Panic seized him. In that moment, Jonathan realized he couldn't recall what I used to look like—the vibrancy, the fire I once held.

A sharp pain struck his chest. An indescribable unease and guilt rose like bile in his throat.

His hands trembling, he grabbed his phone and dialed.

The next day, I took Jonathan to the hospital for his follow-up.

Dr. Jordan Armstrong, his attending physician, practically vibrated with excitement. "Miss James, incredible news. A private research institute abroad has developed an experimental ALS treatment. Clinical trials are showing remarkable results—only two spots left, and I secured one for your brother."

He was selling it hard. I simply nodded. "What are the odds of recovery?"

"Eighty percent."

Jonathan played his part perfectly, tears welling in his eyes. "Hazel, did you hear that? I can get better. I can stay with you forever."

I forced the corners of my mouth up. "That's good. If only one of us can survive, I want it to be you."

Jonathan froze.

Perhaps the gravity in my voice startled him. For a split second, he forgot to slur his speech or feign weakness.

His frown deepened, voice sharp and clear. "Don't talk nonsense. We'll both live long lives. When I recover, I'll rebuild the James Corporation. You'll be the princess of the James family again."

But I don't want to be a princess anymore.

I don't want the title, and I don't want you, Jonathan.

I'm giving it all to Valerie.

"We need to run pre-admission tests," Dr. Armstrong interrupted. "It'll take some time, Miss James. Why don't you wait outside?"

In the past, I would have believed him. I would have left Jonathan in their care and sprinted to my part-time jobs, racing against the clock to earn pennies for his "treatment."

Now, I knew better. It was just a pretext to get rid of me.

I stood at the corner of the deserted corridor, hidden in shadow. I watched my brother—the man who supposedly couldn't walk without support—change his clothes with fluid ease. He strode toward the elevator, impatience evident in his gait.

Downstairs, a sleek luxury car waited. He slid into the backseat and sped away.

I stared at the empty space where the car had been, then walked into a different doctor's office.

"Miss James," the oncologist said, voice heavy. "The tumor has grown too large. Inoperable. If you'd come two weeks ago, maybe... but now..."

He sighed, removing his glasses. "It's a matter of days. You should say your goodbyes."

I sat in silence for a long time, numbness spreading through my limbs. Finally, I nodded.

"After I die, cremate me immediately," I said, voice steady. "Send my ashes to the James Estate. Deliver them personally to Jonathan James."

I left the hospital with the last of my money. Just as I stepped onto the sidewalk, my phone buzzed.

A message from Valerie.

Come to the estate. There's something you need to see.

I hailed a taxi to the most exclusive villa district in the city.

For five years, I believed our family home had been seized by the court, auctioned off to pay debts. But as I stood before the carved iron gates, the mansion blazed with light—more lively and opulent than I'd ever seen it.

Guests swarmed the lawn, a sea of designer gowns and tailored suits. Luxury dazzled at every turn.

Standing outside the gate in my worn, cheap clothes, I felt like a ghost from another world.

Valerie stood in the center of it all. She wore a sparkling tiara and haute couture, looking every bit the heiress, her arm linked possessively through Jonathan's.

They stood before a six-tier cake, surrounded by a wall of wrapped gifts. Valerie's face glowed with triumph.

She clasped her hands together, closing her eyes to make a wish loud enough for the crowd. "I hope to be Jonathan's only sister in this life, and to remain his little princess forever."

Jonathan smiled warmly and pulled a velvet box from his pocket.

The moment the lid snapped open, the blood in my veins turned to ice.

The Jade Pendant.

When Jonathan and I were born, our parents commissioned an eminent monk to consecrate two matching jade pendants. They were chanted over for a full year, carved with our names, and placed around our necks as infants. A blessing from Mom and Dad. A symbol of our lineage. The only tangible connection I had left to them after they died.

Even in my darkest, most desperate moments, I had refused to sell mine.

But now, Jonathan held the matching piece—the one that belonged to the James bloodline.

He had erased the original engraving.

It now bore the name Valerie James.

In front of the cheering crowd, he solemnly fastened the clasp around her neck—stripping me of my history and handing my birthright to the woman who destroyed me.

"My little princess, congratulations. Your wish has come true."

I don't remember how I made it out of there.

My phone buzzed relentlessly—a constant, stinging reminder.

"Actually, I recognized you that day at the Starlight Club."

