Chapter 2

Alina walked toward me, looking as polished and composed as ever.

Standing beside her in my current state, I looked completely out of place.

"You're out. I came to pick you up."

I stared at her for two seconds. She felt like a stranger.

She instinctively looked away, but not before I caught the flash of guilt in her eyes.

"Alina, I don't have a sleepwalking disorder, do I? And I never hurt Brett."

Her expression stiffened, but I continued, "Everything you did was to protect Brett. But I don't understand. I never did anything to him. What could possibly have made you go this far?"

She stopped walking and pressed her lips together, refusing to meet my eyes.

I gave a bitter smile. "And I'm sick."

She took a deep breath and turned around, impatience filling her eyes. "Zeke, you just got out, and you're already starting this again?

"First you're questioning the sleepwalking, and now you're sick. What comes next? You're going to tell me you were framed and you're dying?"

I opened my mouth, wanting to say yes, but the sharp disgust in her eyes stopped the words in my throat.

She forced down her temper.

"Wait."

I had just reached for the front passenger door when I pulled my hand back.

She pressed her lips together. "The front seat is Brett's. Sit in the back."

Swallowing hard, I let out a self-mocking laugh. "In your heart, is Brett Langley your real brother now?"

She frowned and corrected me, "He's Brett Beasley now. I legally made him part of our family. He's your brother too."

On the way home, sudden warmth rushed from my nose. I quickly tilted my head back, but the blood still came.

"What's wrong?" Alina asked, frowning at me through the rearview mirror as she handed me a tissue.

I endured the waves of excruciating pain tearing through my body. "Just a nosebleed."

She nodded and didn't ask anything else.

Returning to the home I hadn't seen in five years felt like stepping into another lifetime.

"Zeke!" A young man ran toward me. "You're finally home."

Looking at him, I was suddenly overwhelmed by insecurity. Over the past five years, I'd gone from confident to timid. Meanwhile, there was no trace left of the meek, nervous boy he'd once been.

I brushed his hand away. "We're not that close. Drop the act."

Brett froze, looking hurt.

Alina's expression instantly darkened. "Looks like five years in prison still didn't teach you how to behave. Zeke, apologize."

My body stiffened, but I still lowered my head to him. "I'm sorry, Brett."

Once we were inside, I headed upstairs to my room.

Alina followed behind me. "By the way, Brett has your old room now. You'll stay in the guest room for the time being."

My fingers slowly curled into a fist. "Okay."

That evening, the dinner table was once again covered with food I was allergic to, and in the living room, I once again sat off to the side, completely out of place.

When I returned to my room, Brett followed me inside. This time, the fake expression on his face was gone. All that remained was malice and disgust.

"You're harder to kill than I thought. I can't believe you didn't die in prison."

I looked up at him, suddenly understanding. "So the guy who ran the cellblock, Derrick... You arranged that?"

Brett smiled and shook his head. "Wrong. It wasn't me. It was Alina. She knew I'd been wronged, so she helped me get even. She knows that only when you're gone will people stop looking down on me. Only then can I become the real heir of the Beasley family."

Suddenly, everything made sense.

Those five years in prison...

They were all because Alina wanted people to gradually accept Brett as part of the family. It was all part of her plan to make sure he never suffered the slightest humiliation. It was absurd.

I lowered my head and laughed.

Brett frowned at me. "Have you lost your mind? You..."

Smack!

Brett's head snapped to the side. He stared at me in shock as the sting spread across his cheek. "Are you crazy? You hit me!"

I stepped forward and clamped one hand around his throat. "I'm dying anyway, Brett. You might as well come with me!"

"Cough... cough! Let go!" His face slowly turned purple, his eyes beginning to roll back.

Bang!

The door flew open.

A kick sent me crashing into the foot of the bed.

"Zeke!" Alina saw the finger marks around Brett's throat and clenched her jaw in fury. "You're completely insane!"

I lay on the floor and coughed up blood. It disappeared into the black carpet, so no one noticed.

Still furious, Alina snapped coldly, "If you ever hurt Brett again, I'll throw you back in prison!"

The door slammed shut.

Bang.

The sound seemed to strike straight through my heart.

I lowered my eyes as blood started pouring from my nose again. It hurt so much...

I bit down hard on my hand, but a pained whimper still escaped me. I closed my eyes for a moment, then dragged my suitcase downstairs. This wasn't my home.

Alina saw the suitcase beside me in the foyer and frowned. "What? You hit someone, and now you're running away from home?"

I said nothing.

She sneered. "Then get out and stay gone. Zeke, you really are a disappointment."

I looked at her.

Suddenly, the room spun. My eyes rolled back, and I collapsed to the floor.

"Zeke!"