My brother Adrian and I were at war. He believed I caused the car crash that left his beloved Penny comatose, and without hesitation, he imprisoned me for three years. After our parents died, we became like unchained mad dogs, taking pleasure in destroying each other. He poisoned my food; I burned his assets. He once tied me to a helicopter and flew me like a kite; I drugged him and threw him into a wild animal pen. Our twisted games only stopped when Penny finally "woke up." The woman he adored for three years slapped disownment papers in front of me, smiling triumphantly. "Sign this, or I’ll arrange another accident and frame you." I laughed sharply, eyes stinging, then stabbed her in the stomach. I called Adrian on speaker, letting him hear her screams. He raged, "Rosalie, are you trying to get yourself killed?" I swallowed blood and hummed defiantly. He needn’t have bothered—the doctor had already told me. Terminal brain cancer. Three days left to live. 1 When Adrian burst through the door with his men, he found me casually crossing my legs, twirling the blood-slicked blade in my hand. Penny lay at my feet, her body wracked with tremors of pain. The moment she saw Adrian, she let out a desperate, piercing cry for help. “Adrian, it hurts! She’s trying to kill me!” The sight of her, covered in blood, turned his eyes a furious shade of red. He took a single step forward, and my stiletto heel pressed down on the wound in her stomach. Penny couldn't even scream anymore, just curled into a helpless ball of agony. “Let her go!” Adrian roared, surging forward. But with every foot closer he got, I applied more pressure. Fresh blood seeped out, tracing crimson patterns beneath my shoe. Seeing this, Adrian stopped dead in his tracks, his face a mask of bitter defeat. His hands, hanging by his sides, clenched into tight fists. In a strained, hoarse voice, he used a title I hadn’t heard from him in years. “Sister… name your price. What will it take for you to let Penny go?” Before I could answer, he rattled off a desperate list of offers. “Forty percent of the company shares? The West End property? All my real estate in the city? Or… my life?” “Just say the word. It’s all yours.” A mocking laugh escaped me. I was about to throw the disownment papers Penny had brought right back in his face when the world suddenly went dark. A high-pitched ringing filled my ears. Damn it, I cursed internally. Of all the times for this to happen. Sure enough, by the time my vision cleared, the cold edge of a blade was pressed against my neck. Another inch, and it would slice through my carotid artery. I met his cold gaze, a defiant smirk playing on my lips as I deliberately leaned into the knife's edge. Adrian’s pupils contracted, a flicker of hesitation—of panic—crossing his face. And just like that, the tables turned. With a vicious grin, I snatched the knife from his hand. I was about to drive it through his palm when my eyes caught sight of a long, faded scar on his forearm. It stretched for inches, a pale reminder of our childhood. I had dragged him to an abandoned amusement park, a place forbidden to us. In the middle of our reckless games, the rusted frame of a roller coaster had groaned and collapsed right above my head. In that split second, Adrian had thrown himself at me, shoving me out of the way. When the rescue team finally dug him out, his right arm was shattered, nearly beyond repair. As they wheeled him into the operating room, he had gritted his teeth against the pain and forced a smile to comfort me. “Don’t cry, Rose. This is nothing.” A storm of emotions crashed within my chest. Clenching my jaw, I released my grip on the knife. My voice was ice as I bit out each word. “Take that idiot and get the hell out of my sight!” The next second, a blinding agony ripped through my skull, making it hard to breathe. I was going mad with pain, the only relief coming from slamming my head against the wall again and again. Adrian had just scooped Penny into his arms when he turned and saw me on the floor, clawing at my own hair and writhing. He froze for a moment, then let out a cold, derisive laugh. “If you’re going to put on an act, at least make it convincing. I nicked your neck, not your head.” He walked over and kicked me, his voice laced with contempt. “As for today… if you apologize to Penny, I can pretend none of this ever happened.” I turned my head and, with a bitter smile, sank my teeth into his leg. He let out a muffled grunt of pain, his face instantly darkening. Meeting his furious glare, I raised a single middle finger. “Me, apologize to her?” “In your next life.” Adrian’s chest heaved with rage. His final words were a chilling promise. “You chose this.” “Just you wait.” 2 The pain kept me awake all night. As dawn painted the sky in pale shades of gray, a wave of exhaustion finally washed over me. But before I could drift off, bodyguards were dragging me out of bed. Downstairs, I saw that the city’s elite, a who’s who of high society, had been invited to our home. In front of them all, I was thrown onto the doorstep like a piece of trash. A pair of expensive leather shoes entered my line of sight. Adrian’s cold voice drifted down. “You’ll have to understand. I’m throwing a birthday party for Penny, and our guests are… distinguished. The last thing we need is a criminal under this roof.” I fought to swallow the blood rising in my throat and looked up at him with a sneer. “Your methods are getting more childish by the day.” Adrian lit a cigarette, his gaze chillingly cold. He wasn’t looking at his sister; he was looking at an enemy. He blew out a perfect ring of smoke. “My offer still stands. Apologize to her, and this all goes away.” I stretched my lips into a silent, mocking grin. My