All Chapters of A Love Too Late: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Still, my sudden compliance managed to stir a small flicker of guilt deep in my parents' hearts.That evening, they brought me a cello when they returned.It was from my absolute favorite maker—something that had never happened in my past life.Over the following weeks, I stuck to my routine at school, grinding through the material until every concept was burned into my mind.Whenever exhaustion threatened to pull me under, I played the cello for a little while.The rich, lyrical music offered a brief escape, letting me temporarily forget the crushing pain of being ignored.Yet even that solitary comfort was ultimately destroyed by my brother.That afternoon, Jordan—who had never shown the slightest interest in musical instruments—suddenly decided he wanted to learn the cello.Straining his fragile body, he scooped up the heavy instrument and tried to carry it to his bedroom.Instead, he dropped the cello down the stairs, where it shattered into pieces.He scraped his hands i

My parents stayed in the city for half a month.Aside from the day they cornered me at the gallery to vent their fury, I did not see them even once.They were completely consumed with Jordan's affairs, running ragged pulling strings, networking, and desperately orchestrating a way to save his future.It was not until a few days before my art exhibition that they tracked me down once more.At that moment, I was in the studio making final preparations for the upcoming event.My parents looked around the space with greed, eyeing the stunning collection of artwork displayed across the room.Then, without a shred of shame, they laid out the exact same proposition as in my past life."Brandon, we checked with the school. Jordan needs to host an exclusive solo exhibition to get an exception for graduation. Just hand over the signatures on these paintings and let your brother have the exhibition."I stared at the two people who called themselves my parents.I could not fathom how such

Ella had not shown up at the studio to help with the exhibition for two whole days.That had never happened before.Usually, the second her last class ended, she could not wait to run over and see me.That afternoon, I was working in the studio when Ella—who had been missing for days—suddenly reappeared.The instant her eyes met mine, tears welled up, glistening in her eyes."Brandon, I always knew things were hard for you, but I had no idea you were suffering this much."Before the words even fully left her lips, she threw her arms around me, resting her cheek against my shoulder.She held my waist tightly as if I were the most precious thing in her world."Brandon, please let me take care of you from now on."What a deeply moving speech.If I had not been destroyed by her in my previous life, I would have fallen right back into her trap.Now, my chest felt completely hollow. There was not a single spark left."Did Jordan tell you all this?"I voiced the exact thought in m

After I left, my exhibition achieved unprecedented success.Just like in my previous life, Jordan assumed my identity and instantly became a hotshot genius painter.Interviews poured in one after another.The university dropped its plans to expel him.Instead, they even named him an outstanding student.Everyone knew that the junior painting class had a genius younger brother and a talentless older brother.Everyone was full of endless praise for Jordan.Riding on his handsome looks and his newly minted persona as a devoted boyfriend to Ella, he gained millions of followers in just a few short days.For a moment, he was the undisputed center of attention.Watching Jordan's rising online popularity, a wide smile curved my lips.He kept getting more famous.The higher he climbed, the better.The higher he rose, the harder he would fall. He could enjoy the spotlight while it lasted because, after all, his good days were coming to an end. The day Jordan and Ella prepared to

Right up until the police cuffed them and led them away, my parents, Jordan, and Ella still could not comprehend how everything had spiraled out of control.How had the helpless son they used to crush and manipulate so easily suddenly become completely unmanageable?They had marched into the gallery with a whole crew, fully intending to drag me straight to hell.Instead, the first thing waiting for them was a squad of police officers."Are you Jordan West's family and Miss Ella Dawson?" the lead officer said, "Brandon West filed a formal police report stating you stole his artwork and unlawfully hijacked his exhibition. Please come with us to the station to assist in the investigation."My parents stared at me in complete disbelief.Mom whipped out the fake psychiatric evaluation, shoving it toward the police. "Assist in an investigation? What kind of joke is this? Look at this paper! Brandon is a certified lunatic. How could you possibly take his word for anything?"Jordan chim