Chapter 6: The Truth in the Accusation

My brother stared at the phone, thumb hovering. The blue glow painted shadows on his face. I fidgeted, chewing my sleeve.

He hung up and kept reading. I breathed out, shoulders sagging. For a second, everything felt almost normal.

Sleepiness swept over me. I grabbed the corner of his shirt, hoping I’d wake if he left. I pressed my cheek to the flannel, comforted by his steady breath.

But I overestimated myself. When I opened my eyes, sunlight striped my pillow. No one was there.

Where was my brother? The room felt empty, dread thick. Did he already...?

Tears welled up. I jumped out of bed, feet numb on the cold floor. I stood frozen at the bathroom door, hand hovering over the knob. I was terrified—what if I saw what the floating comments described?

“Maddie?”

My brother’s gentle voice came from behind. Relief flooded me.

He stood with a tray and a glass of milk, looking normal. “Go brush your teeth and eat breakfast.” His voice was gruff, but warm—the ordinary morning I’d always wanted.

I stared, shocked, then nodded, rubbing my eyes. I brushed my teeth in a daze and sat at the table. Toast and eggs scented the kitchen, sunlight dancing on the counter.

With a fried egg in my mouth, I looked at him, happiness blooming. Had he decided not to die?

He squirmed under my gaze. “...Maddie, staring at me won’t help. Drink all your milk, not a drop left.” He nudged the glass closer, lips twitching with a faint smile.

The doorbell rang, sharp and insistent. He glanced at his watch, then at me. He grabbed a suitcase, took my backpack, and walked to the door.

Outside stood Jillian Bennett. She wore a sharp suit, hair in a tight ponytail, eyes red but determined.

As soon as Jillian saw him, her eyes filled with tears. “Evan, are you done yet? What do you want before you’ll let me go?” Her voice was brittle, tight with anger and fear.

My brother: “?” He looked confused, arms tense on the suitcase.

“It was you who manipulated overseas funds to short BennettTech’s stock, and leaked news about their broken capital chain. Do you really want to destroy BennettTech and ruin Carter that badly?” Her words came out like knives. She saw the bandages on his wrists and how pale he looked, but she didn’t care.

He replied calmly, “I have no interest in destroying BennettTech. Instead of questioning me, you’d better start thinking about how to cover up what happened three years ago.” His voice was flat, drained, but something cold flashed in his eyes.

[He doesn’t even want to live. How could he care about the main couple’s drama?]

[Honestly, he’s taken the blame for a lot...]

[The worst was when the main guy was just starting out, and the main girl got drugged by a client. Some terrible photos were taken...]

[Right, he showed up in time to save her, but she’d already been... When she woke up, she thought he’d drugged her, and hated him ever since. He was scared she couldn’t handle the truth, so he let her hate him.]

[He went to huge lengths to destroy those photos and silence that person. But the misunderstanding could never be cleared.]

[Ahhh, I won’t let anyone call my brother a villain anymore!]

Jillian’s words hung in the air, sharp as broken glass. My brother didn’t flinch. But for the first time, I wondered—what else was he hiding from me?