Chapter 2

2

I always knew Audrey hated me.

When I was ten, our parents rushed back to celebrate my birthday, only for their plane to crash into the mountains.

Among the scattered debris, rescuers could only recover a few fragmented belongings.

Audrey broke down completely at the crash site.

I stood beside her like a shell-shocked outsider, my ears ringing violently while everyone around us blurred into noise.

All I could do was follow behind her like a lost shadow.

Yet the moment she regained her senses, she shoved me forcefully out the front door.

"It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, Mom and Dad wouldn't be dead!"

Her eyes were bloodshot as she stared at me with bone-deep malice.

"Why couldn't it be you who died!"

I looked at her in panic and reached out to hold her hand, but she shoved me hard to the pavement.

"Lance Mercer, you are a murderer! You killed our parents, you did this!"

She screamed at the top of her lungs, her gaze burning with unyielding hatred.

My young heart was gripped by terror, leaving me to stare at her in silence.

After the funeral, Audrey took every cent of the inheritance and left to volunteer in a remote Appalachian town.

Dr. Harrison took me into his home to care for me.

He patted my head with a sigh and tried to comfort me. "Don't blame your sister. She's just grieving and overwhelmed."

"Once some time passes, she will understand."

I nodded quietly without arguing.

I told myself those cruel words weren't what she truly meant.

She was just in too much pain.

I was willing to wait for her to come around, because she was my only family left in this world.

We couldn't stay apart forever.

Yet her departure lasted six long years.

With no financial support, I worked odd jobs after school to survive.

Dr. Harrison offered to pay for my expenses, but when Audrey found out, she called and berated me mercilessly over the phone.

She called me shameless, a parasite, and a curse who only brought death.

She said if I stayed with Dr. Harrison, I would drag him down and kill him just like I killed our parents.

I moved out of Dr. Harrison's home immediately, terrified of making Audrey hate me even more.

I always believed that once she healed, we would go back to how we used to be.

Then Audrey finally returned, bringing Toby with her.

She had met him in that rural town; despite his chronic illness, his bright and cheerful nature deeply touched her heart.

From that day on, Audrey only had one brother in her heart.

And his name was Toby.