapped clean in half. When Chloe flaunted their bond and weaponized his relatives against me, he said nothing. When Chloe rubbed their closeness in my face, he offered no explanation. I had merely stated an objective fact, and suddenly I was the one "blowing things out of proportion." I pressed my lips together and fell completely silent.Dad's verbal backing was nowhere near enough for Chloe. Before walking out the door, she found another way to punish me. She wanted the ring Dad's father had left me. I'd been sitting beside his hospital bed when he slipped it onto my finger. "It looks beautiful," he had whispered with a warm smile. "Summer, you've had it rough these years. I hope this ring can help you whenever life gets hard." The diamond had cast brilliant flecks of light across the white sheets. Chloe had turned green with envy. Now, pointing at the ring on my hand, she chirped cheerfully at Dad. "I need something classy to show off at my new place. Why doesn't Summer just give me that ring?" Dad hesitated. The ring had been his father's last gift to me. Chloe immediately pouted, crossing her arms. "What? You always say you love both of us equally, but now you won't even part with a ring?" Dad quickly smoothed things over with a smile. "That's not what I meant." "What's mine is yours, of course." He turned to me and motioned with his chin. "Take the ring off, Summer." I stared at the man in front of me in utter disbelief. "Dad, your father gave this to me." "What right do you have to give my ring to her?" Dad stammered for half a second before his face hardened into an angry scowl. "I'm just letting Chloe wear something pretty for a bit! How can you talk to your own father like that?" He grabbed my wrist roughly and forced the ring off my finger. He didn't even notice the sharp band scraping off a layer of my skin. Watching him gently slide the ring onto Chloe's finger, my entire body shook uncontrollably. Tears spilled over my lashes. "It's just a piece of jewelry. I'll take you to buy a new one when I get back," Dad muttered dismissively. As Chloe brushed past me toward the door, she let out a low snicker. "Don't cry," she whispered, keeping her voice so low only I could hear. "That ring is fake anyway." My head snapped up. Chloe grinned, relishing every ounce of my shock. "A few months ago, you left it on the vanity. I borrowed it to wear out, and I accidentally lost it." "Dad had a cheap glass replica made to fool you." I clutched my chest, suffocated by the sickening truth. "That's... impossible..." Chloe touched her glossy lips, her smile dripping with venom. "See? As long as I want it, you don't even get to keep the fake!" "Shut up!" My voice cracked as I shoved her away from my ear with all my strength. She crashed heavily to the hardwood floor, then looked up and gave me a subtle, triumphant wink. I won, she mouthed. SLAP! Before I could even process what had happened, Dad's hand struck my cheek with brutal force. His eyes burned with genuine disgust. "You've crossed the line!" "Apologize to Chloe right now!" I clutched my burning, throbbing cheek, but held my chin high. "She deserved it." Dad glared at me, the veins in his neck bulging with rage—the exact expression he had worn years ago when defending me against that rude relative. Except now, his wrath was aimed squarely at me. In the end, it was a neighbor who heard the commotion and pulled him away. "You need to learn your lesson," Dad snarled before walking out. "I'm setting the house money aside for Chloe. And don't bother coming to dinner with us." Those were his parting words. I stood frozen in the cold foyer for a long time. Until my phone vibrated in my palm. Julian asked softly, "Are you sure you want me to come with you to your grandparents' house?" The corners of my mouth lifted slightly. "Of course." "Good. Look out the window." "I'm downstairs."