The Boy Who Died Unloved

Synopsis

When I was four, my little brother and I almost drowned. After we got rescued, my mom slapped me across the face. She shouted, "I told you to watch your brother. You almost got him killed. Did you do it on purpose?" Since then, if I ate one piece of my brother's candy, I got punished and wasn't allowed to eat. If I secretly played with his toy car, my mom locked me in the basement. At first, my dad tried to reason with her. But my mom hugged my brother tightly and said, "He caused Wilbur's brain damage. I can't let Wilbur suffer anymore." When I was eight, the old man next door tried to lure my brother into his house with a lollipop. I stepped in to protect him and got dragged inside instead. When I finally crawled home, covered in bruises, my mom kicked me to the ground. "Oliver, Wilbur is weak and sick because of you, and now you pulled a runaway stunt? "Can't you give us a break? I wish I never gave birth to you!" I dragged my still-bleeding body to the back of the closet and pulled out a red pouch. Inside was a gold pendant my mom once gave me. She said it represented her hope that I'd live a long and healthy life. I stared at it for a long time, then calmly swallowed it. Mom, I didn't want to live a long life anymore. I just wanted you to stay happy.