Chapter 2

I was walking towards the river when someone suddenly grabbed my hand.

Confused, I turned around and saw it was my sister, Belle. She was holding a cake with "DH" written on it. This cake was probably prepared to celebrate Dillon's return after his fake death.

Belle's eyes blazed with anger and hatred. "What are you doing here, Ryan? Are you trying to stop me from giving this cake to Dillon? We've cut ties!"

In this world, if anyone hated me more than Luanne, it was Belle.

Belle wasn't like this before. We were orphaned at a young age, and I raised her alone, naming her Belle, hoping she would be beautiful and free.

She dreamed of learning music, and I dropped out of school to work three jobs so she could attend the best training programs.

When there was a fire at home, she ran barefoot into the burning house, crying that she couldn't live without me.

We used to be each other's support, the closest family we had. But everything changed after she met Dillon.

Dillon said he wanted to eat something tasty, so Belle forced me, despite my illness, to cook an elaborate meal for him.

Dillon didn't even take a bite, and when I asked why, Belle lashed out, saying my cooking was terrible and accused me of being mean to him. Then, she threw away the food I had painstakingly prepared.

Later, Dillon and Luanne conspired against me, faking his death by jumping into the sea.

Belle hated me and cut ties with me. She watched coldly as I suffered and even pushed me further into despair.

Thinking about this, I didn't respond but pulled my wrist out of her grasp.

Luanne sneered. "Dillon is back. I left your brother penniless. He can't accept it, so he must be thinking of committing suicide."

Belle frowned, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she said, "Ryan is such a coward. He wouldn't do it. This is just for show."

"Exactly," Luanne nodded, laughing. "He tried this twice."

Belle looked at me with hatred. "Ryan, someone as vile as you won't be missed even if you die. Get out of my way. I'm going to see Dillon."

I lowered my gaze. "Fine, I'll go." The next second, I fell into the turbulent river.

Belle's face turned pale.

The current was swift, and within seconds, I was carried several feet downstream. I wasn't afraid of death. Instead, a sense of relief washed over me. This time, maybe I could really die.

But then, with a splash, Belle saved me, throwing me onto the shore. I was covered in mud, looking pathetic.

She was soaking wet, kicking me furiously. "Ryan, are you trying to make everyone think I drove you to suicide and ruin me? Bastard!"

"When did you learn to swim?" I coughed violently, cold water spilling from my mouth.

Belle kicked me hard and sneered. "After Dillon jumped into the sea. Huh, your trick didn't work. Are you upset now?"

I couldn't help but laugh bitterly. Love was truly powerful.

I had tried many times to teach Belle how to swim, but Dillon had always stopped me, saying, "With me around, Belle doesn't need to learn to swim. I'll always be there to save her."

Belle belittled me by saying, "This is where you and Dillon differ. You only force me to do things I don't want to do. Ryan, you're not fit to be my brother!"

Later, when Belle accidentally drowned, Dillon looked on indifferently, while I dived in to save her. But she thought it was Dillon who had saved her and gave him all the credit, calling me heartless for standing by.

Unexpectedly, Belle, who used to be afraid of water, had learned to swim for Dillon.

I snorted. "It has nothing to do with you if I live or die. To me, you're just a stranger now."

Hearing this, Belle turned livid with anger and slapped me. "If it weren't for my vow to pray for Dillon's soul, do you think I'd save someone I've cut ties with? I'd even save a dog that fell into the water!"

I laughed bitterly. "Huh, what a moving story. Do you know? Dillon is going to marry Luanne."

At this, the cake in Belle's hand fell to the ground as she stared at Luanne. "What? Marry her?"

Before I could speak, another target, Violet Wood, rushed up in a panic, blurting out, "Dillon is missing!"

"Ryan, did you hide Dillon? Bring him out right now!" Luanne glared at me.