Chapter 3

So I decided that, for his sake, I would endure everything.

Within six months, I had learned to give Mia anything good without Ethan even having to ask.

I let her have whatever she wanted and never fought her for anything.

But the cost of constantly giving in was my mental health.

By the time I finally sought help, I had severe depression.

My therapist said it had begun after our parents died. Mia’s arrival had simply brought everything I’d buried to the surface.

I became increasingly withdrawn and distant.

Even when Ethan offered to take me somewhere, I no longer had the energy or interest to go.

Eventually, he became angry too.

He accused me of being coldhearted and petty. He said I resented Mia for being happy and deliberately gave him attitude.

I wanted to explain, but I didn’t know where to begin.

Our relationship continued to deteriorate until we reached an impasse, each of us too hurt and stubborn to back down.

I went to Vera’s house.

She lived so far away that I had to walk for three hours. By the time I arrived, my feet were covered in blisters.

As she treated them, she cursed furiously.

“What the hell is wrong with your brother? Has he lost his mind?

“Don’t go back. You can stay here as long as you need.”

I smiled at her, forcing down the bitterness in my heart.

“I’ll have to go back eventually. Ethan will come looking for me in a few days.”

Christmas was approaching.

We had never spent it apart, not once since I was born.

I believed my brother couldn’t bear to leave me alone.

The assistant suddenly stopped reading.

After a brief pause, she said, “Mr. Cole, that’s the end of this entry.”

Ethan twirled the pen between his fingers, his face filled with contempt.

“She really knew how to twist the story. She couldn’t stand Mia, yet she made it sound as though Mia was the one bullying her.

“Throwing her out was clearly the right decision.”

He gave the assistant a cool glance.

Understanding the order, she quickly turned the page and continued.

“January 5, 2020. I started looking for a job today.”

Vera’s family wasn’t well-off. I couldn’t expect her to support me.

But every company I applied to rejected me.

My education and experience met all their requirements, yet I never made it past the interview.

At the last company, the woman interviewing me seemed kind, so I decided to ask her directly.

“I don’t need a high salary. Eight hundred a month would be enough for me to live on.”

She looked at me with sympathy before giving me a pointed warning.

“You should stop looking. No company in Harbor City will hire you.

“Someone gave explicit orders that no one named Julie Cole is to be employed.”

I froze.

It wasn’t until I left the building that I finally understood.

Only Ethan had the power to do something like that.

He was trying to force me to apologize to Mia.

But I hadn’t done anything wrong.

Why should I apologize?

Ethan suddenly scoffed.

“So Julie still thought she was innocent, and she blamed me for making her apologize?

“I was trying to teach her a lesson, but clearly, she learned nothing.

“She only wrote this to play the victim and ask me for money.”

The assistant glanced at him, then silently turned another page.

This time, her voice was heavier.

“January 15, 2020. I went home to see Ethan.”

I went home because it was supposed to snow soon.

Every winter, no matter how busy Ethan was, he would build a snowman with me.

We would have snowball fights, then lie on the ground together and watch the snowflakes spiral down toward our eyes.

I missed him.

Maybe I should just admit I was wrong.

I couldn’t stay in someone else’s home forever.

It was only an apology. If I apologized sweetly enough, Ethan would forgive me.

But the housekeeper told me Ethan had taken Mia on a trip around the world.

Before he left, he instructed everyone not to let me contact him.

He never wanted to see me again.

My brother didn’t want me anymore.

The entry was unusually short, and the assistant quickly reached the end.

Ethan slammed his pen onto the desk.

“When did I ever say that? Now she’s lying about me too!”

His voice rose in fury.

“Keep reading! I want to see what else Julie made up!”