Chapter 5

Tim's words left me speechless. For a moment, I wondered if this was some kind of scam.

I had personally picked up the deed from the county clerk's office when I bought the house. How could Jude possibly be the owner?

Tim seemed to realize I didn't believe him. With an awkward laugh, he sent me a digital copy of the transfer agreement through WhatsApp.

I opened the file. There was so much fine print that my eyes started to blur, but one thing immediately caught my attention—the signature.

I froze. I searched my memory, but I couldn't remember ever signing anything like this. Then, I saw the date on the agreement, and suddenly, everything came rushing back.

It was the day before Jude's birthday. Gillian had suddenly handed me a stack of papers. "Thomas, I need you to sign this. Don't forget."

I was busy editing a video, so I didn't read them carefully. I just assumed that it was the purchase agreement for the new car she wanted.

Since I'd promised to buy it for her, I signed the papers without a second thought. I never imagined that the trust I'd placed in her would be repaid with such a betrayal.

The next day was Jude's birthday. Given how devoted Gillian was to her brother, I was surprised she hadn't prepared anything for him.

When I asked her about it, she just replied, "I've already given him a gift. What's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours, right?"

Back then, I thought she was finally being considerate of me and trying to keep her distance from Jude, so I assumed my gift counted as hers, too.

I forgot that Gillian would never change.

In her heart, Jude mattered more than anyone else. When she said she had already given him a gift, she meant she had simply given him something that belonged to me.

I stared blankly at the transfer agreement, feeling as if all the strength had drained out of me.

I had always admired Gillian's way with words at work. I'd never imagined she'd use that same skill to play games with me.

Over the phone, Tim continued explaining exactly what Gillian had done that day, trying to reassure me that he wasn't making it up.

Every word he said felt like a needle piercing my heart. I swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in my throat. "Okay. I understand. I'll get the owner's approval."

After hanging up, I immediately took a cab to Gillian's office.

I ignored the strange looks from her employees and kicked open the door to her office. I didn't expect the first thing I'd see to be the two of them locked in a tight embrace.

Gillian immediately let go of Jude and stepped in front of him, shielding him with her body.

Seeing her instinctively step in to protect him, with that guarded look in her eyes, made my heart ache.

How terrible of a person did she think I was? Just seeing me made her assume that I was there to cause trouble, so she immediately shielded Jude from me.

I gave a cold laugh and looked away. I had no desire to question her about it. I just opened the digital agreement and tossed my phone onto her desk. "Gillian, explain this."

She clearly hadn't expected my reaction. A flicker of surprise crossed her face as she picked up my phone.

The moment she saw the agreement, her expression relaxed. She said nonchalantly, "Is this what you're upset about? He's my brother, and we're the only family he has left. What does it matter whose name is on the house?

"And I talked to you about it back then, didn't I? You signed the papers yourself. Jude's 30th birthday is a big deal, and he's going to get married someday. He needs a place of his own. It's been two months already. Why are you suddenly throwing a fit about it now?"

Gillian looked at me in confusion, just as she had every other time we'd argued over Jude during the past eight years.

She never understood why I was so upset over those "little things" or where all my anger came from. She couldn't even see how blatantly she sided with Jude, let alone how much it hurt me.

My hands clenched tightly at my sides. My fingernails dug into my palms until they drew blood, but I felt no pain.

In Gillian's mind, Jude needed a house because he would get married someday. But had she forgotten that I'd bought that house for us—that it was supposed to be our home after we got married?

I struggled to breathe as I stared at Gillian. The longer I looked at her, the more of a stranger she became.

Things weren't like this in the beginning. Jude was around back then too, but Gillian wasn't like this.

She did think of Jude first in everything. When we went shopping, she'd give him the ice cream first. When it rained, she'd make sure he was under the umbrella first. Whenever her legs got tired, she'd turn to him and act cute.

But back then, she still knew where to draw the line. She'd wait in line with me for our favorite drinks. After handing the umbrella to Jude, she'd slip under mine. And whenever her feet hurt, she'd only climb onto my back.

I don't know when that changed, but somewhere along the way, Jude became the only person who mattered to her.

And because I was younger, I was expected to respect him in everything, even if that meant giving up my girlfriend and my house for him.

I let out a bitter laugh. I didn't want to argue with her about the house anymore. I just wanted to get away from their sick excuse for a sibling relationship.

"Gillian, I'm not throwing a fit. If you think Jude needs a house, then fine. He can have it. I don't want it anymore. Just pay me back what I spent on it. Please wire 1.96 million dollars to my account as soon as possible," I said drily.