Chapter 1641


    There was a bottle of water beside Ste’s feet. It did not seem like she had the intention to end her


    life.


    Marshall heaved a sigh of relief upon thinking about that.


    There was a very steep drop just less than six feet away from Ste, and Marshall dared not to startle


    her. So, he sat down not far from her and apanied her in silence.


    It was past noon. Although the sun shone brightly, it felt chilly at the mountaintop.


    Ste wore a windbreaker. It did not look very thick, and her exposed earlobes turned bright red from


    the coldness.


    “Ste…”


    Marshall called out to her softly.


    Ste remained still, and Marshall did not know if she had even heard him.


    Marshall gazed at the distant mountains surrounded by mist and spoke again after some time, “I had a


    younger brother called Ryan who was two years younger than me. Not only that he was adorable and


    well-behaved, but he was also incredibly smart too. He could say plenty of simple words before he was


    even a year old. He always had a smile on his face, and almost everyone who met him liked him.


    “I was never a talented person, and I was always slower to learnpared to other kids my age. I was


    also introverted, and not many people in my family liked me. My mom often took her anger out on me,


    but when Ryan came along, the family’s attention shifted away from me to him. He was the reason why


    I could finally be myself, so I liked him a lot, too.


    “The time when Ryan was born was one of the happiest times in my life, but it didn’tst long. On the


    second Thanksgiving after his birth, our aunt returned from overseas to celebrate with the family.


    Everyone was busy weing her.


    “She brought a beautiful toy car from abroad for us. We loved it and yed with it in our room.


    “Many things were happening in the house, and all the adults were busy. The nanny who was


    supposed to take care of Ryan said she was going downstairs to prepare some fruits, but she didn’t


    come back up for a long time. Ryan started groaning as if he was not feelingfortable. I thought he


    was thirsty, so I took his bottle and tried to feed him some water.


    “However, he seemed to look even more ufortable after some time. His face turned red, and he


    was making some strange noises from his throat. I didn’t think anything was wrong and kept feeding


    him water.


    “He couldn’t really swallow the water, and I ended up getting water all over his clothes. It was only then


    that I realized that he was crying but couldn’t make any sound. I had no idea what was happening, so I


    immediately went downstairs to look for help. However, I wasn’t very good at speaking then, so none of


    the adults had the patience to listen to me.


    All of them thought that I was just ying with them.


    “I ran back to the room. This time, Ryan wasn’t moving anymore…”


    Marshall continued in a low voice, “I thought he was asleep. I was getting tired too, so I next to him and


    fell asleep too. Then, I was awakened by the screams of the adults.


    “Ryan was dead. Some tiny parts from the toy car had lodged in his throat, and he died of suffocation.


    What was supposed to be a joyous celebration had ended in tragedy. My mother cried her heart out,


    and the way she looked at me was strange, filled with me and resentment. I remembered that look


    for a long time.


    “I spent a long time thinking about this. What if Ryan was my older brother? What if I was the one who


    choked on the car parts? Ryan was so smart; I’m sure he would’ve called for help immediately.


    “So, I started bing more diligent. I worked very hard to be like Ryan just so the adults could like


    me more. However, Grandpa still thought that I was dim-witted, and my mother just couldn’t seem to


    forget about Ryan.


    “Then, I thought about how much better things would be if it had been me who died. But do you know


    what Keegan said to me?”


    Ste, who had been sitting still, finally had some reaction upon hearing Keegan’s name. She tilted her


    head slightly away from her knees. Her eyes were swollen and red behind


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    her disheveled hair.


    Marshall continued in a hoarse voice, “He said I was just a child, so why would the adults expect a child


    to handle something that even they wouldn’t be able to handle properly? The adults were only ming


    me because they couldn’t own up to their own negligence. But Ryan wouldn’t. He’d always remember


    how much I loved him. Did you know that the first word that he learned to speak was ‘brother’?”


    Marshall turned his face away, trying to calm himself down. After some time, he spoke again, “Ste,


    this world is full of uncertainties and hardships. You can grieve and feel sad, but life must go on. Uncle


    Wenham, Trevor, your grandparents, Felicity, and all your friends, we all want the best for you. I’m sure


    that this is what Keegan wants, too. Although he had left us, he wouldn’t want anything bad to happen


    to you.”