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I Gave My Brother My Ticket to War

I Gave My Brother My Ticket to War

História curta · Emotional Realism
Por:  PinehartCompleto
Idioma: English
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Sinopse

Familial Bond

Plot Twists

Feel-Good Story

Male POV

Remorse Family

Family Emotions

Face Slapping

Bias

The acceptance letter informing me that I've been selected for an overseas assignment has barely arrived at my doorstep when my fiancée of five years, Betsy Eaton, demands that I give up my spot to my good-for-nothing younger brother, Jimmy Sweeney. "Cody, I know you've spent years working your way up from the bottom, and this is a rare opportunity. But it's just as important to Jimmy. He's still young. Once he comes back with some overseas experience, we'll all be able to enjoy the good life." Jimmy lets out an equally fake sigh. "Cody, you couldn't even get into college or speak Vesparish. Won't you just embarrass our family if you go abroad?" Before I can argue back, my father, Marty Sweeney—who has always favored Jimmy—slams his hand on the table. "As the older brother, it's your duty to look after Jimmy. So, it's only right for you to give him your spot. If you dare go off and enjoy the good life yourself, then you're no son of mine!" As I listen to my family's shamelessly twisted logic, I can't help but sneer inwardly. They think I've applied for a cushy, paid assignment in Vespary when in reality I'm headed to the Quorinth war zone, where artillery fire rains down and death lurks around every corner. Seeing the undisguised greed in Jimmy's eyes, I decide to play along. "Fine, he can have my spot," I say with a nod.

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Capítulo 1

Chapter 1

The acceptance letter lay on the table, the blue cross emblazoned on its cover standing out starkly.

Betsy Eaton clutched the letter tightly in her hand, as if afraid I might snatch it back.

"Cody, don't blame me for being ruthless. Jimmy's never been abroad in his life. This is a real opportunity for him."

As she spoke, her eyes kept darting toward Jimmy Sweeney.

Jimmy was lounging on the couch, picking his teeth. His expression practically screamed arrogance.

"Betsy's right, Cody. You're such a dull guy that sending you abroad would be a waste. Just stay home and keep fixing your crappy machines. Leave the kind of opportunity that broadens your horizons to me."

Looking at the younger brother our entire family had spoiled rotten, I could only find the whole situation absurd.

For years, I'd worked overtime at the factory until late at night just to put him through a third-rate college.

And what did he do? He took my hard-earned money to book VIP tables at bars and hit on girls. Meanwhile, as my fiancée, Betsy not only refused to stand by me but sided with Jimmy at every turn.

"Jimmy, have you even passed the Vesparish language exam?" I asked calmly.

Jimmy's expression stiffened, but he quickly jutted out his chin and shouted, "Who cares about that stupid exam? Plenty of people abroad speak Nyctarese! Besides, Betsy said that with brains like mine, I'd find opportunities to make a fortune over there."

I turned to my father, Marty Sweeney. He was puffing on his pipe, his face growing frighteningly grim behind the swirling smoke.

"Jimmy's right. Without a degree, you'd only bring shame to this family if you went abroad. Transfer the spot to Jimmy, and that's the end of this matter."

He didn't even bother asking for my opinion before handing down his verdict.

I looked around the room, where the certificates I'd earned as a boy still hung on the walls. Yet, in this family, I'd always be nothing more than a spare part they could sacrifice whenever it suited them.

"Are you absolutely sure you want the spot?" I asked Jimmy again.

Betsy shrieked, "Cody, what's that supposed to mean? Why are you still fighting this? I'm warning you, if you don't agree to this, I'm calling off the wedding."

She slammed her engagement ring onto the table.

I stared at the ring. I'd spent months saving up to buy it with my hard-earned wages. Suddenly, it seemed so ridiculously cheap.

"Fine. Since you all want it so badly, I'll take Jimmy to get the paperwork done tomorrow."

I stood up and walked straight to my bedroom without sparing anyone a glance.

Through the closed door, I could hear cheers erupting from the living room.

