My Brother Makes Me Crazy

Chapter 3 No Escape

Erin was too exhausted to engage in a war of words with Brett. She answered briefly, "I switched shifts," and stumbled toward the house. However, she tripped on the carpet, lost her balance, and fell face-first toward the ground.

"Oh no!" Erin gasped, unable to react in time to prevent her fall, when suddenly she felt her waist tighten.

Brett had swiftly reached out and caught her, steadying her.

"Steady yourself," his deep voice rumbled in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Th-thank you..." Erin instinctively began to thank him, but before she could finish, Brett started to interrogate her.

"You work in cardiology, right? Why were you in obstetrics and gynecology?"

It took Erin's exhausted brain a moment to process what Brett was asking.

He wanted to know why she had been in the gynecology department and ran into him with Karen.

Too tired to engage, Erin shrugged off Brett's hand and headed toward her room. "I'm exhausted. I need to sleep first. We can talk after I've rested."

Brett's eyes widened as he watched Erin stumble into her bedroom.

He slammed his fist against the wall in frustration. 'How many times has Erin completely ignored him? It has only been three years, and yet she dares to treat him as if he doesn't exist!'

Later that afternoon, Erin yawned and adjusted her appearance as she stood in front of a luxurious mansion in a gated community.

To make extra money, she had taken on a side job as a private piano tutor. This was her first meeting with a new employer.

After she knocked on the door, a maid opened the door and warmly welcomed her inside. "Ms. Watson? Please come in."

The maid led her to the piano room, where a young girl was clumsily plinking on an expensive piano while a handsome man stood beside her, both turning to look at Erin as she entered.

Erin was startled when she recognized the man. "Alva? What... what are you doing here?"

Alva smiled gently. "Because this is my home. Let me introduce you. This is my sister, Saoirse. Saoirse, this is your piano teacher, Ms. Watson."

Erin felt a bit awkward because back in college, Alva had pursued her, but at the time, her heart had only been for Brett.

Alva extended his hand to Erin with a smile. "A friend recommended a piano teacher, and when I saw your name, I thought it was just a coincidence. I never imagined it would actually be you. My sister has a bit of a temper, so I hope you'll be patient with her. You can come to teach her every weekend."

Erin was about to shake Alva's hand when Saoirse pouted and interrupted, "You're the piano teacher my brother hired? You're so young. Are you sure you can even play?"

Erin smiled slightly. "Why don't we give it a try?"

Erin's skillful playing quickly won over the eight-year-old girl, and the lesson went smoothly as it neared its end.

Alva glanced out the window. "Let me drive you home."

Before Erin could decline, Alva gave her a reason she couldn't refuse. "It's about to rain."

Alva drove Erin back to Brett's house in his BMW 740. The entire ride, neither of them brought up the past as if by mutual understanding.

Erin closed the car door and waved goodbye to Alva. "Thanks. Drive safely."

Alva waved back with a smile and drove off.

As Erin turned to go inside, she once again found herself bumping into the same "wall."

Brett had somehow appeared behind her without her noticing.

He stared coldly at Erin, asking, "Who brought you home?"

Erin shrugged. "A college classmate."

She tried to push past Brett. "Move. It's going to pour, and I don't want to catch a cold."

Suddenly, Brett grabbed her shoulders and held her firmly in place, his face full of anger. "Besides being a part-time piano teacher, what else have you been doing? Are you that desperate for money? Or are you using this as an excuse to meet rich men? Erin, am I not enough for you? Do you have to be as cheap as your mother? Is being cheap in your blood?"

Erin slapped Brett hard across the face. "In your eyes, maybe my mother and I were responsible for your parents' divorce, and I can't argue with that, but you have no right to insult her!"

Brett was silent for a moment and then suddenly let out a sneer. He lifted her into his arms and carried her straight into the living room, tossing her onto the soft couch.

As he started taking off his clothes, Brett said, "You like money? I'll give you the money. Sleeping with me is easier than playing games with other men, isn't it?"

Erin tried to protest, "That's not how it is..."

But Brett silenced her with a forceful kiss.

Fueled by jealousy, Brett seemed to lose his mind, his aggression so overwhelming that Erin could barely breathe.

In desperation, Erin bit down hard on his tongue, the taste of blood filling her mouth.

The pain finally snapped Brett out of his frenzy. His sapphire eyes bore into Erin's as she wiped the blood from her lips with the back of her hand, refusing to back down.

"Stop treating me like this. That night, I didn't seduce you willingly... I once loved you, but I'm not that pathetic. It was an accident."

She was referring to her 18th birthday when Brett discovered her secret, destroyed her diary and sketchbook, and stormed out.

That night, she had only wanted an apology from him, but instead, a drunken Brett had pinned her to the bed.

After a night of chaos, she was branded as the one who had seduced him.

From that night on, Brett would sometimes get drunk and call her to his room. She had once fantasized but gradually realized that no matter how many times they slept together, she would never be the woman he cherished.

Brett smirked. "So every time after that was an accident too?"

Erin stood up straight. "That was my mistake, but it won't happen again."

Brett was about to say something when his phone rang.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Erin quickly headed upstairs to her room.

Brett watched her disappear as he answered the phone. "Hello?"

The voice on the other end quickly reported. "We found out something. That man is Alva Lopez. He's Ms. Erin's college classmate, but they're not close."

This result made Brett's frown ease a little, and he hung up the phone.

He looked up toward the second floor and muttered to himself, "You forced your way into my world. You can't just walk away like this."