Chapter 6

In middle school, my best friend spread rumors that I was a slut, photoshopping nude pictures of me. The whole grade of over 2,000 students was calling me a whore in the group chat.

At that time, I kept seeing that best friend around my brother.

My brother would buy her bubble tea, pick her up from school, help her with homework. He'd even smile gently and pat her head.

Angrily, I said: "I don't want to see her."

My brother smiled.

"Alright, Aria."

"Whatever you say."

That night, my brother came home very late.

When I opened the door, I saw my brother wearing a black jacket, slowly taking off red gloves.

No, the gloves were white originally, just stained red with something.

Seeing me, he walked over and led me to the bedroom, gently coaxing me to sleep.

But I could smell a faint scent of blood on my brother.

My brother said casually: "I was just helping a friend slaughter a chicken."

I never imagined my brother's hands that wrote legal documents would slaughter chickens.

But the next day, my best friend was found dead in her own room.

The blood spatter at the scene was shocking.

Even though she had dozens of wounds on her body, the police ruled it a suicide.

Because of that certificate of severe depression, and that suicide note.

The note said she felt guilty towards me, was under a lot of pressure, had been self-harming for a while, and regretted spreading those rumors about me.

So she chose to end her life then.

The note was posted in the group chat. The rumors about me were debunked, and many people came to apologize to me.

But I realized that when my brother was helping my best friend with homework, he had already perfected imitating her handwriting.

...

In high school, my math teacher would always use tutoring as an excuse to take me to his office.

He would do strange things to me and tell me not to tell my parents.

I said I don't have parents, only a brother.

He smiled, his eyes crinkling.

"Then let's keep this a secret from your brother together."

But when my brother couldn't find me after school one day, he burst in, discovering everything.

The math teacher used his authority to pressure the police into not investigating.

My brother was just a poor student then, powerless to fight back.

He quietly transferred me to a new school, telling me to forget everything.

After moving to our new home, my brother started keeping a vicious dog.

He wouldn't let me touch it, just fed it himself every day.

Much later, the math teacher caught an STD from fooling around. Then one day on an old, run-down school building...

The railing gave way, and the math teacher fell straight down.

When he was found, his lower parts were missing.

The police determined the fall was an accident, and those parts had been eaten by a dog.

The day the news broadcast, my brother sat laughing in front of the TV. He turned to ask me:

"Aria, do you like this gift?"

That day was my 16th birthday.

My brother had just returned from that school building that morning.

I looked at him, feeling my heart sink inch by inch.

Even though my brother seemed to dote on me so much, I still lived in fear every day.

Afraid of angering him and being devoured by him.