My Brother Makes Me Crazy

"Get an abortion!" As Erin Watson passed by the hospital stairwell, she suddenly heard a familiar voice. 'Brett? Could it really be him?' She wondered, freezing in her tracks, listening. Inside the stairwell, a woman was crying. "I don't want to lose this baby... please, I'm begging you..." "The baby can come later... This one can't be kept." Brett Barton's voice was icy, leaving no room for refusal. He didn't even bother to comfort her. Erin listened, wearing a bitter smile full of self-mockery and disappointment. This man had been away for three years, during which he never once contacted her. And now, upon returning, he brought a pregnant woman with him and was asking her to have the baby aborted. Brett seemed to trample on every heart that admired him without a second thought. Erin blinked, and the painful memories of when she was 18 resurfaced in her mind: when Brett had found out that she had had a crush on him, he had thrown her diary and sketchbook on the ground with a look of extreme disgust. The two notebooks scattered and fell to the ground like dying white doves. Erin's passionate, sincere words and her love-filled artwork were now exposed with nowhere to hide. "No, Brett, please..." the 18-year-old Erin cried in despair. But Brett still ruthlessly stepped on the books, as if to crush Erin's heart beneath his foot... Erin closed her eyes, took two deep breaths, and pushed the past out of her mind. She didn't walk into the stairwell to face Brett; she simply turned around and left quietly. "Ms. Watson, aren't you off yet?" a passing nurse asked. "Right away." Erin took out her phone to check the time, confirmed she still had enough time, and prepared to head to the bank immediately. Before putting the phone away, she deleted Brett's name from her contacts. Now that Brett was back, she was determined to settle everything with him once and for all. By the time she left the bank, the sky was already pitch dark. Erin drove home, or more precisely, to Brett's house. She had moved into that house when she was five, and now, twenty years had passed. At that time, Erin's mother, suffering from a terminal illness, had been abandoned by her husband, so she had to turn to an old childhood friend—Brett's father—for help. Brett's father invited Erin and her mother to live with him. Soon, his marriage began to fall apart, and Brett's mother left, abandoning the eight-year-old Brett. Not long after Erin's mother passed away, Brett's mother also died in another city. Erin's car stopped at the entrance of Brett's house. The house was completely dark, and it seemed that Brett, who had just returned to the city, hadn't come home, which didn't surprise Erin. Brett had always hated this house, and he hated Erin, who lived there. After losing his mother, young Brett began to resent Erin and her mother, believing that their presence had ruined his family. Although Erin and Brett had grown up together and even frequently slept together after turning 18, they weren't family, weren't friends, and weren't lovers. They were just strangers under the same roof. Erin didn't turn on the lights. She quietly made her way up to the bedroom upstairs, but when she passed the living room, she noticed someone sitting on the sofa. It was Brett. He was lying on the sofa, asleep. His clothes were slightly disheveled, and he looked travel-worn. His brow was furrowed, as if he was exhausted even in his dreams. In that moment, he looked like an ordinary man, one who could feel pain, love, and sorrow. Erin stood by the sofa, looking down at Brett, and for a moment, she forgot to leave. As if sensing her presence, Brett opened his sapphire-blue eyes. "Erin," he whispered, his tone filled with longing and affection Erin had never heard before. He reached out, grabbed Erin's hand, and pulled her into his embrace. Gently, he traced her features with his fingers before kissing her. At first, Erin smelled the strong scent of alcohol, but then she was enveloped in the familiar scent of Brett. He placed gentle, fleeting kisses on her lips and cheek... Erin felt the warmth of Brett's embrace, and only then did she realize how much she missed the warmth of this man. But she couldn't let herself get lost in it. 'Erin, wake up! It's been three years since you've been apart, haven't you gained enough clarity by now?' she warned herself. 'Think about what you saw in the hospital today! Brett brought back a pregnant woman!' Erin suddenly pushed Brett away, her eyes reddened as she hissed, "Let go. Don't touch me, Brett!" Brett was jolted by the push, his head hitting the back of the sofa with a heavy thud. The impact cleared some of the alcohol from his system, and he became a bit more alert. "It's not a dream? Damn..." he muttered under his breath. Erin didn't catch his muttering, focused instead on straightening her clothes as she stood up. "You're drunk." "So what?" Brett grabbed Erin's hand, not letting her leave. The tenderness in his eyes vanished, and the familiar sharpness returned to his voice. "Didn't you always like climbing into my bed when I was drunk? Erin, it's only been three years, and you've suddenly become so upright?" Erin sneered, "You're certainly not upright, Brett. You don't even look like you'd spare a sheep now." "How dare you speak to me like that?" Brett's face darkened with anger. He pulled Erin close, flipping her onto the sofa. "Let go of me! I don't want this!" "You don't have the right to refuse me!" With her hands pinned by Brett's hand, Erin was completely unable to stop his movements. In desperation, she blurted out, "Stop! You're my brother!" Brett's body stiffened suddenly. In the dim room, he looked up at Erin, his beautiful blue eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions. "Damn it!" he cursed, climbing off Erin and coldly walking toward the bathroom. "Wait, I have something to give you." Erin called out to Brett, taking a bank card from her bag and pressing it into his hand. "I've calculated the expenses from all these years living in your house. I've been saving this money since you left." For these three years, she had cut back on all expenses, seized every opportunity to make money, and saved all the money into this card. "There's still $10,000 left to reach my target, but I'll have it ready for you within three months. Take the money, and from now on, we're even..." "Even?" Brett glanced at the card in his hand, then released it, letting it fall to the ground. He reached out, gripping Erin's face and staring into her eyes. "Erin, don't think you can easily escape from me."