"You saw everything clearly, didn't you?"

"The jade pendant is mine, and Jonathan is mine. You look like a mangy dog that no one wants."

"Living such a pathetic life... why don't you just die, Big Sister? Hehe."

When I didn't respond, Valerie sent one final message:

"Big Sister, I asked Jonathan to bring you a birthday gift. Enjoy it."

I wandered the streets like a hollow shell until nightfall. When I finally returned to our rental apartment, I understood exactly what Valerie meant by her "gift."

The front door hung open.

Inside, the room had been ransacked. Debris littered the floor. Jonathan was pinned to the ground by a group of men, struggling like a dying animal.

The scene was so familiar that a tremor ran through my body. My ribs—bones snapped years ago—throbbed with phantom agony.

"Long time no see, sweetheart. When are you paying up for this month?"

My face drained of color. "I paid off the entire debt. I don't owe you anything."

The gang leader picked his teeth with a toothpick and spat on the floor. "If I say you owe, then you owe. Don't want to pay? Fine." He glanced down. "I wonder how many hits your brother's pile of rotten bones can take."

He tapped the iron rod against Jonathan's spine.

"Hazel, run!" Jonathan cried out. "I'm the one who dragged you down. Forget about me! I'm just a cripple—if they beat me to death, then so be it. I won't be a burden to you anymore!"

The exact same words. I had heard this script countless times over the last five years.

Exhaustion weighed on me like lead. I looked at the room full of thugs, then down at Jonathan. He looked pathetic, sprawled in the dirt, yet his eyes were clear. Alert.

How had I not seen it before?

It was laughable that I only realized it now. These men had threatened violence a thousand times, yet they had never actually laid a finger on Jonathan.

And I? To protect the brother who lied to me, I had suffered broken ribs, a permanent limp, and scars that would never fade.

My throat felt filled with sand. I swallowed hard. "What exactly do you want?"

The leader looked me up and down, a cruel grin spreading across his face. "Sweetheart, I really don't like that stubborn look in your eyes. How about this? There are a dozen of my brothers here. Crawl through our legs, one by one, and bark like a dog three times. Do that, and I'll consider today's debt settled—just for the fun of it."

Jonathan roared in feigned anger, "No! Hazel, you can't do that!"

I forced a numb smile. The last ember of warmth in my chest turned to ice.

"If that's what you want, then we're even."

My words were directed at the thug, yet Jonathan panicked.

He opened his mouth to stop me, but then remembered his promise to Valerie. This was the final punishment.

Just this last lesson, he told himself. As long as she takes it, I'll restore her status as the James heiress.

From then on, he would never let me suffer again.

Convinced by his own delusion, he averted his gaze—and secretly snapped a photo of my degradation to send to Valerie.

Long after the crowd dispersed, I remained on the floor. It took an eternity to find the strength to stand.

Jonathan crawled toward me, eyes rimmed with red. He opened his mouth to recite his usual pitiful lines, but the sight of my dead, gray gaze silenced him.

The next day, the doctor arrived to take Jonathan abroad for his "treatment."

Before getting into the car, he turned back with every step. "Hazel, wait for me. When I come back, I swear I'll make you the most dazzling princess of the James family again. No one will ever bully you again."

I smiled, saying nothing.

As the car disappeared into the distance, I covered my mouth. I couldn't hold it back any longer. Warm, metallic liquid filled my throat.

I coughed up blood.

The doctor had warned me. When the tumor ruptured, it would be the end.

Strange, though.

As I collapsed, hitting the floor, fear didn't grip me. A peculiar calm settled in instead.

My fading consciousness didn't dwell on the pain. It drifted back to the brother he used to be—gentle hands braiding my hair, candy he'd sneak me, the cool washcloth on my forehead during fevered nights when he refused to leave my bedside.

His voice echoed from the past, warm and promising. "When I grow up, I'm going to make a fortune. I'll build you the biggest castle, Hazel. You'll be the happiest princess in the world."

Blood stained my phone screen as trembling fingers tapped out the words. I swallowed the tears. I wouldn't cry. Not now.

I sent Jonathan one last message.

Brother, I'm done waiting. Consider my life payment for whatever I owe you and Valerie. Please, just bury me beside Mom and Dad.

I hit send. My eyelids grew heavy, and the world faded to black.

Beside my lifeless hand, the phone buzzed violently against the floorboards.