Chapter 4

When I asked about Tristan, my parents did nothing but sigh dramatically.

"He ran off with Rebekah again. It's our fault for not raising him right. Ryan, you have to do well on this exam. The entire future of our family rests squarely on your shoulders."

Dad drove me to the exam center. The moment I walked through the school gates, Alisha kept her eyes glued to me.

They were pulling out all the stops just to ensure I took that exam smoothly.

It was clear they were determined to have only one top-tier university student from the Doyle family. The other twin had to appear as if he had never set foot in the exam venue to avoid any future complications.

Alisha "escorted" me all the way to my designated room before leaving me in the security line.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her heading toward her exam room. That was when I cleared my throat and tapped the student in front of me on the shoulder.

"Of course I'm Ryan! Tristan and I might be identical twins, but it's not like we're clones!"

The comments appeared again.

"Ryan, what are you doing? If you cause a scene, you won't be able to take the exam!

"Stop it right now!"

I ignored the flashing comments and kept talking. "I have a birthmark behind my left ear. Tristan doesn't have that."

The student in front of me looked completely bewildered, but someone nearby who recognized me pointed a finger.

"Didn't Tristan run away with Rebekah? As his brother, how can you even have the peace of mind to take the college entrance exam instead of looking for him?"

The surrounding students immediately began whispering.

"Man, those two really look identical. If it weren't for that birthmark behind the ear, you honestly couldn't tell them apart."

"But Ryan is being way too selfish. He only cares about his own future."

"Exactly. If something happens to Tristan out there, Ryan will be building his successful life on his brother's ruin."

They continued to criticize me until a proctor finally stepped in to quiet everyone down.

I stared at the now silent chat overlay, squeezing my sweat-slicked fists.

…

When the exam ended and I walked out of the exam center, the long-absent comment resurfaced.

"Ryan, get home fast! Your brother is back, and he's crying and begging to see you!"

I sneered inwardly. Pretending I had forgotten something, I turned around and walked back toward the building.

After a few steps, I broke into a sprint toward the side exit.

This time, I had to find a place to hide until…

"Ryan, where are you going in such a rush?"

Cold sweat instantly drenched my back.

Alisha stood there in her school uniform. Beneath her neatly styled bangs was a gentle smile. But behind those innocent eyes lay nothing but cruelty.

My eyes frantically darted around for a classmate to call out to, but my parents stepped up from both sides, each grabbing one of my arms.

Mom pretended to wipe the sweat from my face, but I caught a heavy whiff of a sweet fragrance, and the world went completely black.

When I woke up, I was in that damp basement that had been my prison for ten years.

The biting cold made me shiver, and my heart sank into a hollow dread.

The exact same outcome again!

My parents approached me without any trace of their previous warmth.

"Ryan, the doctors say you've developed severe psychological issues and might harm yourself. We can't bear to see you suffer in a psych ward, so you'll be staying down here from now on."

My body felt entirely drained of strength. I could barely force my eyes open. "Mom, Dad, am I not your son too? If you wanted Tristan to go to a top university and live a good life, I could have tutored him. Why did you have to strip away everything that belongs to me?"

My parents exchanged a surprised glance. Then, a look of resentment washed over Mom's face, and she slapped me hard across the cheek.

"Don't try to act like his brother now! You took advantage of how busy we were to bully Tristan. You even had Rebekah drug him so she'd get pregnant, then had her run away with him so he'd miss the exam. You did all of this just to ruin him!"