Chapter 4: When Pain Finds Its Voice

None of us dared to speak. I wasn't looking at him, but I'm sure he was looking at me now.

I didn't want to talk to him, but he asked Boss Yuki for permission, so I had no choice but to leave the counter and go to him. But until now, we still haven't acknowledged each other and he hasn't started talking yet.

As if I'm going to talk to him. Over my dead body!

But I looked at him when he placed something in front of me. An envelope, and I know it's filled with money.

"Take it, it will help with your daily expenses," he said, and suddenly, my mood shifted.

He did this last week too. He handed me money, but I refused to take it. My brother never learns. He knows I won't accept it and that he won't get anything from me, yet he keeps coming here and trying to give me money.

"We're just going in circles, Kuya. Aren't you tired of this?" I said in frustration, crossing my arms.

"No, I'm not."

"Then why?"

"Because you're my sister!"

Sister, my ass!

I suddenly smiled bitterly because of what he said. After all these years, he just said that now.

"You still treat me as your sister?" I asked in disappointment, and suddenly I just laughed bitterly.

"What do you expect? That just because you left the house, I won't consider you my sister anymore?" He replied, but he looked at me sadly.

"Erina, I never thought of abandoning you. I'm always on your side, and I've always got your back. You're the one who left me hanging. You suddenly left the house without any explanation, without even telling me where you were going. I was looking for you everywhere, even though Dad was stopping me from doing it," he continued, making me cry.

I tried to hold back my tears, but I couldn't when I saw my brother crying. That's one of my weaknesses, seeing him cry. But I'm still angry at him, and that's not going to change.

"But why, during the time I needed you most, weren't you there? I needed an ally back then, Kuya. I needed a brother who would stand up for me against Dad, but you weren't by my side. You're the one who left me hanging because you've already reached your dreams! You're getting everything you want, so you no longer care about me!" I said angrily, wiping the tears off my cheeks forcefully.

He didn’t answer. He just stood there, staring at me, but the tears continued streaming down his cheeks. People around us had started watching, but I ignored them. I didn’t care what they thought. All I wanted was for him to leave and stop bothering me.

"That’s the day I’ve regretted the most because I wasn’t there when you needed me. I came home that day, but you were already gone. I looked for you immediately, but I couldn't find you," he said sorrowfully.

I turned away from him, refusing to meet his gaze.

I didn’t want to see him, and even more, I didn’t want to hear his explanations. No matter what he said, it wouldn’t change the fact that he left me, that he forgot about me.

"I wanted to apologize to you. I’m sorry if I failed to be a brother to you during those times. But please, come back home. Come with me. You’ve been away from us for six years—"

"But for 18 years, I've been treated like I’m not even our father’s child!" I cut him off, my voice rising with all the anger and pain I had kept inside.

He looked shocked. Everyone in the shop did. But I didn’t care anymore.

"I don’t want to go back to that house, kuya. I don’t want to live with Dad anymore! I don’t want to be with someone who only sees my mistakes, who never once made me feel like I belonged. I don’t want to, kuya. I’m tired of him," I said, my voice calmer now, but my whole body was still shaking with anger.

"If Mom were still alive, she wouldn’t want this. She wouldn’t want you to be away from home, for us to be apart," he said softly, looking at me with sorrow in his eyes.

"If Mom were still alive, she would be happy with what I did and her heart would be at peace. She wouldn’t stop me—she would let me," I corrected him before standing up.

"Don’t come back here again, or I might completely forget that you were ever my brother," I said firmly before walking away.

I didn’t go straight back to the counter. Instead, I headed to the restroom—to cry.

This would be the last time. If I ever cry again, it won’t be because of my family.

"Are you okay, Erina?" Lean asked when I returned to the working area. I simply nodded and put my apron back on.

"You and your brother talked about something heavy. Are you sure you’re okay?"

"Of course. It doesn’t matter to me anymore," I replied.

My eyes drifted to the table where my brother and I had sat earlier. Luckily, he had already left—otherwise, I might have been the one to throw him out myself.

"By the way, Derick just left too. But he told me to let you know that if you ever need anything, you can go to his condo," Lean added.

I nearly smacked my forehead. I had completely forgotten that Derick had been there too. How embarrassing—I didn’t even get to say goodbye to him.

"I’ll take care of things here. Don’t you have another shift to go to?" Lean reminded me.

"Shucks! I almost forgot. Good thing you reminded me," I said, glancing at my watch. It was almost noon, and my shift started at 1 PM. I quickly left the counter and headed to the locker area to change.

I work as a waitress at a restaurant near the shop. Faye told me they were hiring, so I applied—even though I didn’t quite meet their standards. But since I already had experience, I managed to get hired.

Having two jobs is exhausting, but I need them—especially since I live alone and still pay rent for my apartment. I don’t regret leaving my family’s house. If anything, I’m glad, because it taught me a lot about life.

"I’m heading out, Lean. I already told Boss Yuki," I said as I left the shop.

I grabbed my bike—only to realize it was broken.

Seriously?! Why is my luck so bad today?!