Chapter 1

The moment I saw them walk out of the hotel, I instinctively ducked behind a nearby van.

I had barely come home in the past four years.

It was not because I did not want to, but because my family had been struggling the whole time.

After Ethan Parker jumped into the river, my parents sold our old house to pay for the search. They moved into an old apartment complex on the south side of town.

Mom said the company was having cash flow problems. Dad said he was not feeling well, but he could not bring himself to go to the doctor.

I applied for student loans, tutored kids after class, handed out flyers, and worked the night shift at a convenience store.

Every month, I sent them whatever money I had left.

Dad always accepted it.

He always sent me a text.

[Xeno, you’ve really grown up. You finally know how to take care of us.]

I always felt guilty.

Ethan jumped into the river on my fifteenth birthday.

He had been back home for seven years by then.

It was also the seventh time he had blown out the candles on my birthday cake for me.

He wore the white suit Dad had bought especially for him and stood in front of the cake with his hands clasped together.

All our relatives gathered around him.

Dad smiled and said, “Ethan’s been through so much. Let him make his wish first this year.”

I stood off to the side and felt like I was in the way.

Ethan opened his eyes and smiled at me.

“Xeno, you don’t mind, do you?”

I said I did not mind.

When Ethan cut the cake, he gave me the biggest slice.

His voice was soft.

“Mom and Dad cared about you the most.

“I guess everything changed after I came back.”

I did not understand what he meant.

Later, I ran down to the river outside the restaurant. Ethan followed me and stopped on the other side of the railing.

He looked devastated.

“Xeno, I’m sorry.

“I know I never should’ve come back and taken Mom and Dad away from you.”

The next second, he climbed over the railing and jumped into the river.

My parents searched for him day and night for three days. In the end, they found one of his shoes downstream.

For seven years, I could not bring myself to celebrate my birthday or eat birthday cake.

I could not even stand near the river for very long.

I always felt like Ethan would reach out of the water and ask me why I had not saved him.

But today, I saw Ethan alive and well.

He wore a light gray coat as he walked beside Dad.

Mom followed them with several luxury shopping bags in her hands.

I bit down hard on my lower lip as I listened to them.

Dad’s voice was much gentler than it ever was when he spoke to me.

“Stay a few extra days on your trip to Avelon. There’s no need to hurry home. Xeno’s coming back after graduation.

“He can be stubborn. What happened back then was because of him. If he sees you, who knows what kind of trouble he might cause again?

“If you run short on money, just call me.”

Ethan lowered his head.

“I don’t want to make things difficult for you.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Xeno either.”

Dad patted the back of his hand.

“You silly boy. Those things were yours to begin with.

“You spent three years suffering out there. We could spend the rest of our lives trying to make it up to you, and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

The door closed, and the car drove away.

Only then did my legs give out. I sank to the ground and struggled to catch my breath.

All these years had been nothing but a lie.