Chapter 1

Mom stumbled when I yanked my arm away.

She grabbed the shoe cabinet for support and stared at me in disbelief.

“Claire, have you lost your mind?

“That’s your own brother, Ryan!

“A Category 5 hurricane is about to hit! If you refuse to go save him, are you just going to stand by and watch him die?”

Dad had just pulled on his raincoat. The moment he heard that, his face darkened.

He strode over and pointed a finger at my nose, cursing furiously.

“You ungrateful brat! What kind of thing is that to say?

“Your brother has been weak and sickly since he was little. If anything happens to him, I’ll skin you alive!”

Looking at his familiar face, I felt a chill spread through me.

It had been the same on the eve of the hurricane in my previous life.

Ryan had only said he was going out to buy something before he completely disappeared.

My parents had panicked and dragged me straight into the storm.

We searched for him through the torrential rain and violent winds for four hours.

In the end, my parents were killed instantly when a billboard collapsed on them.

Covered in blood, I somehow made it back to our residential complex. When I followed the rescue team upstairs, I found Ryan sitting safely inside the glass room on the rooftop.

The air conditioner was running. Snacks were scattered around him, and his headphones were filled with the angry shouting of him and his teammates as they played games together.

He had never left the building at all.

I cried as I told him that our parents were dead.

He showed no grief whatsoever. Instead, he gave a contemptuous laugh.

He said he had never asked anyone to come looking for him.

Then, to avoid taking responsibility, he took advantage of my distraction during our argument and shoved me off the rooftop.

The agony of that fall still seemed to linger deep in my bones.

I took a deep breath and suppressed the hatred churning in my chest.

I couldn’t let them know that I had been reborn. Not yet.

I looked at Dad coldly.

“If you’re so worried about him, why don’t you call him first?”

Mom wiped away her tears and shouted,

“I did! I’ve been calling him ever since he left two hours ago!

“He won’t answer!

“He must have gotten into trouble outside! Maybe his phone fell into the water, or maybe he passed out!”

I sneered inwardly.

Ryan had a severe gaming addiction.

Once he sat in front of his computer, put on his noise-canceling headphones, and started playing ranked games, he wouldn’t even look at his phone if the sky were falling.

That was exactly how we’d been fooled in my previous life.

We were so consumed by panic that no one stopped to think clearly, call him a few more times, or check the places he usually went.

“I’ll call him.”

I pulled out my phone and dialed Ryan’s number right in front of my parents.

The speaker played a long series of ringing tones.

No one answered. Eventually, the call disconnected automatically.

Dad impatiently reached for my phone.

“I already told you he won’t answer. What are you waiting for?

“Hurry up and come downstairs. We’ll check the internet cafés, pool halls, and everywhere else one by one!”

I pulled my phone out of his reach and calmly dialed again.

“If he doesn’t answer once, call him again.

“If he’s really in danger, keeping the line open is even more important.”

The second call rang until it disconnected.

The third went unanswered as well.

On the fourth call, someone hung up.

A notification appeared on my screen indicating that the call had been declined.

I pointed at the screen and looked at my parents.

“See that? He rejected the call himself.

“If someone is injured or unconscious, how could they possibly press the button to decline a call?”

Mom froze for a moment, doubt flickering across her face.

I put my phone away and calmly stated my conclusion.

“That only means he’s somewhere extremely safe, safe enough to have the time to reject my call.

“You both know what he’s like when he starts gaming. He practically forgets everyone exists.

“So he never left. He’s definitely somewhere in this building, hiding out and playing games.”

Dad shoved me aside and roared so loudly that it seemed like his voice could tear the roof off.

“He could have accidentally pressed the button!

“Claire, stop making excuses to shirk your responsibility!

“Your brother’s life is hanging in the balance, and you’re still standing here trying to scheme and make excuses!”