Chapter 4

Over the next few days, Elise began bombarding me with calls and messages.

She thought I was still angry. At first, she scolded me for not understanding her intentions.

"You're so spoiled. I only made you live on your own for a couple of years. I didn't give you any money, and you threatened to take your own life and trashed the house."

"Leon, do you really think the whole world revolves around you?"

"Do you think these past five years were easy for me? I've been suffering too, waiting every day for you to come home."

"You've let me down, and you've let our parents down too!"

When I didn't respond, she changed tactics and tried to coax me into coming home.

"It's been so long. How can you still not understand? Leon, we're siblings. I promise, if you come home, I'll send Archie abroad. Okay?"

"Stop being stubborn. All you have to do is apologize. Once you say you're sorry, we can put the past behind us."

But no matter what she said, I never replied.

Eventually, she lost her patience.

"So you're really going to ignore everything I say? I've spoiled you far too much."

"I wanted to make it up to you because I felt guilty. But I guess there's no point anymore."

"Leon, from now on, I'm done taking care of you. I'll show you what real punishment looks like! Without me, you're nothing!"

And she was right.

After she stopped protecting me, my life became harder.

With Archie paying people off, more and more people joined in harassing me.

Someone kept leaving garbage outside my door. The word "DEAD" was painted across the wall opposite my home in huge red letters.

At night, I would hear the unsettling sound of a woman crying somewhere outside. Anonymous packages arrived containing disturbing items, like torn dolls and dead rats.

Even my neighbors had had enough. Several of them came to my door and begged me to move.

Elise didn't seem to know anything about any of it.

She took Archie overseas again and occasionally sent me messages.

"Why did you turn off the camera?"

"You must be running out of money by now. Aren't you coming home?"

"I haven't changed the villa's passcode. You can come back. I'll handle Archie. Just apologize when you see him."

I didn't reply to any of them.

"Fine. I know you're stubborn. Let's see how long you can keep this up."

But by then, none of it mattered to me, not the harassment, not her messages—nothing.

Because I had already made up my mind that this nightmare had to end.

I turned off the security camera and locked myself in the bathroom.

After what happened the last time, I knew exactly what I was doing. I drove the blade deep into my wrist.

As I watched the blood drip on the floor, memories of Elise filled my mind.

When I was only a year old, my first word wasn't "Mom" or "Dad". It was "Elise".

Her face immediately lit up. She grabbed the finger I reached out to her as our parents watched in amazement.

From that day on, she spoiled me endlessly.

When I was in school, I hated doing homework and never listened to anyone. I constantly got called to the principal's office too.

Whenever Mom got angry with me, Elise would step in.

"Mom, leave Leon to me. I'll tutor him."

I ignored my teachers and tutors. She was the only one I listened to. After just six months of studying with her, my grades improved dramatically.

The day I got into Seaverton Middle School, she proudly ruffled my hair. "Leon, you did great. What do you want as a reward?"

When I was in middle school, I was bullied and got into a fight.

Elise was furious when she found out about it. The next morning, she showed up at my school carrying a stick.

"Which one of you hurt my brother? Show yourself now!"

Strangely, I thought I would remember all the resentment, pain, and despair from the past five years.

Instead, as my consciousness faded, all I could remember was how good Elise had once been to me.

I gave a helpless, bitter smile.

Then I picked up my phone and called her.

It was probably the middle of the night in Marevia, yet she answered almost immediately.

She spoke first, her voice still annoyed. "Finally ready to apologize? Did you finally realize you were wrong?"

I struggled to speak. "I'll give you my life. Can the punishment end now?"

"What do you mean?"

Her voice suddenly turned frantic.

But I could no longer hear what she was saying.

My phone slipped from my hand, and my eyes slowly closed.

"Elise, this time, you won't get the chance to save me."