Tapes Sent to Prison

The prison guard, Xavier Resler, opened the door, holding some documents. "Inmates 1103 and 1104, your sentences end in three days. Come over and sign these documents."

Colin Garcia and Lance Garcia stepped forward, their hair cropped short. They no longer looked like the dashing scions of the Garcia family. Ten years of incarceration had left them numb and cold.

As Xavier watched the two men sign the documents, he sighed, "You two have been pretty well-behaved. When you get out, make the most of your lives. Your family is still waiting for you."

My eldest brother, Colin, paused mid-signature, a blot of ink bleeding across the paper. He smirked and laughed mockingly, "Family, huh?"

"Ha!" My second brother, Lance, seemed to recall something. He closed his eyes briefly, suppressing the storm of emotions within him. Upon closer inspection, the corners of his eyes were tinged red.

Xavier had worked here for ten years and had watched them go from arrogant and defiant newcomers to men who had been beaten into submission by their fellow inmates. He couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow at how far they had fallen.

He said, "By the way, you two have a younger sister, don't you? She—"

"Don't bring her up," Colin cut him off coldly, his voice hoarse. "She isn't my sister. She's my enemy."

Xavier looked surprised but said nothing more.

Meanwhile, I, their so-called enemy, was standing nearby as a spirit. I watched the hatred they felt for me, my heart heavy with sorrow. This year marked the tenth anniversary of my death. It was also the tenth year I had spent accompanying my brothers through their prison sentence.

Even though it broke my heart, I had chosen this path myself, and I had no regrets. All I wanted was for them to do well.

During their break, Lance turned to Colin and asked, "Once we're out, should we go after Sutton Group for revenge first? Or do we look for both our wives? Or…"

He paused, his voice turning hoarse. "Do we track Brittany down and ask her why she betrayed us?"

Colin remained silent. Only his tightly clenched fists betrayed his anger. "We'll do all of it. As for Brittany, she's no longer a part of our family. And she's certainly not our sister! Lance, you'd better remember that."

I stiffened at his words, a familiar ache settling in my heart. Even after all these years, I still couldn't bring myself to stop caring about how much they despised me.

Colin pulled several videotapes from beneath his pillow, his eyes filled with hatred. But beneath that hatred lay humiliation and pain. "We've watched these tapes over and over again. Lance, don't ever forget what Brittany did to us!"

Lance's gaze darkened. He still remembered how, when they had first arrived, they had spent every day protesting their innocence. But in prison, no one would listen to their cries for justice. Their pleas fell on deaf ears.

That was until I sent them the first videotape. Back then, they had thought it was a message expressing how much I missed them or how much I loved them.

But to their shock, they heard me confess that I had leaked the company's secrets and driven our parents to their deaths.

Lance pushed back his sleeve, revealing his wrist. It was covered in countless scratches, each one a painful reminder of the agony he had endured. "Of course I remember. I remember it all."

I crouched beside them, my fingers trembling. I wanted to touch those scars, but my fingers passed straight through them.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered, my eyes welling up with tears. "But I don't regret this."

Three days later, Colin and Lance were released from prison and had rented a place to live. As luck would have it, their next-door neighbor was Xavier, the very prison guard who had delivered my videotapes over the years.

"Not bad. You both look like you're in good shape," he said, patting them on the shoulders. "If you run into any trouble, you can come to me."

Then, he remembered something and added, "Oh, right. Your sister left another videotape with me."

He handed the videotape to them. "We agreed that I would give this to you a month from now. But now that you're out of prison, there's no reason for me to keep it anymore."

Colin looked down, staring at it silently for a few moments without taking it.

Lance pursed his lips, his expression conflicted. "Just throw it away, Xavier. Thank you for everything over the years, but we want nothing to do with Brittany's filthy things."

Xavier sighed, "Okay. Are you sure you don't want to take a look? I noticed there was a sticky note on it." He paused, then said, "It said 'The Truth.'"