Before dawn broke, Eleanor, dragging her broken body, began packing the children’s belongings. But the next second, a bulldozer
violently smashed through the orphanage gates. Eleanor didn’t hesitate. She rushed straight into the vehicle’s path. “Unless you roll
over my dead body, you won’t lay a finger on this place!”
A disdainful scoff came from the side. My brother’s luxury car window rolled down. “Then hand over that bitch, Audrey, or else you
think I want to touch this filthy place?”
Eleanor was barely standing. She struggled to pull a chair over and sat down, her snow–white hair whipped wildly by the morning
breeze. “Audrey is already ash, Alexander. You stomped all over her yesterday.”
Alexander burst into laughter. “Still so stubborn? Audrey’s probably crawling into some rich old man’s bed again. How much did she
pay you to protect her like this?”
Eleanor’s shoulders trembled violently. Finally, she couldn’t hold back, her trembling finger pointing at Alexander. “Alexander, she
was your sister! She’s dead! Why do you still insult her like this?”
“I don’t have a sister like her! My only sister is Seraphina!”
Beside him, Seraphina’s small face was pale. She tugged gently at Alexander’s sleeve. “Brother, don’t be angry. I’ll just kneel and
apologize to Sister, like I always used to. Every time I did that, Sister would forgive me…” She started to open the car door to get
out.
Alexander pulled her back instantly, his eyes filled with a tenderness I’d never seen directed at me. He was even red–eyed, holding
Seraphina close. “My poor sister, you’ve suffered so much. It’s all my fault for not protecting you.”
Seraphina forced a brave smile, her eyes red, tears streaming down her face no matter how she tried to wipe them away. “No, Brother. Every day I spend with you, I’m happy.” She carefully pulled up her sleeve, revealing gauze faintly stained with blood on her arm, looking utterly pathetic. “Brother, Seraphina doesn’t hurt at all. Seraphina just wants to be by Brother’s side, just wants Sister
to tolerate me.”
Those tears made Alexander clench his fist. He slammed his hand against the steering wheel, snarling my name as he comforted Seraphina. “Don’t worry. She has no say in our family. When I find her, I’ll make sure she suffers a fate worse than death!”
But I was already suffering a fate worse than death. My ghost hovered beside Eleanor, my very soul tearing apart, gasping for brea- th. I had long given up on family affection. But Alexander, Seraphina only needed such a tiny patch of skin. Yet you had them strip
so much from me. So much that I couldn’t possibly live.
After comforting Seraphina, my brother gave a command, and a swarm of men immediately surged into the orphanage. The still- bewildered children were tossed outside. Eleanor’s cherished furniture and tables were brutaily smashed. The ground was littered with broken pieces. Amidst the wails of the children, Eleanor desperately rushed forward, only to be knocked to the ground, spitting
a mouthful of blood.
She didn’t bother to wipe it away, instead trembling as she pulled a piece of paper from her chest. “Alexander, if you don’t believe Audrey is dead, you’ll surely believe the death certificate issued by the hospital!”
Was it my imagination, or did I see my brother’s body momentarily stiffen? He finally stepped out of the car, but before he could take the death certificate, Eleanor’s phone lit up in front of him. It was an email I had scheduled to send to Eleanor! The glaring
words “Audrey” stood out like some damning evidence.
My brother suddenly let out a strange, guttural laugh. Then, without hesitation, he grabbed a nearby watering can and savagely smashed it against Eleanor. “We should really go into acting!” he raged. “I almost fell for that bitch’s trick again!” He slammed his foot down. “Since you’re so determined to seek death, fine! I’ll grant your wish! Bodyguards, move!”
At my brother’s command, the roaring machines moved forward like devouring beasts. The building, filled with children’s laughter and my fondest memories, began to crumble. Eleanor, dragging her frail, withered body, desperately tried to stop them, stumbling and cutting herself all over. “No! That’s not it, that’s…” Her voice was drowned out by the enormous roar.
and cutting herself all over. “No! That’s not it, that’s…” Her voice was drowned out by the enormous roar.
20:54 CO
I completely forgot I was dead, rushing to the front of the vehicles, trying to block them. I was simply passed through without mer- cy. I collapsed to my knees, frantically pounding the ground. Tears of bitter resentment rained down.
Brother, why wouldn’t you just look a little closer? Those were all scheduled emails, brother. And every single one of them was my
last will!
Eleanor and the children were tightly cornered by the bodyguards, forced to watch helplessly as the orphanage collapsed with a
thunderous roar. I cried until my entire body was numb, seeing the flicker of excitement in my brother’s eyes. I’d always known it; he didn’t just hate me, he hated this orphanage even more. Because it was here, once upon a time, that the most painful, most unsp-
eakable humiliation had befallen him.
