Tiffany said I stole her jewelry. My brother, Brandon, was furious.
He didn’t just take me to court; he hired the best lawyers to defend her.
I was sentenced to three years. A thief.
Before I went in, his lawyer, Mr. Davies, urged him, Just scare her a little. If she really goes to jail, your sister’s life will be ruined!
Brandon’s face didn’t flinch. “Stealing isn’t a minor offense. She has to learn her lesson.”
“As for later, I’ll have her back.”
Three years later, I walked out of prison. His eyes were red as he reached out to me.
“Now do you know you were wrong? Come on, let’s go home.”
But I just stepped back, emotionless, avoiding his hand.
I’d found a new brother inside.
He believed me.
Brandon’s eyes flickered with surprise when I avoided him.
But his hand didn’t retract; instead, it reached out again, swift and firm, trying to pull me closer.
“Maya, why are you dodging me? Did someone give you a hard time in there?”
His voice was thick with emotion, his throat raw.
I tried to pull my hand away several times but couldn’t, so I simply said, “No.”
He let out a sigh of relief, gripping me tighter.
“Good. I saw online it’s not a place for people. As long as you weren’t bullied”
Watching his relieved expression and his reddening eyes, I gave a bitter, mocking smile in my heart.
Brandon, aren’t you the one who *insisted* on sending me in?
What good is your concern now?
He forced a smile, pulling me towards his car, almost pleadingly. “You always loved a good party, right? I’ve got a celebration ready for you.”
“Come on, let’s go home.”
I glanced back at the prison.
I’d met a new brother in there, Reed.
He was locked up, falsely accused of financial fraud, and had another month before he was released.
We’d already made a pact: I’d pick him up in a month, and we’d start a new life together.
Thinking of my dad’s belongings, the only things left from before he passed, I ultimately got into the car with Brandon.
On the way, he touched my shaved head, his tone a mix of warning and advice.
“Maya, no more stealing, okay? This was your lesson.”
I clenched my fingers.
Over the past three years, I’d sent countless messages to him through the guards.
Telling him I hadn’t stolen anything from Tiffany, that she’d framed me.
But he never believed a word.
So this time, I wasn’t going to explain anymore.
I just nodded obediently, going along with it. “Okay.”
He smiled, satisfied, and brought me home.
The moment he opened the door, *pop!* Confetti rained down from everywhere.
Tiffany, who I hadn’t seen in three years, was holding a party popper, a wide, happy grin on her face. “Welcome home, Maya!”
She acted incredibly affectionate, her eyes practically swimming with feigned longing.
It was nothing like the hateful, malicious look she’d worn when she’d framed me for theft.
I ignored her, brushing past her shoulder as I walked in.
Her smile faltered, and she awkwardly looked to Brandon for help.
“Why isn’t Maya talking to me? Is she still mad?”
Brandon affectionately ruffled her hair. “Maya just got out. She probably hasn’t adjusted yet. It’s not your fault.”
I walked into my old bedroom, pulling open the drawer under the bed.
Seeing my dad’s old photos and ring still there, I let out a sigh of relief.
Brandon stood in the doorway, calling my name softly. “Maya, come out and eat? You’ve lost so much weight, you’re all skin and bones.”
I closed the drawer and followed him out.
During dinner, Tiffany casually asked, “Maya, what was it like in there? I heard it’s really messy, is that true?”
“No, it wasn’t messy. We could read newspapers every day, and after dinner, it was back to our bunks.”
“Oh, that’s not so bad then. Not as tough as I imagined.”
As she spoke, a flicker of disappointment crossed Tiffany’s face.
Brandon peeled a shrimp for me, chuckling.
“Now that you’re out, let’s not talk about that anymore. Just something you went through. Time to move on.”
Tiffany’s gaze darkened, and she fell silent.
A moment later, as if remembering something, she ran back to her bedroom and returned with a small, exquisite box, handing it to me.
“Maya, this is a gift for you. Congratulations on getting out!”
I didn’t reach for it, continuing to eat my dinner.
She didn’t seem to care, smiling as she opened the box.
A pearl necklace lay quietly inside, looking incredibly luxurious.
But one look was all it took for my pupils to constrict, my blood to run cold. I felt like I’d plunged into an ice bath!
Tiffany pushed the necklace closer to me, her face twisting into a grotesque, chilling smile. “What’s wrong, Maya? Didn’t you love this necklace the most? Loved it so much you *stole* it.”
“Now I’m giving it to you. Aren’t you happy?”
That pearl necklace was the gift Brandon had given Tiffany.
It was also the reason I was locked away for three years.
After my father was killed in combat, my mother took the survivor benefits and disappeared, leaving Brandon and me to fend for ourselves.
He dropped out of high school, stumbling through so many failures before finally making his business a success.
Once he started earning money, he took in Tiffany, who had also lost her father, and brought her home.
At first, I disagreed, but Brandon persuaded me.
“Tiffany is just as miserable as we were. At least you have me, but she has nothing.”
“Maya, be generous. It’s just one more mouth to feed.”
But despite his words, Brandon treated her even better than he treated me.
He acted as if he was raising a sister from scratch, giving her everything he hadn’t had the chance to give me.
Jewelry, accessories, designer bagsTiffany just had to ask, and he’d buy it.
In just two years, he’d spent millions.
That was his hard-earned money, money he’d bled for.
So many nights he had to go out, entertain clients, drink until his head pounded, then keep going. He even coughed up blood a few times!
I hated seeing him waste his money and always urged him not to spend so much.
Tiffany resented me for it.
She hid the jewelry under my pillow, then cried to Brandon, claiming I had stolen it.
Brandon was furious, making me kneel in the rain to apologize.
