My younger brother, Andrew Midler, pushes me off a cliff, and my life hangs by a thread. Yet my mother, Edith Callahan, the leader of the rescue team, only busies herself with checking on Andrew, who has sprained his wrist.

I beg in a faint, faltering voice for her to save me. She, however, looks at me with cold indifference.

"Your brother is hurt! Why didn't you protect him? And now you're pretending to be weak? Well, you can stay here by yourself and reflect on what you've done!"

She turns and orders the entire rescue team to leave, forbidding anyone from helping me.

In the end, I die alone in the desolate wilderness.

Upon learning of my death, Mom hysterically holds my already decaying body close, calling me her precious son repeatedly.

After I died, my spirit drifted to my mother's side.

While she had looked at me with such aloof detachment just moments ago, she now held Andrew Midler's hand tenderly, massaging it gently.

"I'm going to take you to the hospital right now, Andy. Your hand will be just fine!"

Mom was about to lead Andrew away when a man from the rescue team, Seth Butler, stopped them and said hesitantly, "Frank is still lying down at the bottom of the cliff. Shouldn't we get him up first?"

Mom's expression instantly turned icy. "Help him up? What for? I haven't even settled the score with him for failing to protect Andy! Let him stay down there alone! No one is allowed to rescue him!"

After saying that, she even turned and spat harshly on the ground.

I let out a bitter laugh. It was Andrew who had given me a hard shove, pushing me down the cliff and spraining his own wrist in the process. And here, Mom thought I was the one who had failed to protect him.

Seth seemed uneasy. "But Edith, Frank is lying there completely motionless. He might really be hurt. Maybe we should—"

Mom rolled her eyes and waved him off dismissively, her annoyance clear for all to see.

"Leave him be. He's definitely faking it because he's scared I'll scold him. I won't fall for it. What could possibly happen from such a short fall? Let him walk back when he's done pretending. This time, I'm going to teach him a lesson. The sight of him annoys me!"

Every word she uttered sliced into my heart with excruciating pain.

She was the leader of the rescue team and had taken part in countless rescue operations of varying scales. She should have known there were many unpredictable dangers in the wilderness, and that a moment of carelessness could lead to death, which was why all casualties had to be rescued and taken to the hospital immediately.

What she didn't know was that the cliff, which she considered low, had a sharp protruding rock right at the bottom of it. And I, unfortunately, had fallen right onto it. The rock had plunged deep into my back, leaving a bloody gash.

But she ignored my pleas and cared only about Andrew's sprained wrist. She even lashed out at me, saying, "What use are you if you can't even protect your younger brother? Giving birth to you was a mistake!"

That didn't seem to quell her anger, so she turned and demanded that all the members of the rescue team leave immediately, forbidding anyone from rescuing me.

And that was exactly what extinguished my last flicker of hope for survival.

"Do you really despise me that much, Mom? So much that you won't even spare me a sliver of love in my final moments? If that's how it is, then today, I'll return the life you once gave me," I thought.

Seth tried to persuade her further, but Andrew suddenly cried out in pain.

"Mom, my wrist hurts so much! Will my hand be broken? I'm scared!"

Mom's expression instantly shifted from disgust to panic. She hurried back to the vehicle to put away the rescue gear.

"Don't worry, Andy. I won't let anything happen to you. We're going to the hospital right now."

Then, she turned and barked at the others, "Get moving now! If Andy's treatment is delayed, I'll hold every one of you responsible!"

The members of the rescue team exchanged helpless looks before sighing and getting into their vehicles, ready to leave.

Such blatant favoritism had long been commonplace for me. So why did my heart still ache? Shouldn't I have been used to it by now?

Mom raced all the way to the hospital and took Andrew to the emergency room. It wasn't until the doctor told her Andrew had only sprained his wrist and was otherwise fine that she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

My father, Gerard Midler, rushed in at that moment, panting and anxious. "How's Andy? Is his wrist alright? Any broken bones?"

Mom looked relieved. "The doctor said it's just a sprain. Thankfully, nothing's broken. This is all Frank's fault. He couldn't even protect his brother. It's such a waste raising him."

Her tone turned sharp the moment she mentioned me, as if she wished to tear me apart.

Protect your brother—that was a line I'd heard countless times growing up. But I was only one year older than him. I was just as much a child as he was!

