My Boyfriend's Brother

Tragedy

Meghan POV

I could not believe anything at all. My head felt too small to contain all that was going through it. My parents dead? I couldn't accept it.

I had been so eager to go home and tell them all about my first semester at campus. Being the only child, everything my parents did was for me, and I had always wanted to make them proud.

Mom used to mock me for not having a boyfriend at my age. I had wanted it that way until I met Ethan.

At that moment, I wasn't in love with him, but I had promised myself I could learn to love him. I had even thought that one day I could introduce him to Mom, to ease her constant worry about me.

I couldn't believe they could die so easily. I had plans for after our beach date dinner with my parents, then with his brother, since Ethan told me he lived with him.

All of that was gone. My parents were both dead, and I didn't even know how.

God, what had I done to deserve this?

Before I knew it, I had sunk to the ground, not caring about the many people staring at me.

"My parents are both dead," I cried, overwhelmed by grief.

"What?!" Ethan exclaimed, coming closer, clearly confused but trying to comfort me.

"This is too much for me to take," I said, still sobbing. I couldn't believe any of it. My parents were the only family I had.

The rest of my relatives had distanced themselves from us, claiming my dad had married a p********e.

It hurt that they called her that just because she had been a beauty queen, falsely implying she had been with countless men. As if that weren’t enough, they spread rumors about me, saying I had slept with almost every man in the neighborhood.

Poor me. I was still a virgin. I had been focused on fulfilling my ambitions before getting involved with a man.

Now that my parents were gone, what was I to do? This was not the life I had imagined.

Our holiday, meant to be joyous, had turned into sorrow. I was only in my twenties, and this loss was almost impossible to bear.

**

Three weeks had passed since my parents’ burial. I still couldn't believe I was a complete orphan. Life felt meaningless. All I had wanted was to make them proud, but now it seemed there was no purpose in it all.

What hurt even more was that all my inheritance had been taken. My parents were dead, their money and property seized, leaving me with nothing but a small trust fund-not nearly enough to finish my degree. I was a complete mess. Life had turned upside down in just three weeks.

I was shocked, depressed, and left with nothing. Stuck in my one-room apartment, my life seemed ruined. I was certain I could not return to university yet. My only plan was to find a lawyer and claim what was rightfully mine, but I had no funds to hire one.

A week later, I finally decided to tell Ethan where I was. I didn’t want his pity. He loved me and would do anything to help.

Once he knew, he came immediately. The only solution was for me to live with him. I resisted at first but eventually agreed—it was the only option left.

"All will be okay," Ethan said as he drove toward his brother’s home, comforting me. My mind was racing.

"What about his wife? Will he like it?" I asked. Many women might not want another girl near their men. I was unsure of what to expect.

Ethan laughed heartily. "Ha ha ha. He has never even had a girlfriend," he said, adding, "Sometimes I even think he might be gay."

We laughed freely, and for a moment, I forgot my troubles. I wanted to act normal at least once.

About twenty minutes later, we arrived at a sophisticated gate. The house beyond seemed to have far more wealth than I had ever known.

I took a deep breath, bracing myself for what was to come.