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10 Capítulos
Chapter 1
The acceptance letter lay on the table, the blue cross emblazoned on its cover standing out starkly.Betsy Eaton clutched the letter tightly in her hand, as if afraid I might snatch it back."Cody, don't blame me for being ruthless. Jimmy's never been abroad in his life. This is a real opportunity for him."As she spoke, her eyes kept darting toward Jimmy Sweeney.Jimmy was lounging on the couch, picking his teeth. His expression practically screamed arrogance."Betsy's right, Cody. You're such a dull guy that sending you abroad would be a waste. Just stay home and keep fixing your crappy machines. Leave the kind of opportunity that broadens your horizons to me."Looking at the younger brother our entire family had spoiled rotten, I could only find the whole situation absurd.For years, I'd worked overtime at the factory until late at night just to put him through a third-rate college.And what did he do? He took my hard-earned money to book VIP tables at bars and hit on girls.
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Chapter 2
Jimmy was yelling about buying designer suits, while Betsy was planning to buy designer handbags.Dad was on the phone bragging to our relatives about how Jimmy was going to live the good life in Vespary.Leaning against the door, I pulled out my phone. On the screen was a top-secret internal email from the rescue organization."Destination: Luminara Strait, Soleene, Quorinth. Mission: Maintenance of battlefield medical equipment and emergency rescue operations. Risk Level: Extremely High."I deleted the email, then walked over to my desk and tore the will I'd written long ago into tiny pieces.Early the next morning, Jimmy got up at the crack of dawn for once. He put on a gaudy shirt and slicked his hair back until it gleamed."Cody, hurry up! Don't hold up my bright future!" he said, checking himself out in the mirror.Betsy was fussing over Jimmy, straightening his collar.Her gestures were a little too intimate, but she was so engrossed in him that she didn't even notice
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Chapter 3
Austin was livid. He pointed at Dad, too angry to get a word out for several seconds."Fine. You're doing this of your own free will, right? Then don't come crying to me when something happens!"Austin yanked a stack of documents out of his drawer and slammed them onto the desk.Jimmy eagerly snatched up a pen and scribbled his name in the applicant's signature field. His handwriting was crooked and sloppy, much like the man himself."Hold on." Austin pressed a hand firmly against the documents, his expression stern. "Jimmy, right? There's a Voluntary Waiver of Liability for Deployment to High-Risk Areas here. You need to sign it too."Austin deliberately emphasized the words "high-risk areas".Jimmy didn't even bother reading it. He signed with a sneer, then said, "High-risk? Rich people these days love a thrill. I get it. The more dangerous a place is, the more money there is to be made."He even shot me a smug look, his eyes practically screaming, "You're such a coward."Bet
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Chapter 4
"Betsy, Jimmy is so much better than Cody, who does nothing but hard labor. Don't you think it's time you…"Several relatives exchanged knowing looks and burst into laughter, while Betsy grinned from ear to ear.I sat alone in the most secluded corner, quietly helping myself to the food.Just then, Jimmy came over to me with a wine glass in hand."Cody, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you have a drink." He slammed the wine glass down on the table, splashing wine all over me. "Drink up, and whatever happened between us is water under the bridge."From now on, just keep your head down and work at the factory. Maybe I'll bring you back a foreign wife when I get home."The entire room erupted in laughter.Betsy walked over and linked arms with Jimmy in front of everyone."Since we're all gathered here today, I have an announcement to make. My engagement to Cody is officially over. From this day forward, I'm Jimmy's fiancée."Everyone fell silent for a second before erupting
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Chapter 5
Jimmy collapsed to the ground, his face white as a sheet.Dad was stunned too. He rushed forward and grabbed the team leader by the arm."Sir, there must be some mistake. Jimmy was supposed to go abroad and enjoy the good life, not go to war."The team leader shoved him away with astonishing force."Enjoy the good life? This is a battlefield relief mission, not a vacation resort! Mr. Sweeney, are you trying to back out after signing the contract and accepting the allowance?"Jimmy shook his head frantically, tears and snot streaming down his face."I won't go! I don't want to go anymore! I want to go home!"He turned and tried to run, but two team members in camouflage immediately pinned him to the ground."The contract clearly states that anyone who abandons the mission at the last minute must pay a 50-thousand-dollar penalty and face legal consequences."The team leader flung the contract at Jimmy's face. "Read it yourself. It's all there in black and white, along with your