Besides, Andrew had always taken advantage of our parents' favoritism to push me around. Since when did he ever need my protection?

Dad frowned and cursed angrily, "That useless brat! Even a dog knows to protect its owner! We fed him, clothed him, and he couldn't even keep Andy safe!"

An indescribable bitterness filled my heart. I had known he would scold me after seeing Andrew hurt, but I never imagined that I was worth less than a dog to him.

Andrew looked at our parents and put on a sensible act. "Mom, Dad, let's not blame Frank anymore. He's still down at the bottom of the cliff. Let's go bring him back."

Mom hugged Andrew, beaming with pride. "Andy, you're just too kind. This time, we have to make sure your brother learns his lesson."

Dad chimed in beside her, "That's right! We need to teach that good-for-nothing a proper lesson!"

Andrew, however, hesitated, as if he had something to say, but dared not voice out.

My parents couldn't bear to see him like that, so they immediately pressed, "Sweetie, is there something you want to tell us? Don't be scared. Just say it. Whatever it is, we'll always be on your side!"

Tears welled up in Andrew's eyes, and he looked utterly wronged. "Mom, why does Frank dislike me so much? If I hadn't dodged in time, I would be the one lying at the bottom of that cliff right now."

The moment they heard that, my parents exploded in fury.

Mom had a murderous look in her eyes. "That beast! To think that he had the nerve to ask me to save him! He deserves to die down there!"

Dad squeezed the cup in his hand so hard it deformed. "He's practically a murderer! I'm going to file a report on him. Someone like him belongs in prison!"

Since we were young, Andrew had always loved blaming me for all sorts of things, and our parents had always taken his side without question. No matter how many times I cried and explained that I hadn't done them, they would still give me a good whipping.

And even in a life-or-death matter like this, they chose to believe Andrew's words without hesitation.

Had Mom forgotten that the person lying at the bottom of the cliff right now was me? If I had wanted to hurt Andrew, why would I have risked myself?

As for Dad, he looked as if he wanted nothing more than to throw me in jail, as though I were nothing but a stain on his life.

Was I truly that despicable to them?

Andrew hung his head, his voice low as he said, "Mom, Dad, I don't blame Frank. He just wants your love, too."

I knew that expression of his all too well. Growing up, Andrew had repeatedly used this very trick to test his place in our parents' hearts. Without fail, he won every time.

All I ever received was contempt, as though I was nothing but a parasite in this family, something they couldn't wait to get rid of.

Mom's expression was one of disdain. "As if he deserves it! He's stirred up trouble since he was little. He should be grateful we even raised him!"

Dad patted Andrew on the head, his expression gentle. "Andy, you're the only one we consider a good son, and you're the only one who deserves our love. Everything that's ours will be yours."

A genuine smile finally graced Andrew's lips. He wrapped his arms around Mom and Dad and said sweetly, "Mom, Dad, I love you both the most."

Even though I had heard similar words a thousand times before, my heart still twisted with pain.

I watched as the three of them clung tightly to each other, leaving no space between them. The image was a perfect portrayal of this family. There had never been a place for me.

In a daze, I recalled how things had been before I turned six.

Back then, although my parents favored Andrew because he was younger, they still showed me a decent amount of care.

But the year I turned six, I accidentally stumbled upon Dad hugging another woman downstairs.

Too young to understand what was happening, I ran and told Mom about it. She confronted Dad, and a huge argument erupted.

I stood there dumbly, not grasping the situation. However, I had a faint inkling that Dad had done something to hurt Mom. So, I stepped forward and planted myself in front of her. Then, I sternly told Dad not to bully Mom.

Meanwhile, Andrew ran over crying and hugged them both, sobbing that he didn't want them to go separate ways. They held Andrew and cried together, miraculously reconciling right there and then.

After that, they turned their united front against me.

Mom jabbed a finger at me and berated me for meddling in things that didn't concern me. Dad slapped me and called me a troublemaker who'd shattered the peace and happiness of the family.

It wasn't until I grew older and Mom once let it slip that I learned the truth. She had known about Dad's affair all along but chose to pretend otherwise because she didn't want a divorce.

My telling on Dad that day had torn away the last shred of pretense between them.

As Mom was a strong-willed person, she felt she had to make a scene for the sake of her pride. As for Dad, though unfaithful, he didn't want to be labeled as a man who abandoned his wife and children, so he never had any intention of getting a divorce.

