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After I Died, My Sister Cried with Regret
After I Died, My Sister Cried with Regret
Author: Nameless

Chapter 1

Author: Nameless
Elliot's POV

This was the first time in ten years I had seen my elder sister, Melanie Grant, go ballistic.

Even the day Mom and Dad passed, she hadn't flown off the handle at me like that, despite knowing the accident only happened because they made a U-turn for a cake I wanted.

That day, when Melanie arrived at the scene, all that greeted her was her deceased parents, a little brother who had lost his mind, an insurance agent, and a remorseless drunk driver.

My hands shaking, I tried to wipe the tears from the corner of her eye. "I'm sorry. Please don't cry, Mel…"

Without hesitation, Melanie swatted my hand away. My skin swelled from the pain, looking more serious than the scald mark on our adopted little brother Noah Cooper's hand.

She clenched her jaw and fixed her gaze on me. "Why did it have to be Mom and Dad? Why couldn't it have been you, Elliot Cooper?"

After she finished speaking, she took Noah by the hand and led him to the first-aid kit.

I stood alone in the living room, dazed. I wanted to follow them, but I thought it would only irritate them more. Helpless and overwhelmed with concern, I could only stand there and mutter, "I'm sorry…"

Soon, Noah returned. Thanks to Melanie, his hand had been dressed and bandaged. I sat against the wall, hugging my knees, and looked up at him.

He sat beside me the same way. "Actually, I did that on purpose."

I looked at him in shock. No wonder Noah seemed different that day.

"Mel is a mathematical genius, Elliot," he said. "She was featured in the news and praised by professors at a top university. But to make money to pay for your treatment, she gave up studying the subject she loved the most and went into finance."

Noah continued, "After graduation, she turned down offers from abroad because she wanted to stay close enough to take care of you. She settled for grinding away at some small company here, building up her career from scratch.

"She could've been somewhere she loved, studying mathematics, which she was so passionate about, with Mom and Dad's home-cooked meals waiting for her every month. But all of that became impossible because of you."

I parted my lips, only to realize I was at a loss for words. "I'm… sorry."

"Don't apologize to me," Noah said, barely glancing my way.

"You should be apologetic to Mel and your parents instead. Call me cunning or whatever, but I only got to where I am in life today because of Mel. I won't sit back and watch her take what she doesn't deserve.

"I'm just a guy she adopted, but even I feel terribly sorry for her. Why can't you, her brother, feel anything?"

Noah rose to his feet and slammed the door behind him, the sound echoing through the room.

Over the next few days, neither Melanie nor Noah paid me any attention. I had a rough idea of what I had done wrong, so I held back from bothering them.

Still, I was starving. They seemed to have forgotten I hadn't eaten for quite some time.

So, once they fell asleep at night, I tiptoed into the kitchen. I was just about to stuff a piece of bread from the fridge into my mouth when a cold voice sounded behind me.

"Take one bite of the food we got for Noah's birthday party in two days, and you're out of this family."

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  • After I Died, My Sister Cried with Regret   Chapter 9

    Elliot's POVI took a deep breath, my voice shaking. "I can't go back…"Melanie looked at me in surprise."The past decade was miserable…"Her eyes reddened. "Are you still mad at me for… I know I messed up. I really, really regret putting all the blame on you.""Don't. Don't regret anything, Mel."My nose stung. "If I were in your position, I wouldn't know how to navigate through it, either."Melanie looked at me with a hint of panic. "If that's the case, were you mad that I adopted Noah?"I shook my head. "You did nothing wrong, Mel. And neither did Noah. I'm not upset at anyone. You and I, we're just… not suitable for being family."Tears ran down her cheeks.I rose and slowly walked toward Savannah's hospital room. My palm rested against the window. I watched her lie unconscious inside, completely still.Behind me, Melanie got up and watched me. She closed her eyes, and another tear fell to the floor.In the end, I didn't go with Noah when he left for university. I only

