Making My Brother's Wish Come True

In the middle of the night, I woke up after hearing noises coming from the living room. When I walked out of the bedroom, I saw Adrian pulling his shoes on in a hurry.

"Where are you going, Adrian?"

He paused to tell me, "Cassie sneaked out of the house. She just called me and said she's over at Commune Park. I'm going over there to pick her up."

Taken aback, I quickly nodded. "It's cold outside. Make sure you dress warmly."

With his shoes on, he straightened up and looked at me. "You should go back to bed."

I smiled at him. "I want to wait for you. I'll wait until you come back with Cassie."

Smiling, Adrian stroked my head. "Okay."

The door shut with a soft click.

After some time, the streetlights went out. The sun had risen.

Adrian still wasn't back yet.

When Mom woke up, she was startled to find me curled up on the living room couch. "Ally? Why are you sleeping here?"

"Adrian went to pick up Cassie, but he isn't back yet."

Mom called Adrian, but it took a while for him to answer his phone. Once she heard what he said, her face paled. "Which hospital? We're coming right over!"

She turned to me, her lips trembling. "Cassie… got hit by a car."

…

The light outside the operating room was blinding.

When we arrived, we spotted Adrian from a distance. He was leaning against the wall. His clothes were dirty, and he had a bruise on his forehead.

Mr. Lewis, who looked like a refined gentleman the last time I saw him, was now glaring at Adrian with bloodshot eyes. Grabbing Adrian by the collar, he bellowed, "It's your fault! It's all because of you, you bastard!

"My daughter wouldn't have left the house in the middle of the night if it hadn't been for you! She wouldn't have been hit by a car!"

Mom staggered toward them and started to apologize.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Her voice trembled. Tears streamed down her face.

"It's our fault. We should've taught Adrian better."

Mr. Lewis flung Adrian aside and jabbed a finger at Mom. "Get out of my sight! Take your son and that cripple and get lost! Don't ever show your faces again! If anything happens to Cassie, I'll make all of you pay for this!"

We stood there for ages, until the doors to the operating room opened.

The doctor came out and removed his mask. "The patient is temporarily out of danger, but she still needs to be put under observation."

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis immediately rushed forward. Adrian took a step forward as well, only to pause in his tracks.

Mom grabbed his arm and said, "Let's go home."

The ride back home was completely silent. Adrian gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

I sat in the back seat, watching the back of his head. At one point, I saw him lift his hand quickly to wipe near his eyes.

Once we got home, I went back to my room.

After a while, I heard the sound of anguished sobs.

"Mom, it's my fault. Cassie got hurt because of me. If anything… happens to her… Why didn't I just agree to it yesterday? Why didn't I just say I'd do it?"

His sobbing grew louder. Eventually, I heard him say in a hoarse voice, "If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have stopped her from killing herself."

The crisp sound of a slap rang out, followed by Mom's heartbroken cries.

Leaning against the bedroom door, I slowly slid down to the floor. Silently, my tears rolled down my cheeks, soaking into my collar.