"Why?"

I asked her, my voice trembling more than I realized.

Julia and I, along with Sean, had grown up together. Julia was a few years older, having started school much earlier than us.

Since we were kids, Sean and I had followed her around. It wasn't an exaggeration to say we grew up together.

I had been pursuing her for over a decade. After finally getting her to agree to be my girlfriend, it had only been a year. How could she just change her mind so easily?

Weren't we supposed to announce our relationship soon?

I had even prepared a bribe for Sean. And yet...

I couldn't understand it.

She looked at me with a smirk and asked, "Do you have money?

"Can you make over ten thousand a month just after graduating?"

"Do you have a family business?"

My throat felt parched, and I could only shake my head. "I don't have any of those things.

"But I'm working hard to achieve them. Even if I can't get to ten out of ten, I can at least make it to eight."

She coldly laughed, "But he can.

"Some people are born into luxury, while we spend our entire lives just trying to touch a piece of that luxury.

"I've had enough of that kind of life, so I chose him."

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.

She avoided my gaze, pulled away from my embrace, and straightened her slightly wrinkled clothes before looking toward the door.

It wasn't until a car approached from the distance that she spoke again, her voice cold and distant. "If you still remember the times I helped you, don't let anyone know about our relationship.

"This way, it's better for both of us."

Sean leaned out of the car window, waving enthusiastically at me. "Leon! Leon! My brother-in-law's taking us out for king crab! It'll be my first time trying it!

"Come on, get in! Don't just stand there!"

I slid into the backseat while Sean, ever the chatterbox, kept up a steady stream of conversation the entire ride.

I glanced down at my phone, its reflection showing my somewhat pale face.

I felt empty inside.

Hollow, even.

It was a feeling I only got when visiting my parents' graves.

In the front seat, Julia chimed in to whatever Sean was saying, laughing along with the young man in the driver's seat. The warm, lively atmosphere made me feel even more out of place.

This must be what it feels like to be shut out of the world.

I remember feeling like this during the year after my parents passed away, which was why I visited their graves so often, just to talk to them.

Julia would always follow me, trying to coax me into going back. And when that didn't work, she'd sit with me by their graves, chatting.

"Mr. and Mrs. Scott, Leon just misses you both a lot. But don't worry, he won't be alone—I'll always be here with him."

I stubbornly avoided looking at her, only to get a smack on the head. The pain made me wince, and I had to give in, glancing up at her.

Only then did she smile. "If my little brother here doesn't behave, I'll take over and keep him in line for you."

"I don't need you to keep me in line."

No sooner had I said that than she gave me another smack on the head.

I could only pout and nod in defeat. "Fine, you win. You can keep me in line. You're already turning into my housekeeper."