Chapter 2

The silence in the living room was deafening.

Suddenly, the glass in Clyde’s hand slipped, shattering into pieces on the floor.

Madison gasped, immediately asking in concern if he was hurt.

My mother stood up slowly, a flicker of awkwardness crossing her face for a split second. "Dean, listen. It's really not what you think..."

I stared at her, frozen.

For five years, I had painstakingly turned her over in bed every night and patted her back to clear her airways. I thought about how I endured every mood swing, every temper tantrum she threw after falling ill, without a single word of complaint.

Even in blistering 104-degree heat, I hauled heavy bricks, just to make enough money to buy her medicine.

My eyes burned, and I let out a soft, bitter laugh. "Mom, you're an incredible actress. Seriously, you deserve an Oscar."

My mother froze in her tracks.

Clyde turned pale. He reached out an awkward, trembling hand. "Dean..."

I slapped his hand away.

Madison bit her bottom lip. After a long silence, she let out a quiet sigh. "Dean, I'm sorry. But the truth is, I fell in love with Clyde five years ago.

"I wanted to marry him back then, but he was afraid you couldn't take the news, so he refused to commit. I didn't want to make things hard for him, and I hated seeing him suffer. That's why I came up with this plan to keep you in the dark."

"On the day of the crash..." She paused, clearing her throat gently. "I just didn't expect you to react so dramatically."

React so dramatically? The two most important people in my life had supposedly died. I was so crushed by grief that I wanted to follow them to the grave.

I stayed by their sides in the funeral parlor for three days, refusing to eat or drink, passing out multiple times from exhaustion. And to her, all of that was just me "reacting dramatically".

Then Andy chimed in. "Come on, Dean. Clyde is your brother. He's been sick and frail since you guys were kids. You're the healthy one and have already enjoyed way more out of life than he has...

"Besides, whoever Madison loves is her own choice. You can't force love, man! You need to understand that."

Andy’s words felt like a pair of ruthless hands ripping a hole straight through my heart.

Though Clyde and I were fraternal twins, he was born with physical defects, while I grew up healthy. Everyone around us always said I was the one who stole all the nutrients in the womb.

I believed them. All my life, I did everything I could to make it up to him.

Five years ago, he had another episode and was hospitalized for a month. I was buried in work, so I begged Madison to drop by and help me look after my brother.

At first, Madison only visited him occasionally, keeping a strict, polite boundary. But slowly, she started going out of her way to find better hospitals and specialists for Clyde.

Then came the day Clyde had a sudden nosebleed. I had never seen Madison look so panicked. Even so, I never once doubted her.

I had even poured my heart out to her. "Clyde's health isn't great. I don't trust anyone else to look after him, so we might have to take care of him for the rest of our lives."

When I said those words, I was too blind to notice the strange, uncomfortable silence between them. However, thinking back on it now, my hands began to tremble.

I raised my arm. The next second, Clyde lunged forward, throwing himself in front of Madison to take the slap for her.

"Clyde!" Madison cried out, catching him as he stumbled.

He clutched his swollen cheek and looked up at me. "Dean, I've loved Madison ever since the first day I saw her. These past five years were stolen from you. She only married me because she pitied me..."

His face flushed red, and he began coughing violently, gasping for air as if I were the monster driving him to his death.

Madison gently patted his back, coaxing him tenderly. "Don't say such stupid things. If I didn't love you, why would I ever marry you?"

She turned back to me, her voice becoming cold. "Dean, Clyde is your brother. Don't push him into a corner.

"I know I owe you for the last five years. I'll make it up to you, but I won't divorce him."

My mother finally snapped out of it. She rushed forward and shoved me backward. "Why are you bullying your brother?! Now that you know they're both alive and well, shouldn't you be happy?!"

"Seriously, Dean. Stop throwing a tantrum," Andy piped up from the side. "Clyde already apologized, and Madison said she'd make it up to you. Just let it go."

My back slammed hard against the cabinet, sending an agonizing pain shooting through my spine.

They were the ones who teamed up to manipulate and hurt me. Yet somehow, I was the bad guy.

I closed my eyes, my throat tightening as I swallowed the bitter lump. Without another word, I turned and walked out.

Just as I reached the stairwell, someone grabbed my arm.

Madison's eyes flicked down to my hands, rough, calloused, and cracked from years of hauling wet cement, and she froze for a split second.

She then stuffed a heavy bag into my hands. "Clyde can't finish all these health supplements anyway. Take them back with you to nourish your body."

The price tags printed on the boxes were blindingly expensive.

A wave of utter absurdity and humiliation washed over me. All the blood and sweat I endured over the past five years, I thought I was being strong and protecting my family. It turned out that I was just a pathetic joke.

I shoved her away with everything I had. However, my foot caught the edge of the top step. I lost my balance and fell backward.

Madison gasped in horror and reached out to catch me—

"Madison, come quick!" my mother's panicked voice echoed from inside the penthouse. "Clyde's stomach is hurting again!"

Madison hesitated before pulling her hand back and sprinting back into the apartment. I tumbled down the concrete steps, crashing all the way to the landing.

It was late into the night by the time I dragged my bruised, broken body back to my cramped rented apartment.

Just like every other night, I dumped a handful of antidepressant pills out of the bottle and swallowed them.

My phone buzzed. I opened it and saw Andy’s latest social media post.

[Finally don't have to hide anymore! These past five years almost killed me keeping this secret! Wishing these two soulmates a lifetime of happiness!]

Attached was a photo of Madison and Clyde, their fingers tightly intertwined.

Everything I had been suppressing for five long years finally shattered. I bit my lip until it bled, burying my face in the blanket as silent, burning tears soaked through the sheets.