After I fell off the snowy mountain, no one in my family even noticed I was gone.
I used the walkie-talkie to contact my sister, Isabel. Her voice was filled with irritation. “You’re making trouble again? Justin lost one of his gloves and we’re heading back. Stop fooling around.”
Justin… that was my brother-in-law.
I tried calling my girlfriend next, but her voice was even colder than my sister’s. “Justin lost a glove and I’m not in the mood to argue with you just because you’re still jealous over nothing. Let me guess, you’re the one who took it, right?”
“If something happens to him, we’re done for good.”
With my last bit of strength, I tried calling my parents. But they tossed the walkie-talkie down the mountain.
It wasn’t until a month later that they finally remembered me.
“Justin is fine. Tell him to stop being dramatic and come home quickly.”
“Sir, Madam, his body has been brought down from the mountain. He gave his warm clothes to Mr. Meyer so he could survive. Because of that… he didn’t make it.”
“Before he died, he left a message. He said, ‘In my next life, I will never be part of the Miller Family again.’”
——
“He gave his gloves to Justin?” my sister scoffed coldly. Even if that’s true, I guess I didn’t treat him as my brother for nothing.”
“It’s true, Miss. Not only the gloves, but he also traded his down jacket with Mr. Meyer. That’s why he froze to death.”
“Enough!”
A porcelain cup suddenly shattered at the housekeeper’s feet.
My father shouted angrily, “If he managed one day without bullying my son-in-law, that would’ve been a miracle. Trade clothes with Justin? Don’t make me laugh.”
“He always complained that we gave Justin the best and not him. This time, we did give him the best gear. What else could he possibly want?”
My soul rushed forward, trying to block the shards flying toward the housekeeper. But the pieces passed right through me. One of them cut his hand.
My eyes turned red. “Walter is telling the truth. Justin said his glove was torn, so I offered to trade with him.”
“Don’t blame Walter. He helped you raise me and my sister!”
My brother-in-law, Justin Meyer, sighed. “Walter, I know Nathan’s gloves were of the top quality. He wouldn’t give them up that easily.”
He sighed again. “Nathan always got jealous. But stealing my glove on a mountain was too much.”
“You liar!” I clenched my teeth until they almost broke.
But I was only a ghost now and no one could hear my anger or grief.
“But as his brother-in-law, I won’t hold it against him. Still, he shouldn’t have risked his life like that.”
“Walter, stop making excuses for him. Tell him to come back. I’ll even apologize, alright?”
Then, a cold voice interrupted him. “And why should you do that?”
It was my girlfriend, Winona Palmer. Her eyes were like ice as she glared at the Walter.
“He tried to take Justin’s glove in minus fifty degrees and now he’s the victim? Tell him we don’t buy that act. If he doesn’t come back today, then he should never come back at all.”
I stared at her, tears falling down my face.
Winona… you think I’m like that, too?
The wrinkles on Walter’s face deepened with sorrow. “Sir, Madam… he was still your son. He was your brother. Your fiancé…”
“Hah.” My mother let out a cold laugh. “I don’t have a son who went off having fun outside while I was dying.”
“That’s right. When my wife was heavily ill back then, her biggest wish was to see her son one last time. And where was he? It was Justin who stayed by her side.”
My sister let out a cold snort. “After everything we’ve done for him, he still turned out to be an ungrateful brat.”
No…
That’s not true…
I shook my head, tears welling in my eyes.
Mother, on the day your life was in danger, I didn’t even know.
Justin sent me a message from Isabel’s phone saying you were fine. That’s why I went to celebrate my friend’s birthday that day.
A sigh escaped my lips.
Justin spoke softly, almost sounding hurt. “Nathan always hated me, I know that. I’ll move out, so he can come back. Don’t worry, I’ll never bother him again.”
“Wait!” My mother stopped him and then she turned to look at Walter.
“Winona is right. In this family, the son-in-law matters more than the real son. If he won’t come back today, then he’s no longer a part of this family.”
Pain pierced through my chest.
I pressed my hand over my empty chest and clenched my teeth.
Don’t worry. I already stopped wanting to be part of this family.
I wrote it before I died, didn’t I?
In my next life, I will never be part of the Miller Family again.
That night, Justin didn’t show up for dinner.
My sister went to the office and Winona was about to leave, too. But after hesitating for a moment, she turned back, carrying a tray of food. She knocked on Justin’s door.
“Winona?”
I couldn’t believe it. “No, Winona. Don’t go in there!”
My hand went straight through her as I reached out to stop her. She walked into his room anyway.
“Sorry.”
Justin sat on the edge of his bed, quickly wiping his red eyes. Winona hesitated, then sat beside him, her face full of concern.
