“It was for your own good!” Her voice turned cold. “If you dare to steal, you must be punished. If not, you'll never learn to fix that bad habit? Should I just watch you make mistakes and let you walk down the wrong path?”
Her words hit my heart like a hammer. Since I was young, when had I ever stolen anything? Why would I steal Leonhart’s watch? Why couldn’t she think more carefully about this? Why wouldn’t she believe me?
Tears fell. Three years of pain and hopelessness washed over me again. I gave up trying to explain once more.
Looking at my buzz-cut hair, she finally softened her tone, like she was admitting defeat. “Rein, everything I do is for you. Yes, you were in prison for three years, but I already prepared a future for you.”
“My company will be yours one day. I only wanted to give you a small punishment. It doesn’t really hurt anything. So, come home with me. Don’t run around anymore.”
She took my hand and pulled me back toward the house. I followed her with a numb feeling and I kept silent along the road.
When we opened the door, Leonhart looked surprised to see her bring me back. He didn’t expect that after everything, she still wanted me home.
I felt exhausted. I went straight to my room and didn’t come out.
Late at night, Leonhart quietly came into my room. I opened my eyes instantly, but he thought I was still asleep.
He touched my pillow, lifted it and hid something underneath. I didn’t move or take it out.
He couldn’t wait. I had just returned and he was already using the same trick. I wanted to see whether my sister would believe me this time.
The next morning, just as expected, he cried to my sister and said I stole his watch again.
“Brother, if you like something, you can just tell me. I even gave you the watch yesterday, but you didn’t want it. Why do you always have to steal?”
My sister’s face instantly get dark upon hearing that.
"So you really can't change, huh?"
My heart instantly dropped into the deepest dark. My sister’s sharp accusation had cut the very last bit of our family ties between us.
I pulled the corner of my mouth in a bitter smile. “Yeah… I can’t change.”
Slap!
Before I finished speaking, my sister raised her hand and gave me a hard slap. Her eyes were full of anger and disappointment.
“Why did I even have a brother like you?!” she shouted.