Chapter 2

Yelena had her hand on mine. But the moment she saw the screen, she froze before immediately turning around to answer the call.

Julian Smith’s teasing voice came from the other end of the line.

“Yelena, they said you went all the way home to get me a present? What’s taking so long?!

“Hurry back. All the food’s on the table. Everyone’s waiting for you. Today is my birthday, you know?”

After the call ended, a slight awkwardness crossed her face, and she looked at me.

While she hesitated to speak, a second call came in.

She held her phone and said to me in a low voice, “I’ll ask the butler to come get you in a bit. Just stay home and wait. I’ll bring you something good to eat tonight.”

Right after that, she turned around in a hurry. She answered the call as she strode away.

I propped myself up on my elbows and slowly crawled toward the edge of the rooftop.

The cloying laughter that had tormented me day and night along with the searing pain all over my body surged back.

It had been five years.

I had been trapped in that New Year’s Eve night just before I turned eighteen for five whole years.

I looked back at the figure who had walked away without hesitation. I chuckled lightly with teary eyes.

“It’s okay, Yelena…”

The moment she heard my voice and turned around, I tumbled over the edge without any hesitation.

“Felix!”

The last thing I remembered was Yelena’s anguished face and her hoarse, desperate scream.

The wind roared past my ears.

My consciousness faded, and I closed my eyes.

It felt like I was having a very long dream.

In my dream, Yelena was frivolous and unruly. She was obsessed with fun and was rarely ever home. As such, she had received numerous punishments.

However, the same sister silently took over all responsibilities after our parents died in an accident.

She went from walking into the kitchen with disdain at first to making full meals with ease.

She went from someone who used to be careless and could not be bothered with anything to kneeling and crawling up a thousand-step stone staircase until her legs turned raw and bled.

She did all that just to pray to God to save my life because I was always sickly.

Yelena was clumsy yet earnestly learning to be a good sister. She gave me every bit of security and favor that she could think of.

She even worried about me being lonely. So, when my father’s illegitimate son, Julian, showed up at our door, she let him stay eventually, despite the disgust in her eyes.

Julian was no pushover, though.

He would suddenly slap himself in the face when Yelena walked in, and he would tearfully accuse me of it. “Felix hit me…”

He would hide his watch in my schoolbag before he found it with exaggerated surprise and cried, “Felix stole my watch.”

Yet, it did not matter how well he acted. He even complained to Yelena that I had taken the lead to bully him at school. But all he got was a scoff from her. “Quit the act.”

That was until New Year’s Eve when the whole family gathered for dinner. Julian collapsed out of nowhere.

The family doctor examined him and removed a special type of silver needle from the back of his head.

It was the first time Yelena ever lost her temper at me.

“Felix Smith, I gave you that needle two days ago! What do you have to say for yourself now?”

In the middle of our fight, she flipped the table and stormed out.

I ran after her and tried to grab her and explain, but I was dragged into that nightmarish alley.

I struggled awake from a long haze. Before my vision even focused, Yelena’s furious voice slammed into my ear.

“Felix Smith!”

I turned sideways in a daze.

Yelena was standing by the hospital bed and looking unusually disheveled.

Her eyes were teary, and her voice trembled badly.

“Felix, you really went all out just to compete with Julian for my attention!

“You clearly knew there was a landing platform below the rooftop and you couldn’t have died from that fall. You jumped on purpose just to ruin Julian’s birthday party, didn’t you?

“Julian is right next door. The moment he heard you jump, he fainted from shock! Are you happy now?

“Haven’t you caused enough trouble over these years?

“If you really want to die, find a quiet place and don’t bother anyone on your way out!”

I stared at her blankly, and I was unable to utter a single word for a long time.

In the silence, Julian’s call came again.

“Yelena, is Felix awake? Is he okay?

“When can we go home?”

The moment his voice rang out, all the anger on Yelena’s face evaporated.

“What could possibly be wrong with him? He was just throwing a tantrum and trying to scare us. I’ve already talked some sense into him.

“I’ll throw you a bigger birthday party in a couple of days. I’m packing up now. We’re going home.”

The call ended.

The warmth on her face instantly faded, and she glared at me.

“Stay here and reflect on what you’ve done!

“If you dare cause any more trouble, don’t ever bother coming home again!”

After that, she adjusted my IV drip violently.

Only when the flow slowed down did she lower her hand. She turned around and slammed the door behind her.

I stared at the still-rattling door and barely managed a bitter smile.

My gaze slowly drifted to the fruit knife not far away, and I thought to myself, ‘Don’t worry, Yelena.

‘This time, I’ll die quietly.

‘I won’t bother any of you anymore.’