Chapter 3 3
33
Chapter 3
Whenever Shane got angry or upset, he would deliberately provoke my episodes. Seeing
me in pain seemed to ease his own. Initially, it made me very sad, but eventually, I stopped feeling that way. If I could help Shane vent his anger and make him happy, didn’t that mean I had some value?
So, when Shane provoked me again, I pretended to be in a hundred times more pain. than before, just to amuse him. It turned out that the more severe my episodes were, the happier he seemed. Once, I overdid it and ended up foaming at the mouth and passing out. In my daze, I saw Shane looking anxious. When I woke up, I found myself lying in a hospital bed, with Shane sitting beside me, his eyes slightly red. My heart leapt with a mix of hope and joy.
“Brother, do you still care about me a little?” I thought.
But as soon as our eyes met, his face darkened instantly.
“Caitlin, the doctor said your condition is the same as before, not any worse.”
“So, you were faking it, weren’t you? Trying to get me to treat you better? Using your illness to blackmail me, right?”
I shook my head, my eyes instantly welling up with tears. I wanted to say, “No, Shane, I wasn’t trying to blackmail you. I just wanted to make you happy, not angry…”
Before I could speak, he turned away.
“Caitlin, you disgust me. If it weren’t for Mom, do you think I would care about you?”
“It would be better if you were dead, then you wouldn’t be a constant nuisance!”
With that, he left. I still remember the sunset that day, so red it was almost blinding. I also remember the damp pillow that night. Brother, do you really hate me that much?
A burst of cheers pulled me back to reality.
“Sister–in–law! Sister–in–law is here!”
21.25
Chapter 33
“Shane, stop drinking, your girlfriend is here.”
A beautiful and radiant woman walked through the door. The moment I saw her, I instinctively shrank back, a shiver ran through my soul. She was my brother’s girlfriend, Irene. My brother naturally went up to her and wrapped his arm around her waist, his eyes softened with a melting tenderness. She smiled and pecked him on the lips.
“Happy birthday, baby!”
She handed him a gift box, which contained a tie. As she helped him put it on, she glanced around.
“Hey, where’s our adorable Caitlin?”
My brother snorted coldly.
“Dead outside somewhere, hasn’t come home yet.”
Irene pouted unhappily and shook my brother’s arm.
“Baby! Did you forget what I told you? Don’t talk about your sister like that. No matter
what, she’s still your sister.”
“She’s your blood relative!”
Mentioning our mom made my brother’s face darken to the point where it seemed like it could drip water. I knew he was thinking about the day our mom died again. Because of my episode, he missed seeing Mom one last time.
“Hmph, if it weren’t for her, how could Mom have died!”
“Irene, don’t mention her, it’s bad luck!”
Then he instructed the butler not to let me in even if I came home. I was to be locked
outside to reflect on my actions. Seeing that Irene still wanted to say something, one of his friends quickly chimed in.
“Sister–in–law, you’re just too kind. Don’t you know what kind of person Caitlin is? Today is Shane’s birthday, say something to make him happy.”
I stood in front of Irene, watching as she curved her lips into a self–satisfied smile.
Irene, are you happy now that I’m gone?
