I’d seen him sitting in his car, handing Linda a cup of warm milk while ruffling her hair, saying, “Make sure you eat three proper meals a day. If you ever need money, you know I’ve got you.”
I’d seen her pick up a frail stray cat on a rainy day, with him standing beside her, holding an umbrella and gently asking, “Do you want to keep it?”
Even when Linda got drunk and clung to his shirt, rambling nonsense, he listened patiently, his eyes filled with nothing but tenderness.
In my previous life, I was trapped in a delusion of love.
I kept wondering why my brother didn’t love me, why my fiancé never sided with me.
Given a second chance at life, I finally saw things clearly.
I was my own person.
I didn’t need someone’s love to survive.
…
The birthday banquet didn’t end on a high note after all.
Just as Shawn and I stood locked in confrontation, my parents finally returned.
They thanked the guests politely and saw everyone out of the hall.
Linda tried to pull the same pity act in front of my mom, but she shut her down with a simple smile.
“Sorry, Miss Lowe, but we will handle our own family affairs. Please leave.”
Linda froze, her face stiffening as she cast a tearful glance at Shawn before reluctantly turning to leave.
Once the guests left and it was just Shawn and me in the house, my dad finally spoke, his expression stern.
“Enough. Now, explain what happened.”
Before Shawn could say a word, I cut in.
“A new transfer student arrived at school recently. On her first day, she suddenly poured water over her own head and accused me of doing it, claiming I was bullying her.”
I paused for a moment, then continued, “Later, I found out she’s the same girl Shawn has been secretly sponsoring, a poor student named Linda Lowe.”
Shawn, seated on the couch, snapped his head up to look at me, his eyes filled with shock.
“Surprised, aren’t you, Shawn? You didn’t think I’d find out so soon about the little connection between you two, did you?” I thought.
I pressed the corner of my reddened eye and said in a choked voice, “Honestly, I don’t blame her. It’s just a birthday party. I can let it go.
“But what hurts is… why doesn’t my own brother believe me?”
After all, Linda wasn’t the only one who knew how to play the innocent victim.
As my voice broke slightly, laced with tears, my dad brought the matter to a decisive end.
“Enough. I don’t care who bullied whom. None of you are to stir up trouble again. If this gets out, it won’t look good for anyone. This ends here.”
…
When I returned to school, I started bullying Linda openly and without remorse.
I poured ink into her desk drawer, loudly mocked her accented English as she recited passages in class, and tore her physics test paper to shreds, scattering the pieces over her head.
“Go on, report me again,” I said with a smile. “Isn’t that what you’re best at?”
A piece of torn paper drifted lazily from her hair to the ground.
She stared at me, a flash of deep-seated hatred glinting in her eyes.
But in the end, she still trembled and cried as she apologized.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Sierra. If I’ve done anything to upset you, I’ll apologize now. I’ll change, okay?”
“Your existence upset me.”
I raised an eyebrow, feigning curiosity. “How do you plan to fix that? By dying right here and now?”
