When I died with a smile on my face, right before my brother's eyes, he looked as if the anguish might tear him apart.

Yet, for twenty-one years, he hadn't stopped wishing I would meet this exact end.

It all traced back to my fifth birthday—the day I had innocently hoped our parents would come home from their business trip to celebrate with me.

They rushed back that night but never made it. A car accident took both their lives.

From that moment on, my brother resented me, despised me.

He didn't just stand idly by as our cousin snatched up my work as her own; he encouraged it.

And when my landlord threw me out, it wasn't a random cruelty—it was my brother pulling the strings.

All he had ever wanted, from the very beginning, was to see me die a miserable death.

But when he finally got his wish… why did he cry, pleading for me to come back, begging me to call him 'brother' one last time?

Eternal Dawn

I had just gotten home when my phone rang. It was Ethan Perry.

The crumpled diagnosis paper was still in my hand.

His voice was as cold as ice. "Where are you now?"

Before I could answer, he barked another order. "Today is the launch event for Eternal Dawn. Get here on time. Don't be late."

And with that, he hung up—curt as ever, not a single unnecessary word.

The last rays of sunset filtered into the room. I sat at my desk and tore the diagnosis paper into shreds, watching them scatter across the table.

Just then, Ethan sent me an address.

Steeling myself, I exhaled deeply, then slipped on my finest dress and the one expensive piece of jewelry I owned.

If I were to go to this launch event, I would attend it in style. Eternal Dawn was, after all, my mother's last design sketch. I had poured my heart into bringing it to life, fulfilling her vision, stitch by careful stitch.

But when the host finally took the stage, he announced, "Please welcome the creator of Eternal Dawn, Hannah Lowe!"

I froze, half-standing, fingers clutching my dress. The entire scene was a cruel joke.

As curious eyes darted in my direction, I slumped back into my seat, my grip trembling.

Up on stage, Hannah clicked the mouse, displaying my work on the high-resolution giant screen.

The host then asked her about the inspiration behind the name Eternal Dawn.

She scanned the crowd and gave me a sweet, mocking smile. "As you all know, this design is my aunt's only surviving sketch from her lifetime," she explained, her voice tinged with nostalgia.

"The name Eternal Dawn is a tribute to her love for my uncle. She always spoke of spending every dawn and dusk together, from their youth to old age."

She paused, her eyes dimming as though overcome by emotion. "Each stitch carries my love and respect for her. My aunt's love was for my uncle, and mine is for her, my dearest mentor."

Her words landed a thunderous applause. But none was louder than the approving claps to my right—Ethan was gazing up at her with pride and admiration.

Clenching my fists, I forced myself to ask, "Why?"

Despite the noisy crowd, his voice reached me with chilling clarity. "Because you're unworthy."

His disdain cut deep.

"Letting your name taint Eternal Dawn would only insult Mom's legacy."

The Resented Sister

Ethan was my brother.

But for the past 21 years, he had harbored nothing but hatred for me. In his eyes, I was the one who killed our parents.

It happened on my fifth birthday.

Mom and Dad were away on business in a nearby province, but they hadn't forgotten me. As soon as they wrapped up work, they called to ask what I wanted as a gift.

Young and naive, I only wished to celebrate with them and my brother—to share my birthday cake, to share that simple joy.

To make that wish come true, they jumped in the car and rushed home through the night.

But instead of a birthday, it became a day of mourning. My birthday marked the day they died.

After they were gone, the family tore itself apart, fighting tooth and nail for custody of me and Ethan. None of them cared for us—it was all about getting their hands on our parents' wealth.

Finally, my maternal uncle stepped in, beating them all to win custody.

When he brought us home, his eyes were red with grief. He promised that every penny of the inheritance would stay safe for us, untouched.

My cousin Hannah, who was just a child herself, gripped Ethan's hand and promised, "Don't cry, Ethan. I'll protect you from now on."

From then on, I realized my brother's capacity for kindness.

He remembered every little thing Hannah liked, waited for her after school, and rushed to defend her if anyone dared to pick on her.

Every holiday, he would craft a perfect surprise just to make her smile.

That was how a brother should treat his sister. But all I ever saw in his eyes was resentment toward me.

This grudge had stretched on, undisturbed, from my fifth birthday to the present day.

…

The next day, when I arrived at the office, something felt off.

People gave me sidelong glances as if they had something to say but couldn't bring themselves to speak.

I shrugged it off until I reached my office—and found my things tossed out in a chaotic heap on the floor.

My belongings lay strewn across the floor, my designs shredded, torn nearly in two.