“How could a Maxwell ever raise a daughter like you? Dad was a soldier, and I’ve always been honest, never done anything wrong.”
“Out of everyone, you had to take after that mother of ours who stole the money and ran? Did I ever deprive you of food or clothes, that you had to steal?”
I was running a high fever, crying and explaining that I hadn’t stolen anything, but he refused to believe me.
The next day, he hired the best lawyers and took me to court.
He was my own brother, yet he stood in court, testifying against me and supporting Tiffany.
In the end, I was sentenced to three years. A thief.
Before I went in, relatives, friends, even his own lawyer tried to talk him out of it.
I was a girl, after all. Three years in prison would ruin my life.
But Brandon wouldn’t listen to anyone. He was willing to alienate them all just to send me in.
“Maya won’t be ruined. I work hard for her sake. Even if she is, I’ll take care of her for life.”
“But she stole. She has to learn her lesson!”
Every month during those three years, he’d come to visit me, asking if I’d learned my lesson.
And I never showed my face. I only had the guards relay messages to him:
“I didn’t steal anything.”
Every time he left, the guards would sigh and tell me:
“Your brother doesn’t believe you.”
One disappointment after another, slowly, imperceptibly, turned into utter despair.
I felt like I was abandoned by the whole world. I used to have my brother’s love, now even that was gone.
Seeing that pearl necklace again, I snapped and flipped the box over.
The pearls spilled onto the floor, scattering with a clatter as the string snapped, rolling away in every direction.
Tiffany was stunned into speechlessness, and Brandon’s face instantly darkened.
“Tiffany was being kind, giving you a gift. She’s not even mad at you, so what do you think you’re doing?”
I sat in the chair, trembling all over, my face deathly pale.
He pulled me up.
“Did you think you could just throw a tantrum because you just got out? Pick up those pearls right now and apologize to Tiffany!”
Apologize? How could I possibly apologize?
I shoved Brandon away violently, then pushed the door open and ran out.
The biting wind was like daggers, and a knot of injustice and sorrow twisted in my chest.
I didn’t want to go home. If it weren’t for my dad’s belongings, I wouldn’t have come back with him.
I never wanted to be wrongly accused again, never wanted to suffer another moment of injustice!
Brandon quickly chased after me, grabbing my wrist.
His brow was tightly furrowed as he spoke, his voice full of blame.
“Where do you think you’re going? Three years in the slammer and you still haven’t learned your lesson?”
I shook him off, unable to hold back anymore, my eyes burning red as I retorted,
“Does she give me that necklace out of kindness or malice, Brandon? Can’t you *really* see it?”
“I’m your own sister! You already personally sent me to prison once, what else do you want?”
“I was doing it for your own good!”
His voice turned cold.
“If you dare to steal, you must face the consequences. Otherwise, how will you ever change?”
“Did you expect me to just stand by and watch you make mistakes, pretending I didn’t see, letting you stray down the wrong path?”
His words felt like a heavy hammer had smashed a hole in my heart.
When have I ever stolen anything, growing up?
What reason would I have to steal Tiffany’s necklace?
Why couldn’t he just think properly? Why wouldn’t he believe me?
Tears of injustice fell, and three years of despair and pain swept over me.
I gave up on explaining, yet again.
Brandon looked at my buzz cut, his voice softening as if he was admitting defeat.
“Maya, every single thing I did, I did with you in mind. Even though you spent three years in prison, I’ve paved the way for your future.”
“My company, everything I’ve built, it’s all for you eventually. I only meant it as a minor punishment. It wouldn’t cause any real harm.”
“Come home with me, and stop running off.”
He took my hand, pulling me towards the house.
I numbly followed him, not saying another word.
When we walked through the door, Tiffany saw Brandon bringing me back, and a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.
She hadn’t expected Brandon to still take me in after everything.
But I just felt utterly drained, and I retreated to my bedroom, not coming out again.
Late that night, Tiffany burst into my room.
I sharply opened my eyes, but she thought I was still asleep.
She fumbled under my pillow, stuffing something beneath it.
I said nothing, nor did I take it out.
Tiffany was so desperate, framing me again the moment I returned.
I wanted to see if Brandon would choose to believe me this time.
Sure enough, the next morning, she cried to Brandon, claiming I had stolen her necklace again.
“Maya, if you wanted it, you could have just told me. I even gave you the necklace yesterday, but you didn’t want it.”
“Are you just someone who *likes* to steal?”
Brandon’s face darkened, and he glared at me, jaw clenched. “You just can’t change, can you?”
My heart *thumped*, plunging into a bottomless abyss.
Brandon’s words were like a sharp sword, severing the last thread of connection between us.
I pulled my lips into a self-deprecating smile. “No, I guess I can’t.”
*Slap!*
The words had barely left my mouth when Brandon suddenly raised his hand and struck me hard across the face.
The fury and disappointment in his eyes threatened to spill over. “How could I have a sister like you!”
I was silent for a moment, then, clutching my face, gave a cold, bitter laugh.
“I wonder why *I* ended up with a brother like you.”
“You!”
His finger trembled as he pointed at me, too furious to speak.
Before his second slap could land, I dropped to my knees with a *thud*, bowing my head low, a final, painful gesture.
“Thank you for dropping out of school to take care of me. From now on, I don’t have a brother.”
With that, I stood up, pulled my dad’s belongings from under the bed, and turned to leave.
His face hardened, and he snatched the photos and ring from me.
“These are Dad’s things. You have no right to take them!”
Fine then.
I nodded, resigned, and prepared to leave.
Brandon bit out, his voice strained from behind me.
“You’re someone who’s been to prison! What can you possibly do without me? Starve to death?”
I didn’t stop.
“Don’t you worry about me.”
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