My parents found out that Greta and I had sneaked into the troop unit, but they turned a blind eye to our mischief, as long as we hadn't been disturbing the soldiers' military trainings.
When I entered junior middle school, the whole school knew that I always had a handsome boy called Kris going around me. They knew that he wasn't my real brother, but he was my... how to say... They didn't know exactly what our relationship was, so they assumed that Kris might have been my sworn brother.
But he was also very protective of me and always acted like my bodyguard.
One day, a pretty girl classmate came up to me and asked cautiously, "What's your relationship with Kris?"
I answered without hesitation, "He's my brother."
During those few years, Kris indeed treated me the same way as my twin brothers had treated me. He always took good care of me like a brother.
That pretty girl immediately got excited as her eyes glimmered with pleasure. She showed me a gift box from behind her back and said, "Pauline, could you please do me a favor?"
I looked at her perplexedly and asked, "What do you want me to do?"
"The day after tomorrow, is Kris's birthday. Would you help me give him this present?" said the pretty girl.
The day after towmorrow was 15th, August of lunar month. It was Kris's birthday, and also mine.
My parents had always treated Kris as their own son, so they always celebrated our birthdays together, every year.
I also felt quite happy to spend every birthday with Kris.
But... when I found that the pretty girl wanted to give Kris a birthday present, I felt quite sad.
With a glum look on my face, I took her present and promised her that I would pass it on to Kris. The pretty girl thanked me and then ran away shyly.
I raised my head and looked towards Kris who was standing just a few metres away. I went over and handed the present to him.
Kris asked, "What's this?"
"Your birthday present from that girl." I answered honestly as I pointed at the pretty girl's back.
My father had always taught me to be honest and to never tell a lie.
But Kris didn't accept the present and said, "It's time for the class. Let's go!"
Kris resembled Sherwood in terms of character and personality. They both didn't like talking very much. In fact, they were quite introverted when they would socialize with other
Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex. To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him. "As long as I'm alive, I'm still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses.”She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women...
Kris with his girlfriend. I didn't understand the true reason at that time.
My good friend, Dane, who was my sworn father Gage's son, noticed that something was wrong with me. He knew that I was depressed and so he kept me company. One night, we hid ourselves in my bedroom's balcony and drank some of my father's expensive wine.
In a haze, I seemed to have seen Kris.
I couldn't believe what I had seen with my eyes. I saw Kris pull Dane away, as he was leaning his head on my shoulder, and punch Dane's face. Dane wasn't able to fight back because he was as drunk as I was.
Kris ruthlessly threw Dane across the corridor, where Sherwood had found him and moved him to the guest room, which was far from my room, where he slept soundly.
Kris lifted me up from the carpet and carried me in his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck and tittered, "Kris, did you... go on a date... with your girlfriend?" I could never address his girlfriend as my sister-in-law.
Anyway, they hadn't gotten married yet, so I didn't have to address her as such anyway.
I couldn't clearly hear what Kris had said, but after he carried me back to my bed, I held his neck tightly and whispered, "Kris... don't get together... with her...I don't like... your girlfriend."
Then, in a haze, I felt a gentle kiss on my lips...
The next afternoon, when I woke up, my father fed me some soup to help me sober up, while my mother started her sermon next to me.
But since I was drunk at my own home, my mother didn't scold me much.
However, Kris had gone missing for some days.