Chapter 2

At the mention of my late brother, Dad's voice caught in his throat. It was obvious the grief was crushing him too.

However, a moment later, it was as if he had suddenly thought of something. He closed his eyes briefly before speaking again.

"Your grandfather was old. His mind wasn't clear anymore.

"Maybe after Jason died... he simply didn't want to keep living either.

"That's enough. No more questions. This matter ends here."

Dad returned to his room with finality in his tone, refusing to say another word about my brother.

But I could not stop thinking about the final message Jason had left behind. I needed to know what he had said before he died.

Mom felt the same way.

Three days later, Dad came home dead drunk and collapsed unconscious on the bed.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Mom searched through his clothes and found the suicide note.

She unfolded the paper eagerly.

Then froze.

I watched the expression on her face change dramatically, and panic rose in my chest.

"Mom, what exactly did Jason write?"

However, instead of answering, she stood there blankly, like she had been scared out of her mind.

I became frantic and stepped forward, trying to snatch the paper from her hands.

What happened next shocked me even more.

Tears streamed down her face as she looked at me, her eyes hollow with despair.

Then, right in front of me, she crumpled the paper into a ball and shoved it into her mouth.

I panicked and grabbed her arm.

"Mom, what are you doing? Spit it out!

"Don't swallow it!"

But no matter how hard I shouted, she still swallowed the paper whole.

Then she looked at me, tears shimmering in her eyes.

"Sam... you must never know what that sentence said."

I stood there frozen, unable to understand what kind of terrible power those final words held.

Why was everyone reacting so strangely?

Grandpa had seen the message and immediately killed himself.

Just then, Dad, who I had not realized was awake, slowly sat up on the bed and stared at us.

He let out a long sigh, looking exhausted and helpless. Then suddenly, he laughed.

His dark gaze settled on Mom.

"Rachel... now you're living in hell with me."

I felt myself breaking apart, unable to understand how everything had become like this.

Just a month ago, I thought I had a happy life.

During summer vacation, my brother and I spent every day curled up at home together, watching TV, playing games, or reading manga side by side.

Our parents were deeply in love, and they loved us just as much.

They had been married for twenty years and never once had a serious fight. All their affection and care had been poured into me and my brother.

Even Grandpa, despite his age, had always been kind to us.

He was a gentle old man who would secretly buy us snacks or slip us extra pocket money whenever our parents were not looking.

However, in just a few days, everything changed.

My brother committed suicide. Grandpa jumped to his death.

Dad started drowning himself in alcohol, and Mom had become someone I barely recognized.

I felt like the entire world was spinning apart beneath my feet.

And through all the exhaustion and grief, one question kept haunting me:

What exactly had my brother written in that final message?

The next day, the police came to our house again.

My parents were nowhere to be found, so I was the only one there to speak with them.

One of the officers asked, "Did your brother show any signs recently that he might harm himself? For example, failing exams, arguing with his parents, or maybe... a breakup?"

I racked my brain for a long time before finally shaking my head.

My brother had always been the top student in school. Every exam, every test, he came in first. He had even gotten perfect scores on his final exams.

He was obedient and thoughtful, the kind of child parents adored. Mom and Dad could barely bring themselves to scold him, and honestly, they had no reason to.

As for heartbreak, that was even more ridiculous. He was only in his first year of middle school. He didn't even have a girlfriend.

The police looked just as confused as I was, so they tried another angle.

"What about your grandfather? Did he ever express thoughts of suicide recently?

"He saw your brother's final message, and immediately afterward, he chose to kill himself."

The officer paused, then looked directly at me.

"What exactly did your brother write?"