answer was clear. He let out a sharp, humorless laugh and walked away. But just moments after he left, a commotion erupted from inside. Faintly, I heard my own name being spoken. A sudden, sharp sense of dread coiled in my stomach. I pushed my way through the crowd and saw it—a massive screen at the front of the room, cycling through a series of photographs. When I saw what they were, it was as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head. The cold spread from my limbs straight to my heart. My hands clenched into fists, my nails digging so deep into my palms that they drew blood. They were photos taken during my time in prison. Photos of my humiliation. The darkest, most brutal moments of my life. Those agonizing memories mixed with the sneers and whispers of the crowd, drilling into my mind. “Look at Rosalie on her knees, begging like a dog. Who knew the madwoman had a breaking point?” “I wonder if I could use these pics to get her into bed. Think she’d say yes?” “Forget it. Who’d want a woman who’s been to prison, anyway?” I bit my lip so hard I could taste blood. Spotting Adrian in the crowd, I lunged forward, grabbed him by the collar, and threw a punch with all my remaining strength. But it was a pathetic attempt. Ravaged by illness, my fist landed on him with all the force of a gentle tap. For the first time, Adrian looked genuinely confused. He grabbed my wrists and pulled me off him, his face flushed with anger. “What the hell is wrong with you? I didn’t put those photos up there!” Nearby, I caught the flash of triumph in Penny’s eyes. A cold laugh escaped me. “Penny. Looks like yesterday’s lesson didn’t stick, did it?” Penny immediately switched to her damsel-in-distress act, clutching at Adrian’s sleeve. “Adrian, it wasn’t me,” she whimpered. “Why does your sister always misunderstand me? Does she hate me that much?” Adrian instantly moved to shield her. The absurdity of it all made me laugh. “Adrian, how can you be so stupid?” I spat. “Besides you, she’s the only one who knows about my time in prison. Who else could have leaked those photos?” His voice was cold, certain. “It wasn’t Penny. She’s too timid. She wouldn’t dare.” I was done talking. I grabbed a nearby wine bottle and charged at Penny. But before I could reach her, Adrian’s bodyguards grabbed me by the hair and started dragging me out. The mocking, disdainful stares of the crowd felt like a thousand tiny needles piercing my heart. The rage and humiliation overwhelmed me. My vision went black, and I coughed up a mouthful of dark, thick blood. As my body went limp and I fell to the ground, the last thing I heard was a desperate, horrified shout. “Sister!” 3 When I woke up, my eyes met Adrian’s. They were red-rimmed and bloodshot. The next thing I knew, he threw a blood pack, and it splattered across my face. His voice was like ice. “Quite the performance, Rosalie. Too bad Penny found the blood pack you had prepared. Faking a collapse in front of all those people just to frame me… your little schemes have gotten much more clever.” I stared at him, stunned, for a long second. Then I grabbed the vase from the nightstand and hurled it at him. A satisfying line of red bloomed on his forehead, and only then did the inferno in my chest die down to a simmer. My voice was a raw rasp. “You idiot. Get out. I don’t want to see your face.” Adrian let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-scoff, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Penny and I are moving out tomorrow. From now on, you can throw your tantrums all you want. There will be no one left to stop you.” I turned my head away, my voice flat and cold. “Good. Out of sight, out of mind.” But the moment the door slammed shut, tears streamed down my face like broken strings of pearls. That bastard. I muttered curses under my breath as I got up and pulled a worn, yellowed photograph from a drawer. It was a picture of our family of four. My trembling fingers traced the smiling faces of our parents. Mom, Dad… your precious daughter is dying tomorrow, and there’s no one left to even claim her body. Just as I regained a sliver of strength, Penny showed up at my door with a food container. She wore the same smug, triumphant smile I had come to despise. She laid out the food—a spread of rich, greasy dishes. The cancer had spread everywhere, even to my stomach. I could barely handle liquids, let alone something so heavy with oil and salt. I looked at her, my eyes cold, and pointed to the door. “You have sixty seconds to get out. When time’s up, I’m throwing this food, and you, out the window.” Penny gasped, covering her mouth in mock surprise. She looked me up and down, her voice dripping with exaggerated pity. “You really are sick.” “Is this what they call karma, Rosalie?” The words had barely left her mouth before I snatched a bowl of hot, red soup and flung its contents directly at her face. The scalding liquid made her shriek in agony. The sound was music to my ears, and a slow, satisfied smile spread across my face. But at that exact moment, the door opened. Standing in the doorway was Adrian, his face as black as thunder. Behind him stood a dozen doctors and nurses, their mouths slightly agape in shock at the scene before them. One of the doctors couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Sterling, who exactly is the patient?” Adrian pulled the weeping, red-faced Penny into his arms. He remained surprisingly calm as he instructed the butler to see the medical team out. “We don’t need doctors. Call the morgue. They can wait to collect her corpse.” His voice was devoid of all emotion. “She’ll kill herself with one of her fits eventually.” He glanced at the food spilled on the floor. “And don’t bother bringing her any more