“If I had known earlier what kind of person Nathan really was, I never would’ve stood by him or let him make me believe you were the bad guy all this time.”
I froze in disbelief.
Winona… Winona, what are you saying?
Justin smiled faintly at her with red eyes. “It’s fine. Nathan always looked down on me for being from the countryside. That’s normal.”
“I was a poor guy who somehow got into the same university as him and even fell in love with the same—”
He stopped himself mid-sentence, glancing quickly at Winona before changing the subject.
“He was a spoiled rich kid. It wouldn’t surprise me if he hired ten guys to beat me half to death. To him, that was probably nothing more than just teaching someone a lesson. Don’t hold it against him.”
My hands began to shake uncontrollably.
I… hired ten men… to beat him?
When Winona heard that, a deep ache flashed in her eyes. The way she didn’t look surprised told me this wasn’t the first time she had heard that story.
Now I finally knew why, one day, her eyes had turned so cold when she looked at me. I had tried everything to find out what happened, but her hatred only grew deeper.
So this was it…
I closed my eyes and let the tears fall.
“Sorry…” Winona whispered, lowering her head. “If I had said yes the first time you confessed to me… If I hadn’t stood by Nathan and insulted you, maybe your life wouldn’t have been so bitter.”
My whole body trembled, my teeth biting hard into my lip.
When she looked up again, her eyes were red. “Thankfully, you met his sister and his parents treated you like their true son. I can’t imagine how much I would regret it if my misunderstanding had pushed you to the worst.”
Justin’s face went red.
The next day, Mike Lewis came to visit the Miller Family.
I watched my best friend and didn’t know what he planned. Only when he walked out carrying all my things in boxes did I understand.
“Nathan said he won’t be a part of the Miller Family ever again in the next life, so…” He looked coldly at my family and my girlfriend. “Even his things here feel dirty to me.”
My sister and my parents’ faces turned hard. Winona frowned too.
My parents sneered. “Unbelievable. You’re helping this ungrateful brat play a show?”
“We already said that if he didn’t come back yesterday, then he’s no longer a part of the Miller Family. Do you think we wanted to make him a part of our family? If it weren’t for blood, what is he? Even my son-in-law is worth more than him.”
Mother’s voice got louder. If my sister hadn’t grabbed her arm, she would have slapped Mike.
For a moment, I forgot I was only a spirit.
I rushed forward and tried to stand in front of Mike to protect him. But Mike did not move away.
He gave Justin a disdainful look and smiled with scorn. “When we were in college, I already knew you weren’t a good person.”
Justin’s eyes filled with red. He looked stunned.
“So it turns out I was right.”
“Enough!” my sister cut in. She let go of our mother’s hand and faced Mike with a cold gaze. “You may take his things, but if you speak ill of Justin, don’t pretend you care about our families’ friendship.”
“Fine, then. I wish my parents would cut ties with you right now!” Mike shouted, holding my things tightly and staring at Justin.
“You protect the one who got your own son killed. It’s only a matter of time before you ruin a business partner, too.”
“You…”
Smack!
A slap landed on his face without warning and my belongings fell to the ground.
My spirit stood in front of Mike, screaming even though no one could hear me, “Isabel, stop!”
“You really are just like him,” my sister said, looking at Mike as if she could see through him to me. Her eyes showed the same disgust.
“Do you think being born rich lets you do whatever you want? My husband being from the countryside doesn’t give you the right to insult him.”
“Mike, when my husband was bullied back then, you joined in with those boys, didn’t you?”
Mike stared at her in disbelief. “What are you even talking about?”
Justin, voice full of wronged pain, said in time, “I was born with less, Mike, but that doesn’t mean I deserved to be bullied.”
“Don’t use your background as an excuse. Do you think I dislike you because of where you’re from?”
“There were many people from small towns in our class and yet most of them achieved success by working hard. You, however, stir trouble everywhere.”
Tears fell from Justin to the floor. “Mike, how could you…”
“Save your act!” Mike lunged forward and grabbed his collar. “Were you the one who cut Nathan’s climbing boots? You ruined his spiked boots, did you?”
“If you hadn’t done that, he might have held on until help came. You killed him, you bastard!”
“Enough!”
Before Mike could swing a punch at Justin’s face, Isabel grabbed his hand and pushed him aside.
Mike’s back hit the wall hard.
My parents were also furious. “You and that brat Nathan really are just the same! Get him out of here. He’s never allowed to enter the Miller Family house again!”
Justin was still crying.
Winona watched as Mike was dragged outside. Even when he reached the door, he was still shouting in anger.
She frowned slightly, but soon her eyes softened as she turned back to Justin’s tearful, pitiful face.
“I know I was born poor, but I never stole or hurt anyone. Why would they accuse me like that?”
