When Luck Turns Against Us

I yanked the blanket over my head as hard as I could.

Maybe this would make him go away.

Instead, he started tickling my feet.

Then, he climbed onto my bed, wriggled under the blanket from the foot of the bed, and stared up at me with wide eyes.

After a pause, he gave a shy little smile. "Please, Sis, just tell me?"

I shut my eyes in despair.

Comments flew faster than I could read.

'I can't… Elias is such a troublemaker. He's not even ten yet, right? That's exactly the age everyone finds impossible, the one nobody likes.'

'The poor female lead… I can't even imagine how her peaceful, quiet life is being destroyed by a boy who's like an energetic Husky.'

'Let's clear Elias' name. He's not a goofball who needs walks like a dog; he can handle himself.'

'Please, I'm begging for the male lead to go back to being his calm, cool self.'

The comments scrolled faster and faster, and with each one, my heart sank a little more. The more I watched, the more I realized I couldn't keep him in the house.

That night, I quietly contacted Edith, texting, 'Ms. Sinclair, please take Elias away.'

But before I could even send the message, the sound of shattering glass made me flinch.

I turned around to see Elias panicking, guilt written all over his face.

"Oh no… Sis, I-I didn't mean to! I didn't think it would break so easily! I just thought the flowers in that vase were pretty and wanted to pick one for you. But as soon as I plucked it, the vase cracked."

His left hand twisted at his shirt, and his right hand clutched a sunflower tightly.

That vase was carefully taken care of every day. It was a keepsake from my grandfather.

And now, it was broken by some stranger who had just arrived.

I glared at him, eyes stinging, ready to say something, but no words came out.

My stare made him look even more guilty.

His eyes went red, and he knelt down, hugging my calves, shaking back and forth. "Sis, I'm sorry! I know I was wrong. Please forgive me. Don't send me away! I just wanted to give you a flower. I didn't mean to break anything in the house."

By the end, his tears and sniffles were smearing down my pants.

I kicked him away in disgust and saw the comments scrolling.

'Poor kid… Even though he's the male lead, he had a rough childhood. In his past life, he died in a car accident right before his wedding. Now, finally reincarnated to reunite with the female lead, he's still burdened with bad luck. His past two years have been cursed.'

'His misfortune used to bring everyone around him down. He got bullied for so long. If Edith hadn't protected him, he probably wouldn't have survived to meet the female lead at all.'

Reading those comments made my chest tighten.

I picked up my smartwatch, added him as a contact, and typed a message. 'I'm fine. Stop crying.'

When I looked at Elias, my gaze held more than a hint of complexity.

In a world like this, it seemed our fates were never fully in our own hands. I had selective mutism. He had been plagued by bad luck since childhood.

Past life or present, it seemed neither of us ever caught a break.

Seeing Elias still sniffle quietly, I let out a soft sigh.

I said nothing and turned to leave.

I didn't know that Elias was watching me leave, his eyes quietly dropping as I walked away.

Distracted, I didn't watch my step and twisted my ankle on the staircase, tumbling straight down.

The sound made his face go pale as paper. Without thinking, he leaped from the second floor, landing next to the stairs and catching me.

Blood clouded my vision, and sharp pain stabbed my head.

Elias had a gash on his forehead, blood streaming down in a steady flow, but he seemed oblivious to the pain, straining to lift me up.

In a daze, the scene felt strangely familiar.

At that moment, the comments exploded.

'Whoa, everyone! Isn't this the scene from when the male and female leads died in their past life? Could it be that they're regaining their memories?'