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I Refused to Pay Off My Brother’s Debt

I Refused to Pay Off My Brother’s Debt

Short Story · Emotional Realism
By:  Mister RhapsodyCompleted
Language: English
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10Chapters
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Synopsis

Familial Bond

Feel-Good Story

Plot Twists

Bias

Ruthless

Scumbag

Regret

Family Emotions

After my younger brother, Dylan Whitaker, forged a college acceptance letter, swindled our family out of $30,000 in tuition money, and ran away, he vanished without a trace. My parents, Patricia and Thomas Whitaker, searched for him relentlessly until the stress took a toll on their health, leaving them unable to work. With no other choice, I used my savings to open a small convenience store for them. By the end of 2023, the pressure had become unbearable, so I chose to work overtime instead of going home for the holidays. Just as I finished my shift in the early hours of the morning, Mom called. “Your father’s heart condition has flared up. He needs surgery. How much money do you have left? Send it over to save your dad. We’ll pay you back once we’ve saved enough.” My heart sank. “Which hospital is Dad at? I’ll come home right now.” Silence stretched over the line for several seconds before Mom finally stammered, “There’s... there’s only one hospital in Fairview. Where else could he be? And what good would it do for you to come back? Just transfer the money first. Your father really can’t wait any longer!” Impossible. Fairview Community Hospital wasn’t even equipped to perform heart surgery.

