4
“What do the grievances of the elders have to do with him?”
Clint bowed his head, silently crying.
Rachel stepped forward to wipe his tears and then turned to me. “Arland, don’t go
“Besides, it’s just an old watch. Clint, let’s give it to him,” she said.
too far!”
She took the watch and threw it hard on the ground. “Come on, I’ll go buy you a better, more expensive one right now.”
Vivian glanced at me and sighed. “Arland, why do you always have to be so unreasonable and make things worse like this?”
“Clint has suffered a lot in the past. He’s so pitiful, and you can’t even tolerate him.”
“You’re a grown man, why can’t you be more generous?”
“And as for the design, Arland, you’ve already gotten enough. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to win awards in the future.”
“But Clint is different. He needs this award to solidify his position in the industry.”
“He needs it to be slowly accepted by the Walton family.”
In high society, family background is highly valued. Even if that’s not possible, the person must have a spotless background and exceptional abilities.
to rely on
Clint couldn’t change the first two things, so he had honor to make up for it.
Vivian tried to pull me up. “Arland…”
“Go away.” I pushed her hand aside and suddenly smiled.
“Sister.”
This was the last time I would call her that.
And the last time I would look at her this seriously.
“You will definitely get what’s coming to you.”
Vivian furrowed her brow but didn’t dare meet my gaze. “Arland, I’ll make it up to yo
you later.”
She hurriedly ran off to catch up with Rachel and Clint.
I crouched down, picking up the watch and the bracelets.
The bracelets were unharmed.
Luckily, the watch was of good quality and hadn’t broken. It only had a few slight scratches.
from being dropped.
1 pressed it to my chest and stood still for a long time.
I didn’t cry–not even a single tear.
But the pain in my chest became sharper and clearer, then slowly numb.
I realized that when someone is hurt to the extreme, they can’t even shed a tear.
The sun had set.
Everything was swallowed by blood–red sky.
The weather forecast said the temperature would rise in the coming days.
It was dry, and one should be cautious with open flames.
Late at Night
I threw the thick stack of letters into the fire and picked up a photo.
Vivian and Rachel stood by my side, one on the left and one on the right, their faces full of bright smiles.
But now, looking at it, it felt ironic and laughable.
The photo burned quickly, and the smiles faded into ashes.
My eyes filled with the light from the fire.
As the fire burned, I caught a glimpse of the contents of the letters.
Sister wrote: “I will always love and protect my brother. We will be the best siblings in the world.”
Rachel wrote: “When I grow up, I’ll marry Arland and make him my husband. I will love him. forever, and we will have two children–a boy to be the older brother and a girl to be the younger sister.”
They had both made serious promises to me.
I had made promises in return.
They had both said I was more important than their own lives.
But now, the letters had turned yellow with age.
The black ink had begun to fade over time.
Just like those laughable vows, which would eventually be carried away by the wind.
The letters burned down completely, and the heat from the fire burned my fingers.
I let go, letting the ashes fall onto the gown on the floor.
The fire grew larger, burning the curtains and wooden chest, with thick smoke spilling oussak
I stood there, my face flushed from the heat, tears forming in my eyes from the smoke.
Suddenly, Rachel called.
I didn’t pick up.
Soon, Vivian called again.
I hung up once more.
As I prepared to delete and block their numbers. Rachel sent me a message.
“Arland, no matter what, Clint is still your brother!
“I hope that when an important moment in his life comes, you’ll congratulate him. He really wants your blessing.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll buy you a car you like and give to you when come back. Please stop being so headstrong.”
Vivian also sent a message.
“Arland, I promise I’ll make it up to you”
“As for Mom’s watch, I’ll have one made just like it. Will you forgive me?
I wanted to laugh, and finally, I couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time.
This was their pattern: they would hit me first, then offer something sweet afterward. It was because of these actions that I had always hoped for them, and became what some people saw
as crazy.
I replied to both messages.
To Rachel, I wrote: “I won’t congratulate him. I’ll only curse both him and his mother to hell.”
Tou
To Vivian, I wrote: “Why don’t you go underground and beg Momto forgive you?”
After sending the messages, I immediately blocked and deleted all of their contact
information
I grabbed my suitcase, took one last look at the house full of memories, then turned and left without looking back.
Everything that needed to be dealt with had been taken care of, and I had no more
attachments.
Not long after I left, the burning candle was knocked over by the night wind.
At first, it was just a small flame..
But the dry air fed the fire, and it grew bigger and bigger.
Until the flames swallowed the entire house.
The house that had once held so many memories was reduced to rubble.
