Chapter 4

A few days later, when Thomas wanted to take me for an eye checkup, I refused to cooperate.

I lay on the bed and wouldn't get up. "My leg hurts."

Thomas rubbed my calf. "Did you twist it yesterday?"

"No, I just don't want to move."

"You don't have to move. Thomas will carry you."

I said, "Well, my head hurts too. I want to sleep."

Thomas seemed to laugh. He rubbed my head. "What are you overthinking now?"

He picked me up from the bed. "I'll figure out the money situation. It's not your problem to worry about."

I felt a bit sad. "I don't want you both to work so hard."

He pinched my cheek. "When I see Chris, I'm not tired anymore."

In the end, I obediently went with Thomas for the checkup. Before we left, I asked, "Where's Robert?"

Thomas said, "He went out early this morning. Haven't seen him."

Thomas took me through several alleys. I heard the sounds of a fight.

He was about to pick me up and walk faster when I tugged his sleeve. "Thomas, I think I heard Robert's voice."

At first Thomas walked forward a few steps as if he hadn't heard, then sighed and stopped.

He put me down at the alley entrance. "I'm very close by. Just stand right here and don't move. If anything happens, call me immediately, okay?"

I nodded and listened to Thomas's footsteps heading deeper into the alley.

I pressed my ear against the wall and heard Robert's voice through the chaotic noise:

"I won't fight back today. I'll let you beat me up fair and square. But after this, none of you better interfere with my work!"

That day's checkup, Thomas and Robert took me together.

I heard Thomas also dragged Robert to the emergency room and got some topical medicine.

I touched Robert's hand distressingly. "Does it hurt?"

"Serves him right," Thomas said while applying medicine to Robert. "Playing the hero."

Robert hissed lightly but ignored Thomas's sarcasm. He pinched my cheek. "Doesn't hurt. I'm fine."

Although Thomas's words were harsh, his attitude toward Robert had clearly softened a lot.

The house had two bedrooms. It had always been one for Thomas, one for me, and Robert sleeping on the couch.

When bedtime came, I lay in bed.

I heard Thomas's voice from outside. He said to Robert, who couldn't even stretch out his arms and legs on the small couch, "Come sleep in the room."

I listened to the sounds of doors opening and closing and fell into a deep sleep in the darkness.

After that, not only did their relationship improve, but Robert was able to find work too.

I secretly asked Robert, "How did you win him over?"

"Who won him over?" He didn't tell me at first.

Later, when I annoyed him enough, he said, "I used to cause trouble for him because I once saw him teasing you and I thought he was bullying you."

"So I went to seek justice. Later I found out you were his sister."

"That day when we got into the fight, those people spilled all the stupid things I'd done."

He made me laugh so hard I was giggling.

He poked my forehead. "Oh, so you dare laugh at me?"

Robert and I were messing around when Thomas finished cooking noodles.

I held my fork and ate slowly. I heard Robert ask, "Where's mine?"

"First you have to say, 'Thank you, Thomas.'"

After Thomas spoke, Robert was quiet for a moment, then asked somewhat awkwardly, "Why should I?"

"You're eating food that I made."

Knowing Thomas was deliberately teasing Robert, I laughed on the side.

After a while, Robert still hadn't spoken. Thomas said, "Very principled. Starve then."

"Thank you, Thomas."

The days passed like this.

The abandonment and rejection I'd feared never happened. I even gained another brother.

They would come to the school for the blind together to pick me up, each holding one of my hands. When we encountered puddles, they'd lift me up together and shout with a laugh, "Jump!"

Now Thomas and Robert were in their last semester of senior year. Thomas still made Robert study.

After they both got off their part-time jobs, Thomas would go over problems with Robert in the living room while I sat to the side listening to them talk.

Thomas tapped Robert's head with a pen. "Pay attention. Getting into a good college will save us a lot of money!"

"Thomas has fallen into the money pit," Robert turned his head to tell me. "There's an ad downstairs offering big money for surrogacy. You should tell Thomas to go earn it."

I pushed him with a laugh. "Robert! You're so bad!"

But sometimes they would avoid me when talking. Once I was lying on the couch with my eyes closed, and they thought I was asleep.

Robert spoke in a low voice. "The Davis family hasn't contacted you again?"

Thomas's voice was also very quiet. "They've called a few times asking me to come back. Same old story—stop caring about Chris and come back to inherit the family fortune. I said it's impossible."

Robert's voice carried a hint of worry. "They're not going to give up that easily..."

After I accidentally overheard this, I didn't dare show it on my face, but my heart was always anxious.

Maybe the more you fear something, the more likely it is to happen. One day, someone knocked on our door.

After the door opened, I could feel the air gradually grow heavy.