As a result, Andrew became the stepping stone for their mutual reconciliation.

And in the end, I became a thorn in their side, a constant reminder that their marriage was already rotten at its core.

From that day on, I was branded the troublemaker, and was completely ignored in the family. Andrew, on the other hand, became the angel who had held the family together, the cherished favorite of both parents.

Thus, he grew even bolder, freely fabricating stories about me in front of them. Eventually, I became the person they despised most.

…

Once they got home, Mom hurried to the drugstore to get ice packs and painkillers for Andrew's sprained wrist. According to her, even though there were no broken bones, they still shouldn't take it lightly.

Dad peeled and cut all the fruit into bite-sized pieces and fed them to Andrew, claiming he needed to rest and shouldn't use his hands.

The dinner table was laden with all of Andrew's favorite dishes.

Mom rushed to serve Andrew soup, and Dad fought to serve him the best pieces on the table.

Andrew basked in this exclusive attention, a blissful smile on his face.

"Mom, Dad, you've both had a long day today. You need to eat up, too."

With that, he served each of them some food.

Dad looked pleased. "Now Andy's learning to take care of us, too. I'll make sure I finish up every single bite you gave me!"

Mom was moved to tears. "You truly are my precious boy."

The slightest kindness from Andrew moved them deeply. Yet no matter what I did, I could never earn a single word of praise.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Mom slammed her cutlery on the table, her expression turning icy.

"That beast of a child! He still hasn't come back yet! How dare he give us an attitude! We've been merciful that we didn't report him for attempted murder, and now he's running away from home?"

Dad waved his hand irritably.

"Don't mention him. Good riddance if he doesn't come back. Spares me the irritation. Andy's birthday is the day after tomorrow. We should focus on preparing for that."

Mom instantly brightened up when she heard that and began discussing Andrew's birthday celebration. She wanted to invite all their friends and relatives for a celebration.

Laughter and cheerful chatter filled the dining room, and no one mentioned me again.

My throat tightened, and I could hardly hold back my tears.

I couldn't help thinking, "Mom, I'm already dead. Why must I still endure your contempt even after death? If you never loved me, why did you bring me into this world in the first place?"

…

Andrew's birthday party soon arrived. Mom and Dad splurged, booking an entire banquet hall and even hanging a celebratory banner.

Every guest who arrived praised my parents for their love for Andrew.

Suddenly, a relative of ours pointed at the gold bracelet on Mom's wrist and teased, "Did Andy give you this? No wonder you dote on him so much. Who wouldn't love such a thoughtful son? My son's the exact opposite. He gives me headaches every day."

Mom's expression instantly stiffened because I was the one who bought her that bracelet.

All these years, even though the love she gave me was but a fraction of what she gave Andrew, a part of me still yearned for her affection.

I had saved up every penny from tutoring my classmates after school to buy her that bracelet, hoping for just a smile from her. But instead of praising me, she accused me of stealing money from home.

The way she had stared at me, that blatant suspicion and scrutiny, remained etched in my memory until this very day.

Mom forced an awkward smile, excused herself, and walked over to Dad. She tugged at his sleeve, looking hesitant. "Do you think something might've happened to Franklin? He still isn't back."

On the third day after my death, my mother finally remembered me. However, it was far too late.

Dad frowned. "He's not a child anymore. What could possibly happen to him?"

Andrew suddenly murmured, "Maybe Franklin just doesn't want to see me. After all, he said that as long as I'm in this house, he can't stand being here for a single moment."

The flicker of worry on Mom's face instantly vanished, and was replaced by cold anger. "Then he shouldn't ever come back anymore! This family isn't his to rule! Andy is our precious son. What does he even amount to anyway?"

My heart ached as if pierced by needles, each prick sending waves of dense, suffocating pain.

As you wished, Mom. I could never return anymore.

…

Inside the banquet hall, laughter and joy echoed. Mom wore a smile I rarely saw.

The next moment, her phone rang. She answered cheerfully, "Hey Seth, is anything the matter? It's Andy's birthday today, so I'm pretty busy."

It was Seth on the other end—the man who had tried to convince Mom to rescue me that day.

He fell silent for a moment before his voice, heavy with grief, came through. "Edith, Frank is dead. How can you still have the heart to throw Andy a birthday party?"