Revenge is Best Served… After Reborn

As the seasons rolled from spring to fall, it felt like an eternity of winters and summers had slipped by unnoticed. Sophie's coming-of-age celebration seemed like it was ages ago. Gordon sensed something was off within him. For a while, it felt like another soul had taken over his body. He'd find himself doing things that were so unlike him, yet oddly familiar. This other presence seemed intent on creating a distance between him and Sophie.

One day, he stood in front of the mirror, finding no visible changes in his reflection. But deep down, memories kept reminding him. His little princess was living an entirely different life in another world. Over there, she had her share of joy and sorrow. She was fully capable of crafting the life she desired, but it came with a hefty price. And half of that cost was on him. He could almost see his broken self in that parallel world, and in that instant, their souls seemed to connect.

"Hey, big brother!" Sophie suddenly burst into his room, breaking the heavy silence. She spotted his white dress shirt and suit jacket tossed carelessly on the floor. There he stood, shirtless, with his hair slightly tousled. She knew Gordon took pride in being impeccably tidy and would never let himself appear even a bit disheveled. Not even when he was alone.

"Bro..." Before she could finish, Gordon had already pulled her into a warm embrace. His body radiated warmth, and this hug felt different, somehow. Sophie couldn't quite put her finger on it. Her brother had never held her like this before.

"What's up, big brother?" she asked, peeking up from his arms. Gordon lowered his voice and said, "From now on, don't just barge in like that." "But it's always been okay before, hasn't it?" Sophie replied, puzzled. "You never told me not to just walk into your room."

"You were younger then. Now that you're an adult, you need to understand the boundaries between men and women." Gordon released her, gently ruffling her hair. Then he bent down, picked up his white shirt from the floor, and put it on, becoming the meticulous Gordon she knew so well.

"But you're different from other men, aren't you?" Sophie said. "If it were anyone else, I wouldn't just walk into their room like that." "Other men can't, and neither can I," Gordon replied, shaking his head. "Sophie, you have to see that I'm no different from any other man."

Sophie was caught off guard. There was a depth and sadness in Gordon's eyes she hadn't seen before. "Go on now, and don't just burst in like that again." Sophie left his room, completely forgetting why she had come in the first place, and wandered out in a daze. Even as the door closed behind her, she couldn't understand why her brother had spoken to her that way.noveldrama

"Jenna, do you think my brother doesn't like me anymore? That he finds me annoying and wants me out of his life?" Sophie sat alone on a bench at Eastwood College's campus, waiting for Jenna. Jenna had come by to pick her up for the graduation party. Sophie's enrollment had delayed the celebration, but they were still going ahead with it.