Edward Sterling is playing in his university's freshman basketball tournament when my parents banish me abroad.

My biological sister and my fiancée are both on the sidelines, cheering for him.

That spotlight should've been mine.

The jersey he's wearing, with a star player's autograph on it, was supposed to be my 14th birthday gift.

Edward and I have been rivals for most of our lives. It never matters whether I'm right or wrong—the moment he plays the victim, my parents rush to defend him and scold me without hesitation.

But I am their biological son!

It's not until I die alone and sick in a foreign country that I finally understand one thing.

If I ever get a second chance, I'll never again fight Edward for love that was never mine to begin with.

When I opened my eyes again, I went back to the time when I was 13 years old.

It was the day my parents officially adopted Edward Sterling.

Edward was my uncle's only son. My uncle and aunt had taken him out for a drive and unfortunately got into a car accident. Both of them died.

Although Edward survived, he became physically weak.

For my uncle's sake, my parents were worried that Edward would suffer in an orphanage, so they adopted him and saw him as their own child.

Edward sat beside my mom, his voice filled with joy.

"Do I really have parents now? They won't call me a stray kid anymore, right?"

Mom patted his shoulder affectionately. "That's right. From now on, we're your parents, and this is your home."

I stood on the stairs, coldly watching the warm, happy scene below.

Dad noticed me and frowned, becoming guarded, as if he already assumed I was going to make trouble for Edward.

"What are you doing there? Are you expecting us to invite you to come down? From now on, Ed is your younger brother. He's weak and has been through a lot. Try to go easy on him. You'd better not let me catch you bullying him."

My heart sank when I heard those exact words from my previous life.

"Edward is weak. As his older brother, you should put up with him more."

I had heard those sentences so many times in my previous life that they had worn calluses into my ears.

In my previous life, I had been the most cherished child in the family. But ever since my parents adopted Edward, they favored and doted on him in every possible way.

Because of his tragic background and poor health, I had to give in to him and tolerate him. In the end, the tiny bit of love my parents had for me was all transferred to him.

But I was only half a month older than him!

Besides, Edward was only my cousin. Why did Mom and Dad treat him like their own son and grant his every request? Was it just because he was weak and frail?

I still remembered that in my previous life, after Edward framed me, Mom and Dad didn't even try to listen to what I had to say. Instead, they focused on comforting him.

After Edward accused me repeatedly, my parents believed him outright and sent me overseas. They said they didn't want to see me ever again.

They even said they had already done their utmost for me, and that they didn't have a vicious son like me.

I had gotten lost in my memories and didn't respond to Dad, so Mom began to scold me as well.

"Nick, be sensible. Stop bullying Ed."

A hint of smugness flashed in Edward's eyes.

Seeing me stay silent, he added fuel to the fire. "From now on, I won't go into your room anymore, Nick. Please don't hate me."

A couple of days ago, he had swaggered into my room and smashed my figurine to pieces right in front of me.

But when Mom and Dad arrived, he instantly reverted to his fragile act, crying and saying that he wanted to go back to the orphanage and that I didn't welcome him.

Without asking for the truth, Mom and Dad reprimanded me harshly.

Letting out a cold laugh, I turned to go upstairs.

Mom tried calling after me, but Dad interrupted her, "Forget it. Leave him alone. Just keep an eye on Ed. Don't let Nick bully him."

"He's all grown but still so immature," said my dad.

My hand on the banister paused for a moment, then I turned and went back to my room as if nothing had happened.

From the moment I was reborn, I decided to give up on their love for me. But my dad's words still stung.

…

I had been ignoring Edward. It was rare to get a second chance in life, and I didn't want to waste it on people like them.

As long as I studied hard, I would have the means to leave this family behind.

I would no longer get in the way of their happy family of four.

I was solving some questions in my room when someone knocked on the door.

Outside, Edward's voice came through, deliberately lowered.

"Nicholas Sterling, don't think nothing will happen just because you hide in your room like a coward. Your parents will be mine sooner or later. I'll get you kicked out. Just you wait."

I acted as if I didn't hear his arrogant rant.

In this life, I had no interest in fighting with him.

But a moment later, I heard Edward crying outside the door.

"Jul, is Nick still mad at me? I brought him something to drink, but he told me to get lost. I shouldn't have touched that figurine. I know I don't deserve any of this.

"Maybe I should just go back to the orphanage. You've all been so kind to me. I'll repay you someday. I just hope Nick can forgive me once I'm gone."

Mom came over to comfort him. "It's not your fault. We've spoiled Nick too much."

"Nick's got such a bad temper now. I'll talk to him about it later. You're part of us now, so don't say things like that. It hurts us," Juliana Sterling, my sister, chimed in.