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Chapter 6
Jimmy was forcibly dragged toward the boarding gate. He clung desperately to the railing beside him, digging his fingernails into it until they began to bleed."Cody, you're going to pay for this! You set me up on purpose!"I slowly walked up to him and whispered, "Jimmy, do you remember the winter I spent hauling bricks at construction sites just to save enough money for your tuition?"My hands cracked and bled from the cold, yet you took that money to treat Betsy to fine dining while mocking me for being nothing but a filthy laborer. You should have known this day would come."The fury in Jimmy's eyes gave way to sheer terror as he finally realized I wasn't joking."Cody, I'm really going to die! There's a war going on over at Soleene, for god's sake," he shouted in a trembling voice. Then, a dark, wet patch spread around his crotch.He, a grown man, had literally wet himself in terror.The people around us looked on with disgust.The team leader frowned and signaled to his m
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Chapter 7
Dad had an iron bar in his hand, and his eyes were blazing with fury."Cut the crap and give me the money! Jimmy's the one suffering out there, so you owe us a million dollars in emotional damages! If you don't pay up, I'll show up at your workplace every day, dump shit outside your door, and make sure your reputation is ruined!"I let out a cold laugh. "A million dollars? You've got some nerve. Jimmy went to support international relief efforts and bring honor to our country. How can you call that sending him to his death?"Dad spat on the ground. "Don't give me that garbage! Everyone knows bombs are going off over there every day! Jimmy's going there to suffer! Hand over the money, or you're not leaving this alley today!"The relatives standing nearby piled on."Your dad's right, Cody! You're Jimmy's older brother. How can you be so heartless?""I'm sure a million dollars is nothing to you. Just pay up, and we can still be family."I looked at their greedy faces and quietly pr
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Chapter 8
I let out a cold laugh and played the second piece of evidence. It was the security footage from the rescue organization's office.In the video, Austin repeatedly warned Jimmy that the destination was a high-risk war zone where his life could be in danger.Jimmy, however, merely scoffed and said, "I get it. The more dangerous a place is, the more money there is to be made."Next, I displayed the waiver Jimmy had signed, along with screenshots of his Instagram posts bragging about how he was going to Vespary to live the good life."Jimmy knew the risks. He just thought this was his ticket to getting rich. His greed got the better of him, and that's why he signed the waiver."The tide in the live stream chat began to turn."Damn, so Jimmy brought this on himself?""Look at how smug he was! Serves him right for getting sent to Soleene!"I didn't stop there. Instead, I dropped the biggest bombshell yet.It was evidence of Betsy and Jimmy checking into a hotel together, along with
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Chapter 9
The next day, Betsy was fired from her job.Her own videos had become irrefutable proof of her infidelity, and her coworkers now looked at her like she was trash.She called me dozens of times, but I didn't answer a single one. Eventually, she sent me a text."Cody, you've won. But I'm telling you, if Jimmy doesn't make it back, I'll haunt you for the rest of your life."After reading the message, I blocked her without a second thought.Rich of her to think she could haunt me, when Jimmy wasn't even likely to make it out of Soleene alive.Word came from the rescue organization that Jimmy's support team had come under attack. Even though he was only assigned to logistics, he was so scared of dying that he started running around in a panic as soon as the shelling began.In the end, he stepped on a landmine. He survived, but he lost one of his legs.I was working overtime at the company when I heard the news.Austin sighed and said, "Cody, Jimmy's been brought back to the country
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Chapter 10
The wound where Jimmy's leg had been amputated seemed to have reopened, and fresh blood began seeping through the bandages. He writhed on the floor like a worm, snarling like a wild animal.As I looked at his miserable state, I felt no satisfaction. Instead, all I felt was a profound sense of relief."Jimmy, this is the fate you brought upon yourself."I pulled a sheet of paper from my pocket and tossed it in front of him. It was the copy of the waiver he'd signed back then."Keep this safe. After all, it's the only thing you've ever earned with your own two hands."With that, I turned and walked out of the room. No matter how desperately Dad called after me, I never once looked back.No sooner had I stepped out of the hospital than I saw Renee Finley, the woman who had quietly stood by me through my hardest time."Is it all over?" she asked softly.I took her hand, feeling the warmth of her palm against mine."Yup."…Six months later, I applied for a medical aid program in
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