of this.” I laughed, a raw, broken sound, and shouted at his retreating back. “Hey, you bastard! On the day of my funeral, don’t forget to burn the house down for me too!” In all the years of fighting with Adrian, going hungry was nothing new. But this time was different. I couldn’t bear it. The searing pain in my head and the gnawing ache in my stomach sent me into waves of dizziness. I’d pass out at my computer, wake up, and pass out again. I was racing against the clock, knowing that every second was precious. After all this time, my investigation into our parents’ death was finally bearing fruit—and all signs pointed to Penny’s family. After another sleepless night, fueled by nothing but adrenaline, the chain of evidence was complete. I backed up one copy and sent another to the police. With that done, I dragged my exhausted body back to my room. I wanted to close my eyes for the last time in this room, a place that still held the warmth of our family. But when I opened the drawer, the spot where our family portrait should have been was empty. 4 My breath caught in my throat. Like a madwoman, I dragged my weak, tired body downstairs. And there she was. Penny, sitting on the sofa. She was toying with the photograph. When she saw me, a defiant smirk twisted her lips. “Look what I found.” “The great Rosalie’s one weakness.” My hands clenched into fists. I fought to suppress the murderous rage boiling inside me. “You’ve already won everything. Why are you still wasting your time on a dying woman?” Penny blinked innocently. “I have to make sure you die for good this time.” With that, she took out a lighter and set the corner of our family portrait on fire. The flickering flames danced across her pretty face, twisting her features into the mask of a demon. “You should have just died sooner, you know? I had to pretend to be in a coma for three years because of you.” “Your idiot brother is completely devoted to me. Once you’re gone, the Sterling family fortune will be all mine.” Perhaps it was a final burst of energy before death, a last flicker of a dying flame. I moved faster than I thought possible, lunging at her, grabbing her hair, and slamming her head against the floor. Penny, not expecting me to have any strength left, screamed, her face contorting with fear. “How dare you touch me! Adrian will never forgive you for this!” I looked at the photograph, now half-consumed by flames, and a grim, cold smile spread across my face. “It’s true, I’m dying. But before I go… how about I drag you down to hell with me?” Ignoring her terrified screams, I took the lighter and set her hair ablaze. Penny scrambled away, shrieking and batting at the flames, fumbling for her phone to call Adrian for help. I watched the chaos unfold, laughing until tears streamed down my face. But what I didn’t know, what neither of us knew, was that Penny was pregnant. And in the struggle, she lost the baby. It was the first time I had ever seen Adrian on the verge of tears. He looked like he wanted to kill me, but instead, he just dragged me to the family hall of ancestors. “Tell me,” Adrian’s voice was shaking uncontrollably. “Why did you go after Penny and the baby?” I placed the half-burnt photograph in front of him. “She burned this.” Suddenly, Adrian snapped. He snatched the remaining half of the photo and ripped it to shreds. “Stop lying!” he roared, his face contorted with rage and disappointment. It was the same look he’d given me years ago when Penny had her accident and he refused to believe my innocence. “Someone like you doesn’t have a shred of family feeling left in your heart!” “I’ve known it all along. You wanted the family fortune all to yourself. When you realized you couldn't get rid of me, you decided to make sure I’d never have an heir.” “I’m done giving you chances.” He let go, and a single sheet of paper fluttered down in front of me. The disownment papers. “From this day on, we are no longer family. We split the inheritance, fifty-fifty.” I stared at him, numb, and asked, my voice barely a whisper, “You know the price of this, don’t you?” Adrian refused to look at me. He knelt ramrod-straight before our parents’ memorial tablets and, in a loud, clear voice, declared for all to hear: “The Sterling family creed is absolute. Those who break the bonds of family must endure the ninety-nine lashes!” “And I have summoned the witnesses.” His voice cracked for a moment before he continued. “As for your ninety-nine… I will take sixty-six of them for you. Consider it repayment for our childhood.” The pain in my heart was so intense it was a physical thing, but I let none of it show on my face. My body was failing, but I forced myself into a posture of pure, biting contempt. “Fine by me. I couldn’t be happier.” The barbed whip fell. By the tenth lash, I couldn’t hold on anymore. My vision swam with red. A pain unlike anything I’d ever known ripped a sob from my throat, and I found myself crying out for our parents. In the room next to me, Adrian remained silent. He took his hundred lashes without making a sound. When the punishment was over, he limped to the doorway to look at me. He was silhouetted against the light, so he couldn’t see the blood streaming from my eyes, nose, and mouth. A sudden, disdainful scoff broke the silence. “Stop faking it, Rosalie. I’ve fought you for three years, and you’ve always bounced back. Thirty-three lashes? That’s nothing more than a scratch to you.” “I’m leaving. Good luck.” I didn’t even have the strength to give him the finger. And then, the pain vanished. In my fading vision, I saw Mom and Dad, smiling at me. At the same time, Adrian stepped outside, just in time to see Penny being forced into a police car.
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