As I write this, my mother and I have just sold the home we built with savings from years of hard work in HCMC. I wonder how I could have been so naive, sacrificing my own child’s stability for the sake of filial piety.
My older sister is a single mother who once ran a successful business but wasted her money on an extravagant lifestyle, often being exploited by men. Now, she doesn’t own a home and has to rent. During her business’s peak, she severed contact with us, splurging on luxury items and living carefreely. She would spend up to VND200 million on gym packages while our parents scrimped and saved.
The situation spiraled out of control last year when my sister fabricated an urgent business opportunity and convinced our parents she needed funds quickly. She promised to collect her debts and repay them right away. However, after receiving the money, she took a vacation with her boyfriend, spending extravagantly and tipping service staff generously. Eventually, she claimed bankruptcy and said she couldn’t repay the loan, which led the bank to foreclose on our parents’ house.
My parents were devastated, crying and pleading for my help, while my sister became unreachable, her phone disconnected. Heartbroken by my parents’ suffering, I, a single mother myself, sold my only home, paid off the debt, and secured the title deed for them.
After the debt was settled, I saw my sister sporadically posting videos on social media, showing herself releasing turtles, freeing fish, doing charity work, dining at five-star restaurants, driving luxury cars, and seemingly living without a care. She still dreams of becoming a well-known influencer. Debt collectors even printed flyers with her picture and scattered them around, and gangsters splashed paint on her door, yet she remains unmoved as if it doesn’t concern her.
Meanwhile, my heart is broken, brimming with resentment. She left our parents, my child, and me without a word of apology or any support. Her daughter still attends an international school, costing nearly VND1 billion annually, and she hasn’t contributed a single penny toward repaying the debt. I can’t help but wonder if karma is real.
Is it wrong for me to feel such hatred toward my own sister?