Annoyed by the noise, I opened the door. "Can you stop acting outside of my room? It's disgusting."

Edward panicked and started apologizing, "I'm sorry, Nick. I didn't mean it. I'll pack my stuff and go back to the orphanage right now. Please don't be mad at me. I'm sorry."

Juliana frowned and started scolding me, "Nick, your temper's seriously getting out of control. It was just a figurine. Do you really have to keep holding a grudge?"

Mom looked at me as well. "That's enough, Nick. Even if you're upset, there's a limit. Besides, you broke the figurine yourself. Ed has nothing to do with it."

I gripped the doorknob tightly. "I'll say this one more time—he broke the figurine. Not me!"

Just then, Dad came up the stairs and shouted at me, "Nicholas, stop blaming everything on Ed. If you did something wrong, take accountability! What would Ed get for lying to us? Don't blame him just because he's easy to pick on! Ed is your brother from now on, so cut the attitude!

"I didn't make a big deal out of this before, out of consideration for your feelings. Apologize to Ed right now!"

I looked at my parents, who were standing against me.

Juliana had her arm around Edward's shoulders, whispering comfort to him. They were really like a real family, while I was just some outsider living under their roof.

It was absurd. My parents chose to believe an outsider instead of me, their own child.

Not only did they not defend me, but they pressured me to apologize to the person who set me up.

Even Juliana, who used to dote on me, was now Edward's sister.

Catching a glimpse of Edward's slightly upturned mouth, I didn't want to hear another word from Dad and slammed the door shut.

No matter how Dad pounded on it or shouted for me to apologize, I ignored him.

I leaned against the door, trying to calm myself down.

I could still faintly hear them coddling Edward outside.

This life was no different from the last one.

Even though I wasn't making things hard for Edward like I had done in the past, they still believed I was bullying him.

Edward only had to shed some tears for his mistakes to become mine.

How ridiculous.

…

My 14th birthday arrived.

My parents gifted me a jersey with my favorite player's autograph on it. They had always known I was a fan and how badly I wanted something signed by my idol.

However, I didn't feel even the slightest bit of joy. I just stared at the jersey expressionlessly.

"Nick, we haven't forgotten about you. We still love you. But you also need to treat Ed better. Try to manage your temper, okay?" Mom said softly.

Dad took the opportunity to persuade me. "You wanted this signed jersey. We went through a lot to get it for you. We just hope you can try to understand us a little and take good care of Ed.

"You're the older brother. You should act more mature and be a good example for Ed."

I noticed the envy flash through Edward's eyes.

Then, he put on that act. He reached out as if he wanted to touch the jersey but dared not to, staring at the jersey in my hands with wide, eager eyes.

"Nick, do you like this player too? I like him too, but my family was too poor to give me things like this. Can I touch the jersey? I promise I won't damage it. I'm so jealous of you. Mom and Dad spoil you so much."

That pitiful look on his face immediately triggered my parents' sympathy, just like in the previous life.

Without hesitation, Dad snatched the jersey from my hands and handed it to Edward.

"Since Ed likes it, give it to him. You haven't forgotten that we asked you to give in to him, right? Let him have it."

Edward clutched the jersey, eyes sparkling. "Really? I can have it! I'm so happy, Mom!"

Mom stroked his hair. "Why not? We're all family. What's Nick's is yours, too. You're brothers, after all."

Just like before, Edward took the jersey from me.

My parents told me they would make it up to me with a better gift. But even by the time I died, they never did.

When I insisted on getting the jersey back from Edward, they scolded me, saying I wasn't as considerate or mature as Edward.

But why?

Why did the gift I received turn into his only because he had said something in that pitiful tone? Why was I being told to be tolerant?

He wasn't even my biological brother. Why should I always give in to him?

Although I already knew the answer, I still couldn't stop myself from asking, "Whose birthday is it exactly? Is it mine or his? Why is he the one getting the gift?"

Dad flew into a rage and pointed at my face. "You're getting more and more unreasonable! We're all family here. Do you really have to be so petty? Have you ever gone without gifts before? All you do is talk about gifts. Do you even know how hard we work? This is what happens when a kid is spoiled."

I nodded in disappointment and said nothing before turning to go upstairs.

Behind me, I could still hear Edward quietly sobbing, while my parents fussed over him. Even Juliana handed him the birthday gift that was originally meant for me.

But it was my birthday!

Half a month later, on Edward's birthday, Dad booked out an entire arcade so Edward could invite his friends just because he mentioned he wanted to hang out with them.

As for dinner, Dad reserved a table at a five-star restaurant.

I heard it was extravagant, and there was even a three-tier cake.

I wasn't even invited.

They handed me 20 dollars and told me to have dinner on my own.

The reason? They were afraid I would make a scene at Edward's birthday party and ruin it.