  • After I Died, My Sister Cried with Regret   Chapter 8

    Elliot's POVThe plastic bag slipped from my hand and hit the floor.Melanie spun around. A flash of panic crossed her face. "Eli, it's not what it looks like. I lost my temper for a second. I didn't mean to hurt her—""Sav!"I rushed forward like a madman and pulled Savannah into my arms. Blood stained the corners of her mouth. Her body had gone limp, and she collapsed against me.Melanie's eyes suddenly reddened. "Why do you care so much about her, Eli?"Savannah coughed, and blood spilled from her mouth, staining my hands and clothes. Tears flooded my eyes. "Sav!"Eventually, she was rushed to the hospital.Melanie was the one who went looking for her. She believed Savannah had been trying to lure me away from home all along.She had planned to settle things once and for all. On top of that, she also demanded Savannah throw away my favorite robot toy.Savannah refused, so Melanie tried to force her. During the struggle, Melanie lost control and accidentally shoved Savannah

  • After I Died, My Sister Cried with Regret   Chapter 7

    Elliot's POV"Be good. Do as I say," Savannah said, slipping the few bills she had in her pocket into my hand. Then she walked away without looking back.Instinctively, I chased after her for a few steps, but a hand held me firmly in place. Melanie looked at me. "Where are you going? Home is this way."I turned around, but Savannah was long gone.When I went home, the bathtub was already filled with warm water. Melanie had even cooked a feast for me. All the dishes on the table were my favorites.Noah showed me his university acceptance letter, too. I was happy for him and thanked Melanie for the meal. But somehow, things felt different.Seeing how I was carefully picking at my food, Melanie put the largest piece of meat on my plate. "You're at home. Why are you acting so cautious?"I quietly shoved food into my mouth.I could tell that she and Noah didn't seem to hate me as much as they used to, but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to feel happy.Some part of me ins

  • After I Died, My Sister Cried with Regret   Chapter 6

    Elliot's POVI quickly got out of bed to help with Savannah's dishes. "T-thanks…"She rested her chin in her hand as she looked at me. "Don't thank me. You just remind me a lot of my little brother."A few faded photographs were scattered across the old table. The girl in the picture looked a lot like Savannah. She was hugging a boy a few years younger than her, both of them smiling happily at the camera.Melanie used to hold me and take pictures with me like that, too. My eyes suddenly stung. I lowered my head and started scrubbing the dishes faster.As I ate the plain oatmeal Savannah had made for me, I glanced at her carefully. "Why do you collect trash?"After all, in the photos, she was wearing a princess dress. Her little brother was also dressed in a tiny suit. They looked like they had come from a well-off family.Savannah continued working, her movements quick and practiced. "My dad had another woman. He even had a son with her before I was born. My mom refused to let i

  • After I Died, My Sister Cried with Regret   Chapter 5

    Third-Person POVNoah had just walked through the door when he heard the news of Elliot's death. He froze where he stood. The staff member on the phone was still patiently asking questions.Melanie picked up the phone with trembling hands and pressed it back to her ear. "Are you sure it's him?""We confirmed it through DNA testing. Elliot Grant was your brother, right?"Her eyes turned red. The hand clutching her phone began to shake violently."Ms. Grant, please try to stay calm. Would you be able to come and collect his ashes?"Melanie could barely utter a word. "If you're unable to come, we'll have to dispose of the ashes ourselves."Noah hurried over and took the phone from her. "Hello, could you please give us the address?""Forget it!" Melanie hissed. "You guys can do whatever you want with the ashes."With that, she hung up. Noah stared at her in disbelief.She clenched her fists. "It's better this way. Now we can finally have some peace. Without him, no one will bot

  • After I Died, My Sister Cried with Regret   Chapter 4

    Elliot's POVNo matter what I did, I could never bother Melanie again.I started collecting bottles every day. Sometimes, I would see Noah on his way home from school. Our eyes would meet, but he would quickly look away and walk off as if he hadn't seen anything.I never called out to him, either. He was preparing for his SAT, and I couldn't afford to waste his time.Then, one day, I saw Melanie. We locked eyes, and she froze for a moment. The empty bottle in my hand slipped to the ground. She was carrying a briefcase again and was wearing a new suit.It looked like she had found a new job. How wonderful. My departure really did bring good things into her life.I smiled at her, but she merely frowned and walked away.I picked up the bottle and continued collecting the ones people had discarded, one after another, stuffing them into my garbage bag.As time went on, I started seeing Melanie more and more often. She was always the same, frowning and walking away whenever she saw m

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