I couldn't keep the edge out of my voice. "What's going on here?"

A familiar chuckle answered from inside the office.

Hannah appeared in the doorway, flashing me a bright "Oh, hey, Emilia," she said, voice dripping with false innocence.

"Sorry about this. Ethan says I'm now the official designer of Eternal Dawn and the company's head embroiderer. So this office will be mine now."

She raised her brows with a smirk. "Guess you'll have to join the common workspace."

The room went still, tension hanging heavy in the air.

"Have you no shame?" My assistant, Melody, stormed over, standing protectively in front of me, her face red with anger. "Everyone knows Emilia is the maker of Eternal Dawn! Don't you feel an ounce of shame, stealing it like this?"

Hannah's eyes welled up immediately, turning her into the perfect picture of wounded innocence. Her red-rimmed eyes and trembling nose played to the crowd with flawless ease, winning sympathy, as always.

And sure enough, as soon as her sobs began, Ethan's furious voice thundered through the silence, splitting the air like a crack of lightning.

"Emilia Perry, get in here!"

The Outcast

I patted Melody on the shoulder, whose face was pale with fear, and walked into the room. Hannah followed closely behind.

Ethan sat at his desk, his expression as cold as a winter's day, eyes sharp with suppressed anger.

People used to say that despite him and I sharing the same womb, we only looked alike in the eyes—that sharp upward tilt that gave us both a natural, aloof chill.

Neither of us had ever been much for smiling. And after I turned five, he never smiled at me again.

"Emilia." He called my name with a frown. "How could you let your assistant insult Hannah? Is cruelty just part of your nature?"

I turned and met Hannah's gaze.

Her eyes, slightly red and glistening with unshed tears, sparkled with the innocence she had perfected so well, making her look delicate and fragile. It was a skill I could never master.

"Are you even listening to me?" Ethan snapped, losing patience as I stayed silent.

He hurled a folder from the desk at me, and its sharp edge sliced across my cheek.

Blood immediately beaded along the cut.

He froze, his lips parting, eyes widening in something close to surprise as he instinctively said my name, softer this time, "Emilia, you—"

"I'll resign and apologize to her," I interrupted, my tone steady, each word deliberate. "Is that enough to make you happy?"

He was taken aback; his fury momentarily paused before roaring back like a wildfire. "Emilia! Are you a child?" His voice rose, filled with disdain, as he gritted out, "Throwing a fit like this… You don't have the right!"

I knew that already. I had known for a long time. Only children who were cherished could afford to throw tantrums.

"I'll go to HR myself." With that, I shut the door behind me, leaving his angry shouts muffled on the other side.

On the way home, a sudden, sharp pain knotted in my stomach.

Curled up in the backseat of the cab, I felt the ache spread, yet my mind remained clear, replaying every look of disgust Ethan had thrown my way.

It hadn't always been like this.

Once, there was some faint warmth between us. He still resented me, but back then, there were fleeting moments when he showed me concern.

I thought that if I could just be good enough, if I could prove myself, we could be family again.

But everything changed in junior high, the day Hannah came home crying, claiming I had bullied her at school.

After a pause, he struck me without hesitation, a hard slap that stung long after the moment passed. The disgust in his eyes was unmistakable as he spat out, "You're nothing but trouble—a born devil!"

That night, he left me outside in the bitter cold.

I huddled in the corner of the porch, the reality sinking in slowly and painfully. My brother, my only family, despised me with a hatred that ran to the bone.

…

Night had already fallen by the time I returned home. My front door was wide open, light spilling onto the street.

My heart raced as I stepped inside, only to be met with a scene of complete chaos.

My belongings lay scattered across the floor, overturned and broken, while the landlord directed a few men to haul everything out.

"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded, anger surging through me.

The landlord glanced back at me with a smirk. "Ah, you're back just in time. Go on, gather your stuff. You're moving out tonight."

"Why?" I shot back, the fury tightening in my chest. "You have no right to barge in and touch my stuff without permission—"

"Look, it's nothing personal." He raised a hand, cutting me off with a sigh. "Your brother, the chairman of Perry Holdings, paid me to kick you out. With money like that, what choice do I have?"

His words stuck like a thorn in my throat as he shrugged and left with his crew, calling back, "Pack up quickly, yeah?"

I stood amid the wreckage of my home, breathing hard to keep the pain from showing, and dialed Ethan.

Hearing the reason for my call, he scoffed. "Come back and apologize to Hannah, or I have a hundred other ways to make your life miserable."