Chapter 3

Alex wrestled with pain and haze the entire night. He had no idea if the pain knocked him out cold or if he just couldn't stay up and drifted off to sleep.

When he opened his eyes again, sunlight was streaming through the window, flooding the hospital room with brightness.

Jason was supposed to be discharged today, so Alex reckoned his family would also take care of the paperwork for him and bring him home together.

He sat on his hospital bed, staring at the door and hoping someone would come for him, but after two hours of waiting, not even a shadow passed by.

Alex couldn't sit still any longer, so he got up and headed straight for Jason's room.

When he pushed the door open, the room sat empty, not a soul in sight. His heart sank like a stone.

He hurriedly stopped a passing nurse to ask about Jason's whereabouts, and the nurse replied calmly, "His girlfriend and his mom came to pick him up first thing this morning."

"His girlfriend?" Alex blurted out, dumbfounded.

The nurse explained patiently, "Yeah. It's that gorgeous woman who always keeps him company, helps him wash up, and dresses him. She takes great care of him. Why would she do so much for him if she wasn't his girlfriend?"

The cold draft sweeping through the hospital hallway blew onto Alex. The chill burrowed straight into his bones, making him ache all over.

Alex walked out of the hospital in a state of utter dejection. The next thing he knew, he was standing at his own doorstep. The entire walk home was just gone from his memory.

Inside, the house was alive with laughter and noise. Everyone was having a blast.

They were all dressed up in new clothes, faces beaming with joy.

When Susan saw Alex walk into the house in his hospital gown, she froze for a moment.

Then, she said, "Oh, you weren't home? I thought you'd come back by yourself after the surgery since you were fine."

He laughed quietly, a sound caught between self-mockery and helplessness. "Would you guys even notice if I died outside?" he muttered.

Frowning, Sophia took a step forward and consoled him softly, "Alex, don't talk like that. Those words are hurtful. They do care about you."

"Oh yeah?" Alex shot back.

Doubt filled his eyes, but he couldn't be bothered to argue with her.

Staring at Sophia dead in the eyes, he demanded, "I can forgive my mom for not knowing I was still at the hospital, but not you. Sophia, you're my fiancée. Are you telling me that you didn't know I was still in the hospital?

"You've been spending so much time with Jason that others mistook you for his fiancée. Did you ever stop to think about how that made me feel?"

When Sophia met Alex's sorrowful gaze, guilt flickered in her eyes. Out of nowhere, she started to panic.

Just as she opened her mouth to explain herself, Jason forestalled her. Faking a pitiful expression, he said, "Alex, I'm sorry. Really, this is all my fault.

"I'm the reason everyone got the wrong idea about Sophia and me. Maybe it's better if I just die, then I wouldn't cause trouble for you and Sophia anymore. I—"

"So what now? Are you planning to take your own life again?" Alex interjected.

His expression was calm, but his gaze was sharp. He caught the fleeting look of shock and resentment in Jason's eyes at once.

There was a time when Alex thought that he and Jason should always stick together since they were brothers by blood.

Therefore, although Alex had been forced to donate his bone marrow to Jason ever since he was born, he gritted his teeth and endured it. Even when the pain felt like it was killing him, he never complained or hesitated.

Back then, he was even thankful that he could save his brother's life.

But now, with Jason slowly taking away everything he ever had, those beliefs Alex once held onto collapsed all at once.

His childhood crafts, the gifts he treasures, the chance to be the last student of a famous painter, the love and attention from his family, and now, even Sophia, the woman who was supposed to be his fiancée, were stolen by Jason.

Jason put on an act of misery, shouting nonstop that he wanted to end his life.

At that sight, Sophia shot Alex a look of disdain.

She said sharply, "Alex, Jason is your brother, your family. Isn't it only natural for me to care about him?

"He's been sick since he was a kid. If you can't even be sympathetic, fine, but why do you have to be so vicious? Can you honestly live with yourself if he dies?"

All of a sudden, Susan snatched up a coat and chucked it right at Alex's face. The rough fabric raked across his cheek, leaving a sting behind.

"We were supposed to take a family photo today, and your brother even picked out a brand new outfit just for you," Susan said sharply.

She didn't stop there, chiding, "But what did you do? You made a scene as soon as you came home, turning the house upside down. And you kept pushing Jason over the edge. Since you can't stand him, go upstairs. Don't be an eyesore here."

The coat fell to the floor, and Alex recognized it instantly. It was the kind the servants wore for chores around the house, and it had obviously already been used.

Alex didn't really mind the coat itself; he knew perfectly well Jason had chosen it just to get under his skin.

In comparison, Susan's words hurt him more. Alex turned around stiffly and dragged himself up the stairs, each step heavier than the last.

Just as he was about to reach his room, he glanced downstairs and saw that Sophia and Susan had managed to coax Jason out of a bad mood.

Seemingly unaffected by the earlier incident, they happily posed for the family photo. Even their dog nestled among them, but there wasn't a spot reserved for Alex in that picture.

Downstairs, they were all laughs and smiles. Upstairs, Alex quietly closed his door, his chest so tight that he could barely breathe.

He tipped his head back and gazed up at the ceiling, where that glaring number of nine seemed to burn itself into his mind.

At that moment, he found himself strangely unafraid of the day when that number would finally turn to zero.