He Cried When I Died

"Hey, Gem, did you miss me?"Nathan had such a gentle smile on his face that I knew it had to be Gemma without looking at the caller ID.He used to be the brother who loved me more than anything and would give me the whole world if he could. But now, all his attention was on that manipulative orphan he'd taken in."Hang on, Gem. I'll come home as soon as I wrap things up here… Got it. I promise I'll take care of myself," he rambled on. Whatever Gemma said next darkened his expression, and his voice turned cold. "Don't worry, I'll make sure Rosanne admits she stole your thesis. If she won't own up to it, I'll beat it out of her."There, there. Don't be upset now. Stay home until I get back. Things aren't safe outside right now, and if you ever have to go out, let me know, alright?"A hollow, bitter laugh escaped me as I listened to Nathan's soft reassurances. He was my biological brother, yet he'd never believed a word I said and trusted some outsider he'd picked off the street.

Nathan froze, and confusion flickered in his gaze. "What are you talking about? Why would you have Rosanne's phone?""Nathan, we found the crime scene, and the phone's here. You should come in person."The voice on the line hit him like a blow, his body swaying slightly. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out of it. It was as if something had lodged in his throat.Lawrence gave his sleeve an anxious tug. "Don't just stand there! Go!"Snapping out of it, Nathan turned to Gemma and said, "You go home. I'll come to you in a bit."With tears brimming in her eyes, Gemma reached out to stop him, but her hands merely grabbed at air.It was my first time seeing Nathan leave her for me.As I watched him hurry away, complex emotions twisted in my chest. For a moment, it felt like I had my older brother back, the one who once doted on me.…At the scene, Orson handed him my phone. "We found it in the corner. The splattered blood nearby looks like the victim dropped it while trying t

Perhaps Gemma was bold enough to snatch my locket because Nathan had her back. He'd believe anything she said without question.That was how she kept sowing discord between me and Nathan and throwing dirt on my name over and over again.Even now, he still trusted her.It took a long silence before Nathan finally said, "We'll look into her in secret. Tomorrow night, I'll meet her as usual so she won't get suspicious."But Gemma couldn't even wait until tomorrow. Right after Nathan spoke, his phone rang with her call. Her voice was filled with worry and fear as it came through the line."Nathan, I heard what happened to Rosie… Are you okay?"Nathan glanced at Lawrence and flatly replied, "Yeah. I'm fine."She paused before cautiously saying, "They haven't caught the killer yet, and I'm scared. Can you come home to keep me company tonight?"Lawrence gave him a nod, so he said, "Sure. I'm on my way."After he hung up, Lawrence reminded him, "Stay alert and call us if anything ha