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10 Chapters
Chapter 1
I had a feeling Mom was lying to me.But this was serious, so I forced myself to stay calm and played along, trying to get more information.“Mom, don’t panic. How much does Dad’s surgery cost?”“Six hundred thousand dollars.“Logan, you just need to come up with six hundred thousand dollars.”I froze when I heard the amount.When I’d called them two nights ago, Dad had been perfectly fine.How could his condition have suddenly deteriorated so badly that he needed surgery costing six hundred thousand dollars?Even a heart transplant at a major hospital in one of the country’s biggest cities cost less than a hundred thousand dollars.Mom was definitely hiding something from me!“Mom, I don’t have that kind of money—”Before I could finish, she hurriedly cut me off. “If you don’t have enough, can’t you borrow some? Your father is lying in a hospital bed waiting for you! The doctor said that if we wait any longer, he might not make it!”Hearing how close Mom was to tears, I qu
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Chapter 2
Dylan was chubby. He lounged in a recliner, playing games on his phone, surrounded by chips and empty beer cans.He called me “bro” once, then fell silent and went back to his game without even looking up.I stormed over, grabbed him by the hair, and tried to haul him to his feet.Mom and Dad immediately rushed over to stop me.“Dylan just got home! Don’t you dare lay a hand on him! What if you drive him away again?”I let out a bitter laugh.“What else? If he wants to run away, let him! He should’ve died out there!“That thirty thousand dollars he swindled us out of with a fake college acceptance letter? I earned that by signing a two-year contract that practically sold my freedom! Now he’s had his fun, racked up a mountain of debt, and expects me to pay it off for him?“Dream on! I won’t give him another cent!”Dylan wouldn’t meet my eyes. He lowered his head and muttered, “It’s not like I meant to lose it all. At my best, I’d won three million dollars. I thought I’d win ano
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Chapter 3
With the crushing burden of my family finally off my shoulders, I felt an immense sense of relief.For years, my life had revolved around nothing but work.Mom and Dad used to tell me that since they couldn’t find Dylan, I was their only son and the only person they could rely on. Those words made me feel guilty even when I took time off during holidays. I could never truly relax.I doubted they would ever say the same things to Dylan.“Logan, someone’s downstairs asking for you.”When my coworker came to tell me, she blushed and left me a breakfast she’d brought for me.By then, two months had passed since the New Year. I’d stopped contacting my family and sending them money. With some free time and space of my own, I finally had the energy to experience my first relationship.But the moment I went downstairs and saw Mom, Dad, and Dylan, the nightmare of my past came rushing back, leaving me struggling to breathe.I turned to leave, but Mom hurried over and grabbed me.“You’r
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Chapter 4
“Logan, you can’t blame your brother! He can change; I know he can! If you’d just come up with six hundred thousand dollars, and we’d added the two hundred thousand we scraped together by selling everything we owned, your brother would’ve been able to pay off his debt in full. How could he possibly have kept gambling after that?“It’s all your fault for giving him only a hundred and fifty thousand! He wanted to pay off everything at once, so he gambled again to try to win the rest—and lost it all!“Your brother really knows he was wrong. He’s changed, I swear! Please, just help him one more time.“If you won’t help us, we’ll stay right here! We’re not leaving!”Mom wailed as she pulled bedding out of a large woven sack and spread it across the floor, blocking the entrance to the office building.When security guards approached to remove her, she pulled out a knife and held it against her throat, threatening to kill herself right there if I refused to give her the money.I felt as
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Chapter 5
The moment I heard Patricia’s voice, I froze for a long time.I hadn’t been in contact with my parents for nearly a year.After they’d forced me to resign, I’d moved to a small city and started over.Without a degree, I earned only a third of my previous salary. Fortunately, I still had my experience and skills, and with a little luck, I’d managed to build a decent life for myself.I wasn’t making much, but without Thomas and Patricia weighing me down, life had become more peaceful and considerably easier.“Sorry, I’m busy.”I said the words flatly and was about to hang up.Patricia immediately burst into tears and begged me not to.“Logan, I’m not lying to you this time. Your father really did have a heart attack. He…he was so furious he nearly died. He spent ages in the ICU before they managed to save him, but we’ve run out of money for his treatment.“Your brother…Dylan is a disgrace. He tricked us. We shouldn’t have trusted him. We begged everyone we knew and somehow scrap
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Chapter 6
After Thomas and Patricia borrowed eight hundred thousand dollars for Dylan, some of their creditors turned out to be professional debt collectors. When they realized they couldn’t squeeze any more money out of my parents, they used their connections and tactics to track me down.A group of them surrounded me while Patricia knelt on the ground, looking up at me through her tears.“Logan, I really have no other choice! If you don’t help us, your father and I will be hounded to death!“We swear that if you help us pay off the debt, we’ll settle down and live a quiet life. We’ll never get involved with Dylan again.“You’re our only son now. Can you really stand by and watch us die?”The debt collectors chimed in, talking over one another. They offered to waive the interest and let me repay the principal in installments.If I refused, they would keep hounding me. They threatened to ruin my job just as they had done to Thomas and Patricia.But the moment I saw them gathering around m
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Chapter 7
Patricia followed me everywhere. Wherever I went, she went, too.When I was at work, she sat downstairs and waited for me.When I returned home, she lay in the hallway outside my apartment. She neither cried nor made a scene, and even calling the police did no good.Whenever I tried to drive her away, she gave me the same answer.“Don’t you want anything to do with me anymore? Then just let me die.“If I starve to death and your father dies of his illness, at least things will be easier. We won’t have to deal with people hounding us for money every day anymore.”Then she gritted her teeth and added, “But after I die, you’ll be famous, too. Everyone will know you stood by and let your own mother starve to death right outside your door without lifting a finger to help her. Let’s see how you live with that for the rest of your life!”In that moment, I honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The suffocating pressure made it hard to breathe.Before, even though she had repeate
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Chapter 8
I promised to find Dylan and bring him home. Only then did Patricia finally stop clinging to me and return to take care of Thomas.I took time off work and paid a few contacts to help me track Dylan down. Eventually, I found a lead in a small coastal city.I bought a ticket immediately and rushed over. When Dylan opened his door to collect a food delivery, I charged inside, slapped him hard enough to knock him to the floor, and planted my foot on his face.“You’re coming home with me. Mom and Dad want to see you.”He was as fat as a pig and began struggling violently.“I’m not going back! I need to win my money back! Tell them I’ll return when I’ve made five million… No, three million!”That was when I noticed his phone lying on the floor. The online gambling interface was still open on the screen.I kicked him several more times, making sure he was in too much pain to fight back, then picked up his phone and checked his balance.Of the eight hundred thousand dollars Thomas and
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Chapter 9
When Patricia learned that Dylan still had money left, her expression wasn’t one of relief or delight. It was pure panic.She stared at him, trembling.“Y-You said you’d used the money to pay off your debts! Dylan, where did you get two hundred thousand dollars?”On the way to the hospital, I’d warned Dylan not to lie.He lowered his head and answered honestly.“I didn’t pay off the debt. I used the money to invest, and I lost most of it. Only two hundred thousand is left.“But I can still win it all back! Just wait a little longer. Give me a few more days, and I’ll earn back everything I lost!”Smack!Patricia snapped and slapped Dylan across the face.As far as I could remember, it was the first time she’d ever hit him.“You… You promised you’d never gamble again! You swore it to us! How could you lie to us?“Dylan, do you… do you really want to drive me to my grave?”Patricia cried until she had no strength left, then collapsed to the floor.I knew why she was in so muc
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Chapter 10
To save his own life, Thomas finally hardened his heart and told Patricia to call the police and have Dylan arrested.Dylan had become so consumed by gambling that he refused to hand over the money, even when threatened with death. With no other choice, Thomas and Patricia sued him for fraud and theft, eventually managing to recover the remaining two hundred thousand dollars.That money saved Thomas’s life, but it was gone down to the last cent after his treatment.Their bodies were now too weak for them to work or perform any kind of labor.On top of that, they were burdened with eight hundred thousand dollars in debt. Every day they remained alive was another day of unbearable suffering, a life worse than death.Once again, they began seeing me as their only hope.“Logan, we won’t pressure you to pay off our debts anymore.“We swear we’ve completely disowned that beast, Dylan Whitaker. We won’t consider him our son ever again. From now on, you’ll be our only family.“We’re on
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