What's the Point?

Edward Sterling is playing in his university's freshman basketball tournament when my parents banish me abroad.

My biological sister and my fiancée are both on the sidelines, cheering for him.

That spotlight should've been mine.

The jersey he's wearing, with a star player's autograph on it, was supposed to be my 14th birthday gift.

Edward and I have been rivals for most of our lives. It never matters whether I'm right or wrong—the moment he plays the victim, my parents rush to defend him and scold me without hesitation.

But I am their biological son!

It's not until I die alone and sick in a foreign country that I finally understand one thing.

If I ever get a second chance, I'll never again fight Edward for love that was never mine to begin with.

When I opened my eyes again, I went back to the time when I was 13 years old.

It was the day my parents officially adopted Edward Sterling.

Edward was my uncle's only son. My uncle and aunt had taken him out for a drive and unfortunately got into a car accident. Both of them died.

Although Edward survived, he became physically weak.

For my uncle's sake, my parents were worried that Edward would suffer in an orphanage, so they adopted him and saw him as their own child.

Edward sat beside my mom, his voice filled with joy.

"Do I really have parents now? They won't call me a stray kid anymore, right?"

Mom patted his shoulder affectionately. "That's right. From now on, we're your parents, and this is your home."

I stood on the stairs, coldly watching the warm, happy scene below.

Dad noticed me and frowned, becoming guarded, as if he already assumed I was going to make trouble for Edward.

"What are you doing there? Are you expecting us to invite you to come down? From now on, Ed is your younger brother. He's weak and has been through a lot. Try to go easy on him. You'd better not let me catch you bullying him."

My heart sank when I heard those exact words from my previous life.

"Edward is weak. As his older brother, you should put up with him more."

I had heard those sentences so many times in my previous life that they had worn calluses into my ears.

In my previous life, I had been the most cherished child in the family. But ever since my parents adopted Edward, they favored and doted on him in every possible way.

Because of his tragic background and poor health, I had to give in to him and tolerate him. In the end, the tiny bit of love my parents had for me was all transferred to him.

But I was only half a month older than him!

Besides, Edward was only my cousin. Why did Mom and Dad treat him like their own son and grant his every request? Was it just because he was weak and frail?

I still remembered that in my previous life, after Edward framed me, Mom and Dad didn't even try to listen to what I had to say. Instead, they focused on comforting him.

After Edward accused me repeatedly, my parents believed him outright and sent me overseas. They said they didn't want to see me ever again.

They even said they had already done their utmost for me, and that they didn't have a vicious son like me.

I had gotten lost in my memories and didn't respond to Dad, so Mom began to scold me as well.

"Nick, be sensible. Stop bullying Ed."

A hint of smugness flashed in Edward's eyes.

Seeing me stay silent, he added fuel to the fire. "From now on, I won't go into your room anymore, Nick. Please don't hate me."

A couple of days ago, he had swaggered into my room and smashed my figurine to pieces right in front of me.

But when Mom and Dad arrived, he instantly reverted to his fragile act, crying and saying that he wanted to go back to the orphanage and that I didn't welcome him.

Without asking for the truth, Mom and Dad reprimanded me harshly.

Letting out a cold laugh, I turned to go upstairs.

Mom tried calling after me, but Dad interrupted her, "Forget it. Leave him alone. Just keep an eye on Ed. Don't let Nick bully him."