After the Deception: I Wanted to Break Up, But She Cried with Red Eyes

Julia seemed like a completely different person now.

She was no longer the sister I used to know, the one who would say things like: "Money is just a means to an end. As long as you have enough, that's what matters. Wealthy people have their own way of living, and we ordinary folks have ours." Or: "Leon, don't let money blind you. Love and life are what truly inspire us to create something beautiful."

After my parents fell ill, I sank into a deep depression. I worked tirelessly, trying every possible way to raise money and bring them back from the brink of death.

Every day, I prayed for just a little more time to earn enough to keep my family with me.

But in the end, I was beaten by time.

They were gone, and the pain of losing them nearly crushed me. I was overwhelmed by loneliness, blaming myself for being so powerless, unable to even afford their treatment. At one point, I was so desperate that I even considered ending my own life.

Julia was the one who pulled me out of that dark place.

She slapped me hard, crying and shouting.

"You're not just living for yourself anymore. You're living for your parents who are gone.

"Haven't you heard? We're the living legacy of our parents' love. True death isn't just about the physical body; it's when we forget them.

"As long as you remember them, they're still alive.

"Leon, if you don't have anyone to rely on, find someone else to lean on. Look at me—I'm here for you too."

Her steadfastness was like a beacon of light in my darkness.

But today, I suddenly realized that the Julia of my memories was beginning to fade.