He wished time to pass faster. In just one more month, he would pack his suitcase, get in a car, and move into a new apartment near his small campus with no stepmother to nag, no twin stepsiblings throwing him looks, and no danger lurking around the corner.
For now, however, he still needed to vacuum the house.
• • •
Aiden wedged the vacuum cleaner back exactly where his stepmother designated the cleaning materials to be kept and climbed up the stairs to his room.That took longer than I would’ve liked,he thought.
His phone started to ring.
Breaths tightening, Aiden looked down at the caller ID only to see his brother’s name, Hui Ye. Sighing, he picked up with a smile. “Ge?”
“Hey, Lang, how are you doing?” His brother’s chipper and casual speak would fool any outsider that Hui Ye was happy, but Aiden knew better. An underlying roughness accompanied the forced sunny attitude. Breathlessness gasped between the stops of his words. “You’ve started packing, right? Don’t pack too much.”
“Were you doing something, Ge?” Aiden asked against his better judgment.
“I’m always doing something.”
“You’re safe?”
“Of course. I’m on my turf. I was just dealing with some nuisances.”
He was interrogating.Aiden’s blood ran cold.
When his brother still lived with the family, Aiden witnessed his business dealings only one time. He arrived home from school, and in the middle of the living room, Hui Ye slammed a man’s head down onto the ground with his shoe. The man’s face was already swollen purple, and blood trickled from his eyes and nose.
His brother’s lackeys twisted the man’s arm, and in turn, twisted Aiden’s entire stomach. The scene seared like a curse into his memories, and every day on his way home, Aiden kept his ears perked. He listened for voices. His stepmother’s voice had excessive sugar sprinkled in her tone. He Bao’s was always loud, and Zhu Zhu was silent. If he heard his brother talking to anyone that didn’t belong to his stepfamily, Aiden stared at the ground. He tiptoed in, flew up the stairs, and gently closed the door to his room. He threw himself into homework and refused to leave until his brother came looking for him.
The curse lifted when Hui Ye announced he would move out of the house and to Hong Kong for business reasons.
His stepmother, however, never found such business dealings in the home of her children problematic.
Aiden eavesdropped outside of his room while his brother and stepmother argued day and night.
“You are still young. The other families will take advantage of your absence.”
“If they do, I’ll just return the favor.”
“You are too confident. By the time you react, it will be too late. Xiao Hui will be dead, and so will my children.”
“No one’s going to attack.”
“You cannot say such things carelessly. I am worried about my children! Do not forget what happened to your—”
“Yin Mei, do not forget I can throw you and your children out. My father left nothing to you. Do not push my generosity.”
Aiden shivered by his bedroom. He heard nothing more of the last argument, though he was certain it kept going. His heart pounded louder against his chest. His ears rung. He squeezed his eyes shut and rocked his body, but goosebumps burst from his skin at the chill gripping around his hands.Don’t think about it.He hugged himself tighter.Just don’t think about it.
The panic passed, and his brother left. Aiden walked into his home with a smile on his face, but nobody greeted him. He Bao walked past him like he was air. Zhu Zhu never looked him in the eye. His stepmother wagged her finger at him, barking, “Things are so hectic these days. Do some chores, why don’t you? Hui Ye really spoiled you, hasn’t he? Look at the countertops, they’re dirty!” The three ate dinner together at the big table, and Aiden grabbed his dish to eat alone in the kitchen.
Too late did Aiden decide he would rather face the danger than have his brother leave. Without Hui Ye, he lived a world where no one loved him.
“One last question before I go—how’s she treating you?”
Aiden blinked. “She?”
“Yin Mei.”
“Oh—she’s treating me fine.”
