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823words2026-01-26 09:08

Loved My Stepbrother for Ten Years
For a decade,I loved my stepbrother,Ethan Caldwell.
When I finally mustered the courage to confess my feelings,he berated me,calling me shameless.

“You’re just like your mother—a cheap flirt.”
He personally sent me to a mental hospital,saying I needed to“reflect on my actions.”
Every day,I was beaten black and blue.They locked me in a dark room,stripped me of my clothes,all because Ethan told them to“fix my brain.”
Finally,my mind was“cured.”
But he went mad.
He knelt before me,begging for my love.

I recoiled from his touch,falling into another’s arms.
“Ethan Caldwell,your love is disgusting.”
The day I left Bayview Psychiatric Hospital,someone was waiting for me.
It was Ethan,my stepbrother—the one who sent me there.

In the misty drizzle,Ethan leaned against his car,a cigarette dangling between his fingers.His handsome face looked weary,his head bowed.
During countless nights in the hospital,I prayed he’d come for me.But now,seeing him,my heart was as still as a dead lake.
“You’ve lost weight?”
Ethan stamped out his cigarette and approached.He eyed my oversized hospital gown,frowning.“What,you’re still picky with food even here?”
I mumbled,“I…”
“Enough excuses.You never change.”He cut me off,irritated.“Get in.Mom and Dad are back from Europe tonight.We’re having dinner.”
I opened the car door,slumping into the backseat,deflated.
I wanted to explain—it wasn’t pickiness.They starved me,locked me up,put a collar on me,and made me fight dogs for scraps.I hadn’t had a proper meal in ages.
Ethan drove off.I gazed at the grand Caldwell mansion,feeling like a stranger in a familiar place.
Three years ago,my best friend Emma Harper urged me to confess to Ethan.Then she posted my confession video online,sparking a scandal.
Dad said I’d humiliated the family.Mom sobbed,hitting me with her purse,calling me an ungrateful wretch.
Ethan tore my love letter to shreds in public,sneering,“You’re as shameless as your mom,only good for seducing men.A filthy flirt.”
The day the Caldwells forced me into the asylum,gray clouds wept white rain.
I knelt before Ethan,sobbing,“Please,brother,don’t send me there.”
He kicked my hand away like I was a cockroach,wiping his pant leg with a tissue,his face twisted in disgust.“Get her inside,”he ordered.
“Disgusting,”he said.“Fix your brain in there.Learn what shame is.I’ll come for you when you’ve reflected.”
Now,in my blue-and-white hospital gown,I stood out of place.
Mr.Thompson,the butler,approached,his eyes pitying my gaunt face.“Miss Lily,let’s take your luggage to the second floor.”
“Second floor?”I frowned.“Isn’t my room on the third?”
He hesitated,and I understood.This house no longer had a place for me.
I gave a bitter smile.“Fine,second floor it is.”
In my room,I unpacked my meager belongings:a few clothes and a plush puppy.
The puppy was a gift from a madwoman in the hospital.She’d lost her child years ago,went insane,and jumped off a cliff.She survived,washed ashore,but her mind was gone.
She’d cradle the puppy,rocking it,sunlight on her face,her expression holy and tender.“Baby,don’t cry.Mommy loves you.”
I’d sneak to her room,peeking through the door.
If only she were my mom.She’d love me so much.
I hugged the puppy,whispering,“They all abandoned me.Please don’t leave me too.”
A voice came from the door.“Miss Lily,Mr.and Mrs.Caldwell are back.”
I woke groggily,rubbing my eyes,and changed into casual clothes.My face was pale as I descended the stairs.
The dining room glowed with light.Dad and Mom sat there.
I took a deep breath and said respectfully,“Mom,Mr.Caldwell.”
Dad ignored me,his expression cold.
Mom forced a smile.“Lily,you’re back.”
“Yes.Mr.Caldwell,Mom,I’ve thought a lot these past years.I know what to say and do now.”
Mom sighed in relief.“Your brother’s bringing his girlfriend for dinner tonight,”she said cautiously.
“I understand,Mom.I won’t overstep again,”I said,smiling softly.
Mom beamed,reassured.“Lily’s grown up.”
“That’s a proper Caldwell daughter—ethical,disciplined.Behave from now on,”Dad finally said,lecturing me.
They always treated me like a thief,terrified I’d steal their precious son.
Even my own mother.
Dear Mom,I’m your daughter.Why can’t you love me more?
I remembered my first day at the Caldwell mansion.I was ten,hiding behind Mom.She yanked me forward,saying,“This is your new dad.”
I called him Dad,but he stared coldly,his disdain subtle.I was too young to understand,but I felt he didn’t like me.
“Don’t call me Dad.I’m not your father,”he said.
True.My real dad was dead.
My old dad called me a bastard,but this one just ignored me.
In this house,I was invisible.As long as I didn’t starve,that was their greatest kindness.
Ethan,though,basked in everyone’s praise and love.
I lurked in the shadows,watching his happiness.
When he got first place,Mom ruffled his hair,and Dad hoisted him up,laughing,“That’s my boy!”
They made time to take him to amusement parks,bought him racecars.
Did getting first place mean being loved?
I studied like a maniac,day and night.When I showed Mom my first-place certificate,she said,“What’s the point?You’ll just get married someday.”
“Look at me—I married your stepfather,and now I have this life.”
First place wasn’t the key to happiness.
That night,I tore my certificates to pieces,sobbing.
Ethan climbed through my balcony,picking up a shredded piece,smirking.“No matter how hard you try,it’s useless.”
“You need to please me.”
“Only I can help you.”