All Chapters of New Year's Eve: I Learned I'm the Spare: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I finally relaxed after doing everything I had in mind.Just as I'd expected, less than half a minute later, my phone started blowing up. Everyone in the group chat started spamming messages, but I had no interest in reading them.Then, Delilah called for the third time. Her persistence made it clear she wasn't going to stop until I answered.This time, I did.The moment the call connected, Delilah's muffled, sobbing voice came through. "Jared, where are you? Come home now, okay? What did you mean by the message you sent just now?""Well, I meant exactly what I said.""Jared, I know you've been hurt all these years, but Leo has always been frail. He's been sensitive since he was a kid. How could you do this to him? What if he sees it? He'll have another episode!"I nearly laughed out loud at her same old excuse.There she went again.Leo's poor health was the perfect excuse to explain their favoritism and all the hurt they'd put me through. In the past, I would've stayed silen

I ignored them, my eyes locked onto Leo. There was a hint of smugness in the depth of his eyes that he hadn't managed to hide in time.That told me all I needed to know.Mila spoke then, her voice frosty and unrelenting. "You've changed into someone I barely even recognize because of jealousy. Leo has won so many awards, and I haven't seen you be happy for him even once. Now that you've lost something of your own, you're quick to blame him, huh?"She walked up to me, looking at me with disgust and contempt. "Wasn't the money I gave you enough? Did you really have to stoop so low just to get attention? Jared, you disgust me."I looked at them, the people who were supposed to be my family, standing like three walls between Leo and me, keeping the two of us in completely different worlds. Each of them was tearing me apart with the cruelest words, one blow after another.I suddenly laughed. I laughed so hard that my eyes welled up with tears. Then, instead of replying to them, I turne

Even though it was blurry, I could still recognize the person. It was the man Leo had hired to mess with my laptop. In the background, a black sedan was parked nearby, and its license plate was clearly visible. It belonged to Mila's private investigator.They'd seen everything.I put the document back on the coffee table and took a picture of the license plate with my phone.Even though there were things they didn't want me to know, I planned to find out for myself. My gut instinct told me that Mila's hesitation and Leo's obsession went beyond plain jealousy.…Three days later, Mila came to me. For the first time, there was a crack in her icy expression. She tossed a black card onto the table before me. Her words came out rough and stiff, like she was forcing herself to speak. "Come home. Stop embarrassing yourself out there. If you need anything, just tell me."I stared at the card and laughed. It was obviously expensive and had no spending limit. I usually had to think twi

It felt like something had exploded inside my head. My mind went blank for a moment, and I could hear my heartbeat pounding like a drum.It was a deliberate switch!I tightened my grip on the letter. My fingertips dug into the paper until my knuckles turned white. Then, slowly, I loosened my grip."Are you okay?" The young man asked uneasily when he saw how pale I'd gone.I ignored him and kept staring at the letter. At the bottom was an address, along with a last name. It wasn't the Parker family or the Smith family, but a name that I'd never heard before.Then came a deion of the place, followed by one sentence. "They are way richer than the Parker family."My breathing quickened.It wasn't an accident. It was a scheme.That was how I ended up with the Parker family. They looked down on me, used me, and treated me like a stepping stone for Leo.For 20 years, I'd been an idiot, struggling and begging for their affection while living in their lies and their fake version of a f

The little brother she'd looked down on for years was actually the innocent one she'd failed.How ironic.I slowly stood up and looked at the family I'd once tried so hard to fit into. Then, I looked at the family photo on the wall. In the photo, the three of them were gathered around Leo, smiling brightly.I let out a breath, as if trying to get rid of all the hurt and resentment I'd carried over the years. I looked at them. My voice was almost too calm. "All these years, I was an outsider."I blocked Mila. The confirmation on my screen said it all. I didn't hesitate. One tap, and I cut off all ties with her. Then, I blocked Delilah, Mitchell, and Leo too.My phone went silent. So did everything else.The airport was packed, so I found a quiet corner and sat down with my suitcase by my feet. There wasn't much in it, just a few clothes and the design sketches I'd managed to salvage.I hadn't taken anything from the Parker family.It felt like someone had pulled me out of a sw