My throat swelled from the allergy, making it impossible to swallow. So, I started vomiting uncontrollably.

At that, Dad gave me another kick. "You stupid bastard! You're trying to make us sick on purpose, aren't you?"

Mom grabbed Felix and staggered back a few steps, as if I were a plague.

I felt my vision blur as itchy red patches spread across my arms. Panic and instinct took over, and I reached out to them for help. "Mom… Help me…"

She looked at the rash covering my arms and frowned. "He's not actually allergic, is he? Should we give him some medicine?"

Felix suddenly piped up, "I know where his allergy medicine is! I'll go grab it!"

He rushed inside and came back with a pill, leaning over to give it to me. I noticed it wasn't my medicine, so I pressed my lips shut, refusing it.

He ignored me and shoved the pill into my mouth, whispering in my ear, "You brought this on yourself, Flynn. If you hadn't left the countryside to compete for their attention, none of this would've happened. Today, you'll finally regret it."

When I first started high school in the city, the difference between rural and urban education hit me hard. My grades were mediocre, and after years of working under the sun and wind back home, I looked rough and scruffy.

Due to that, my family thought I was embarrassing. They didn't want to be seen with me in public. Even at the orientation ceremony, Mom and Dad only attended Felix's.

Determined to win their attention, I threw myself into my studies day and night. By the end of my first year, I ranked first in the entire grade. The school praised me and even gave me a scholarship.

For the first time, Mom and Dad shifted their attention from Felix to me. They said, almost grudgingly, "For your next orientation, your father and I will be there."

Those few words filled me with joy.

I thought that if I kept working hard, they would one day love me as much as they loved Felix. I never wanted to compete with him. I just wanted our parents to notice me. They were my parents, after all.

Thus, I never imagined that wanting a little of their attention could make Felix so hostile.

Reluctance and hatred filled my eyes. I bit on the finger Felix was using to feed me the pill, not letting go, and he instantly screamed, "Ouch! My hand…"

At that, Mom and Dad immediately retaliated. They pried open my mouth, hitting my face, while trying to pull out Felix's finger. Seeing a fresh, red bite mark on his finger, Dad kicked me a few times without hesitation.

"You animal!" he roared. "Felix is your brother! How could you get so savage with him?"

Exactly! He was my brother, born minutes apart in the same womb! Why was he trying to harm me?

Mom anxiously held Felix's hand and began dressing his finger with alcohol pads and a bandage. Dad hurried over, fussing over him as if nothing else mattered.

The three of them huddled together, completely ignoring me on the floor while I was on the brink of death.

Felix leaned against Mom, eyes full of hurt. "Mom, I was just trying to help. Why would Flynn do this to me?"

She glared at me. "Because he's an animal! Growing up in the countryside has spoiled him to be a wild, unruly kid! I should just send him back to the fields!"

Dad agreed immediately, "Exactly. With a mind so cruel, he's nothing but trouble. It's better to leave him in the countryside for life."

He reached down and yanked me to my feet. I closed my eyes tightly, my whole body convulsing. I couldn't stand on my own, so the moment his grip loosened, I collapsed straight back down.

Mom brought over a cup of water and splashed it onto my face. "Hey, don't pretend to pass out just because you heard we're sending you back!"

I lay on the floor without moving. Even my breathing had grown faint.

"You think this will make me let you off?" Dad scolded, grabbing me by my arm. "No way. I'm sending you back by today, you animal!"

He dragged me downstairs, then shoved me into the trunk of the car. Honestly, this wasn't the first time I had been stuffed in there.

The first time it happened was when they came to pick me up. At the start, Felix and I were sitting in the back seat together. Halfway through the trip, he got sleepy. He kept shifting around in his seat, unable to get comfortable.

In the end, he pouted and suggested that I lie down in the trunk so he could stretch his legs and sleep better. Mom and Dad pulled the car over and told me to get into the trunk.

So, for five whole hours, I curled into a tight ball and lay there without moving.

At that time, though, my heart had been full of hope. I thought the wish I had waited more than ten years for had finally come true. I was no longer the abandoned child with no parents who wanted him.

Now, I was mentally exhausted. If I could simply die like this, perhaps it would be a beautiful kind of release.

The moment the trunk slammed shut, my eyes closed for good. It turned out that when a person died, their soul really did leave the body.

My spirit drifted free and floated into the car. Inside, the three of them were chatting and laughing as if nothing had happened.

Felix leaned against Mom and said softly, "Mom, there's something about Flynn that I'm not sure if I should tell you."

She reached out and smoothed his hair, her voice gentle in a way she had never used with me. "Silly child. What could you possibly not tell me?"

He lowered his voice. "I heard from others that Flynn only got first place this semester because he cheated."

She was livid. "I can't believe it! He actually dared to cheat! Was he trying to make a complete fool of me?"

Dad's expression darkened as well. "That ungrateful bastard has no character at all. There's no saving him. Since we're sending him back anyway, he can just stay there and look after Mom. That's the only use he has anyway."

The results I had worked for day and night were wiped away just like that, all because of one careless accusation from Felix. Maybe to them, I had never really been their child. I was just a burden.

Now, they had finally found the excuse they needed to get rid of me.

The 500-mile drive was long, and they stopped twice at rest areas. Not once did anyone think to check on me in the trunk.

In their eyes, I was just a troublesome kid with a tough body. Surely, nothing could ever really happen to me.

This time, though, they were wrong. Part of me wondered what they would do when they realized my body had already gone cold.

Before nightfall, they finally arrived at my old home. The car wound along the narrow roads until it stopped in front of the house.

Grandma appeared at the door, her silver hair falling around her shoulders. She leaned on her cane as she shambled outside. When she saw my parents, her cloudy eyes lit up with surprise.

"Michael, why are you back?" she asked.

Dad answered bluntly, "We're here to bring Felix back to you. From now on, he'll stay with you and help take care of you in our place."

"Isn't Flynn supposed to be in school?" Grandma asked. "Besides, he's too young to be staying here. He should be out exploring and having fun instead."

She laughed warmly, adding, "As long as he comes back during the holidays to spend time with me, I'll be content."

Mom's face twisted with disgust. "You spoiled him since he was little, and now, his behavior is utterly unacceptable. Not only does he bully Felix, but he also cheats at school. We've decided he should drop out and stay here with you."

"No, that can't be right," Grandma said confidently. "There must've been a mistake! Flynn would never do something like that!"

She looked around, trying to search for me. When she couldn't find me, she turned to Dad. "Where is he? I want to hear it from him myself."

Dad opened the trunk. When he saw me lying there still and unresponsive, he slapped my face hard. "Get up now and stop playing dead!"

It was only then that he realized something was terribly wrong. Panic spread across his face as he yanked me out of the trunk. My stiff body fell to the ground, exposed to all of them.