SWNOVELS Chapter 7
Soon, my birthday arrived, and my brother grew increasingly anxious. An inexplicable unease spread within him.
Taking advantage of our parents‘ absence, he recalled memories from five years ago and found my company. He asked the manager where I had gone on business and when I might return.
The manager looked puzzled. “What business trip? Lydia hasn’t been to the office in over a month.” The lie was exposed, and my brother stood stunned.
He stumbled to my rented apartment, mumbling, “But Mom and Dad said she was on a business trip. There must be some mistake.” He couldn’t believe that his respected parents would lie to him, nor could he accept that parents might not love their own child.
He often said we were family, and that Mom and Dad were just angry. He firmly believed that no family bond was unresolvable.
The innocence he displayed only highlighted my deeper cunning. The first time he stood up to Mom for me was the day I left home. He looked at her, disappointment etched across his face. “I always thought you didn’t like Sis was because of me, so I tried to compensate for it.””
“Now I understand that even without me, you’d treat her this way. Everything you do is just to satisfy your own vanity.”
Faced with his accusation, the usually strong Mom cried. She leaned into Dad’s embrace, overwhelmed with injustice. Dad scolded my brother for not understanding the hardships of parenting.
“You and I do everything for your sister’s sake. What kind of parents don’t love their child? Your sister may not understand your mother’s intentions, but you shouldn’t follow her example. What kind of nonsense has she fed you that makes you so protective of her?”
They stood on their moral high ground, listing my every flaw. In my brother’s uncertain gaze, I left home. I knew he hesitated, beginning to doubt.
But he did nothing wrong. Since the day he was born, he had been enveloped in our parents‘ love, so he couldn’t grasp my despair and helplessness.
My brother clenched his fists, pounding on the door, desperately seeking confirmation of something. The sound of knocking drew the attention of the elderly landlady next door. She looked at the boy who resembled me and slowly spoke, “May I ask who you are to Lydia?”
Lucas turned to her, “I… I’m Lydia’s brother. Do you know my sister?”
The landlady replied, “Of course. Your sister rented my apartment. She hasn’t been back for a month. Has she gone home?”
“If she has come home, you should spend time with her. She’s lived here for five years, always alone with hardly any friends. It’s not good for a young girl; it can lead to illness.“”
After the landlady left, my brother squatted outside my door for a long time. He seemed to be contemplating my absence, wondering why I hadn’t returned home or gone to the office. Where could I possibly be? His face gradually drained of color, turning pale. He didn’t dare to think any further.