ManyWriters

My little brother was in the end stages of kidney failure and urgently needed a transplant.
I spent all the inheritance our parents left us to finally find a donor kidney.
But my fiancé stole it to save his "pure love" instead.
In my moment of despair, my childhood sweetheart Damien returned from overseas. He was a match and volunteered to donate his kidney to my brother.
Sadly, the surgery was unsuccessful. My brother's life ended at just eighteen years old.
To repay Damien for his kindness, I broke off my engagement and married him instead, vowing to take care of him for life.
But seven years later, I accidentally overheard a conversation between my ex-fiancé and Damien.
"Damien, you have to give me this project, or else... Tell me, how do you think Scarlett would react if she found out the man she's been devotedly caring for all these years as her savior actually caused her brother's death? Would she kill you, or herself?"

Love Fades, But Feelings Linger

"This is my brother's favorite porcelain..."


Even though this bowl had always been locked in the safe, Damien said that since it was the only thing left of my brother, he would never let anyone touch it and would keep it safe as a memento for me.


Yet it appeared under Aria's fingernails, and now it lay shattered on the floor.


With trembling hands, I picked up the pieces, holding them to my chest to feel my brother's essence. The sharp fragments cut my hands.


Tears flowed uncontrollably, mixing with the blood seeping from my palms.


Seeing my despair, a flicker of sympathy crossed Damien's eyes. He instinctively crouched down and held me in his arms, his warm hand stroking my head.


Just like seven years ago in the hospital morgue, when he held me and said everything would be okay with him around. He promised to replace my brother as my guardian, to love and protect me for life.


Damien carried me back to the room to bandage my wounds. I took out the divorce papers I had prepared long ago.


"I want to buy a new mansion and need your signature."


As he was about to lower his head to examine the document, Aria's heart-wrenching scream came from outside the door.


Damien's hand trembled, and without looking further, he flipped to the last page and signed his name.


Looking at the passage after Damien carried Aria into the car,


I arrived at the cemetery holding chrysanthemums, only to find my brother's grave was no longer in its original place.


I searched the entire area but couldn't find my brother's name anywhere, filling me with a sense of immense unease.


The cemetery caretaker explained with some surprise,


"Miss Stratton, your husband came a few days ago to take your brother's ashes, saying he wanted to relocate them, but he hasn't contacted me about the new location yet."


Recalling the name I had just seen on a grave - Hana.


The image of Damien's momentary hesitation and guilty look that day flashed through my mind, and I instantly understood.


He had moved my brother's grave to make room for Aria's dog.


I took out my phone and dialed his number, my voice icy as I asked,


"Damien, where did you put my brother's ashes?"


I could faintly hear the man's deep breathing, but he remained silent.


On the other end of the line, Aria sneered,


"Want your brother's ashes? Well, I accidentally dropped them down a drain the other day."


My fingers gripping the phone turned almost blue, "Put Damien on the phone."


"Damien doesn't have time for you, he's busy taking care of me and our sweetheart!"


The call ended, and I collapsed onto the ground, wailing my brother's name in heart-wrenching sobs. The chrysanthemums in my hand scattered across the floor.


Even late into the night, I hadn't received a single message from Damien.


I returned to the mansion and burned all the photos of Damien and me. I packed up everything I had touched and threw it onto the garbage truck. The mansion suddenly felt empty and hollow.


My phone buzzed. It was a video from the private investigator I had hired.


In the video, Damien and Aria were shamelessly seeking pleasure on a narrow hospital bed.


There were countless intimate photos where their faces were clearly visible.


I dragged my suitcase to a small apartment not far away and immediately bought a plane ticket, though I had no intention of leaving.


I forwarded everything the investigator had sent me online. The last image I posted was my divorce agreement with Damien.


Before sending, I called Damien. This time, his husky voice came through.


"What is it, Scarlett? The company's in a bit of a crisis right now. Later..."


I coldly interrupted him, "Damien, did you have anything to do with my brother's death?"


Chapter 4