Winona instinctively reached out with a tissue to wipe his tears, then suddenly stopped herself and handed it to him instead.
“Don’t worry. We would never believe something that ridiculous.”
“That’s right, Justin. Nathan just wanted attention. He made up this story to make us panic and misunderstand you.”
“Don’t worry. We’re all on your side.”
I closed my eyes in pain.
My family.
My lover.
All of them standing together, promising to always believe the man who killed me.
That night, I overheard Justin on the phone with someone.
“Of course not. When we fell from the snowy mountain, the gloves and the spikes on his boots were damaged. That’s normal, right? Who would ever think I actually messed with them?”
So, it was true…
The broken spikes on my boots that couldn’t grip the ice, my gloves and boots that couldn’t keep me warm… none of it was an accident.
“That spoiled brat was so funny. I only said I was freezing to death and he actually forgot we were enemies. He gave me his warm gear and said we would settle things after we got off the mountain.”
“Hahaha! Man, that’s hilarious.”
***
Winona called me more than ten times, yet not a single call was answered.
Frustrated, she left me a voice message.
“I’ve already picked the wedding dresses. Five different styles. If you don’t come back soon, I’ll choose the ugliest one and marry you in it.”
There was still no reply.
“Nathan, actually, I know what you did to Justin. That’s why I haven’t talked to you lately. What you did was crossing the line.”
“But… after thinking for a long time, I realized I really do love you. I’m trying to make things right with your brother-in-law, but my heart only belongs to you.”
“Still, I understand you were just young and foolish and I’m willing to help you change. Please text me when you see this, Nathan. We still have to choose our wedding venue.”
She didn’t know that I was right beside her, listening.
I gave a bitter smile.
Winona… We’ve been together for ten years.
Ten years and that’s still not enough for you to know my heart? How could a few words from someone else erase the ten years you’ve known me?
Late into the night, Winona still couldn’t sleep. She kept scrolling through our old messages. The man who used to reply in less than ten minutes was now completely silent.
“Winona?” Seeing her put on her coat and head out in the middle of the night, Justin called out curiously.
“Nathan wouldn’t stay silent this long. I’m worried something bad happened to him. I’m going to find Walter and Mike.”
“Wait,” Justin said, grabbing her arm. His expression hesitated, uncertain. “Actually…”
He sighed, then let go. “Forget it. Go if you want.”
“What is it?” she frowned.
“It’s nothing…”
“Is it about Nathan?”
“No, really, it’s nothing.”
“Tell me!” After a moment of silence and a few tugs on her hand, Justin finally pressed his lips together and sighed.
“You’re worried about him in the middle of the night, but he’s busy having fun with his ex.”
A fake video of me and my ex-girlfriend appeared on Justin’s phone. The moment Winona saw it, her face turned pale, then flushed red with shock.
Justin quickly pulled his phone back. “If it weren’t because you insisted, I wouldn’t even show you this… He hurt me so badly. And I still can’t bring myself to hate him.”
Winona went back to her room with clenched fists. Her eyes were red with anger and heartbreak.
She opened my chat window and coldly typed, [Let’s break up. You don’t deserve me.]
I stood not far away, fists clenched just as tightly. “Alright…”
The next day was Justin’s birthday.
No one seemed to care where I had gone. Only my sister, Isabel, looked restless, with dark circles shadowing her eyes.
She stood beside Winona, watching the stream of guests pour into the hall. “Has my brother messaged you lately?”
Winona didn’t speak. She just handed over the phone. The moment Isabel saw the video, her face hardened.
“Winona,” she called out, stopping her. “Don’t tell Mother and Father…”
She replied coldly, “Of course.”
“Today is Justin’s birthday and Nathan still isn’t back?” My parents, dressed elegantly, looked displeased.
“He disappears all the time, but on Justin’s birthday, too? Does he think the whole world revolves around him?”
My mother sounded impatient. “Just forget about him.”
The party began. She raised her glass high and announced proudly, “Today is my son’s birthday!”
“My son-in-law, Justin Meyer, is the only true heir of the Miller Family. The treasure of our home.”
Someone in the crowd said, “Then what about Nathan?”
Mother smiled faintly. “Him? He doesn’t even count as one of us.”
Just then, the giant LED screen behind them flickered.
It was supposed to be a 360° slideshow of Justin’s best photos, but the images suddenly vanished, replaced by a breaking news broadcast.
[A Dying Message Written in Blood Found in Snowy Mountains]
Mother was about to scold the stagehands for switching the wrong channel.
But before anyone could move, the screen filled with a swirl of white snow. Amidst the snow, a single red line of blood appeared.
[In my next life, I will never be part of the Miller family again.]
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