May You Be Safe... And Out of My Life

"Don't cry, Tommy," I heard Mom say, trying to comfort Thomas. "I'll talk to Marc when he's back and make him give up his spot for you."

Carol spotted me and pressed her lips into a thin line. Meanwhile, Dad set down his coffee mug heavily on the table and said, "Marcus. Come here and explain yourself."

I still had bandages around my head, and I walked into the center of the living room with a pale face.

Four pairs of eyes were suddenly all on me, and they were all cold and hateful.

Nobody asked me how I felt or how I was doing. Nobody seemed to even care that I'd just been discharged from the hospital.

Thomas' eyes were reddened. He held the acceptance letter in his hand and demanded, "Marc, you already have everything you ever wanted! Why must you still steal the only spot to study abroad from me?"

I echoed his words lightly. "I have everything I ever wanted?"

I had nothing.

Mom and Dad favored only him. Carol was in love with him. Even the best room in the house facing the sun belonged to him.

So, did that mean I was to hand over the spot to study abroad that I'd earned fair and square?

Was it because I was his older brother by two years, and by default, I always had to be more considerate of him for everything?

I was the one who had everything stolen away from me. But now, I was standing in the middle of the living room being questioned and judged by four people who thought I was nothing but a thief.

Carol stood up and looked at me coldly. "Marcus. Give up your spot for Tommy."

I looked at her. "He didn't even pass his college admission examination, and I got full scores for the tests. Why must I give up my spot for him?"

Dad slammed his fist onto the table. "Because you don't need it!"

Meanwhile, Mom hugged the crying Thomas in her arms and chided me. "Marcus! Don't ruin Tommy's future just because of your pettiness!"

Seeing that I wasn't caving to their demands, Thomas immediately began coughing his lungs out.

Carol immediately grabbed the asthma inhaler without hesitating and got down on one knee to carefully hand it to him.

"Don't be afraid, Tommy."

"Marc," Mom said, looking at me beseechingly with red eyes. "You know that Tommy has a weak and frail body. You're his older brother, and you're doing so much better than he is. Would it kill you to just give him what he wants?"

I looked at the closest four people to me who were now driving me into a corner.

Everything was always justified because I was the older brother, and Thomas was sick and frail. I had given up my toys, my room, and even my parents' love and care.

In my past life, the only thing I had refused to give him was Carol, but Carol's heart had always been with him from the very start.

When they sat together, they looked more like a family than I did. I just stood in the corner, hidden by shadows and completely forgotten, like I was the odd one out.

"I was the one who earned that spot with my own efforts," I said calmly. "But it doesn't matter to me anymore. I'll talk to the lecturer about it."

It had always been my dream to further my studies overseas after graduating from college. However, since I had already decided to join the IPF, I decided that I didn't need to be so attached to all these things anymore.

I had initially returned home tonight to inform them of my decision to join the IPF and to say my goodbyes to them properly.

But I never thought that I'd still be unable to do what I wanted.

If that were the case, then I would just forget about it.

Carol froze for a bit. She then frowned and looked at me. However, Thomas' sudden sobbing immediately got her attention again.

"Carol… My chest hurts so much…"

"I'll bring you to the hospital," she said, immediately helping him stand. She didn't even bother sparing me a single glance when they walked past me.

Mom and Dad also rushed out after them.

I had always dreamed of Mom and Dad showering me with the same amount of love, care, and concern that they did Thomas. However, I never received it in my past life, and I still never did in this new life.

I suppressed the tingling feeling in my nose and forced a bitter smile on my lips.

"It's fine, Marcus. It's okay to be alone."

My phone suddenly buzzed with a phone call. I answered it.

"Mr. Shaffer, we would just like to confirm with you on the final flower arrangements at the wedding venue. Would you still want us to use your favorite champagne roses?"

I gripped my phone hard until my knuckles turned white.

I was the one who made all the arrangements for the wedding when Carol and I got married. I remembered carefully selecting all the decorations for the venue, still feeling full of hope for our future together.

The memories hit me like a freight train.