Two Girls, One Plan: Destroying My Brother's Lies

1 Not long after my brother Ivan got married, our parents were taken from us in a tragic car accident. The drunk driver was at fault, and the insurance company compensated a large sum. Without telling me, Ivan quickly used that money to buy a new house. Because Ivan paid for a ready-to-move-in property in full, after our parents died, the three of us moved from our small rental apartment to a spacious one. We lived in a big house, but our parents rested in a small grave. It wasn't even a proper grave. My brother had chosen the cheapest tree burial option, placing them under a tree in the cemetery. The cramped space meant that when we visited to pay our respects, there wasn't even room for bouquets. All the leftover compensation money after buying the house was in my brother's hands. He didn't give me a cent.  I even had to write him IOUs just to get money for my medication to manage my bipolar disorder,. During that time, Ivan was worried that my emotional state might affect him. He frequently used work trips as an excuse to escape, leaving me alone with his wife, Nora. The atmosphere at home was so heavy that it was difficult to bear. Worried that my emotions would spiral out of control, Nora stayed by my side every night, even though I often disturbed her sleep. I had nightmares where I dreamt that our parents were coming to get me, and in my sleep, I would end up punching her in the stomach. She would clutch her belly and break into a cold sweat, and even when she jumped out of bed, she would still reach out to pat me gently, whispering, "Ruby, don't be afraid. I'm here, I'm always here." I would clutch her hand tightly and say, "I'm scared..." She would continue to hold my hand and softly pat me. During those restless nights, I could hear her sigh quietly. Yet, she never let go of me. We spent countless nights together like that. And now, she was sitting before me, trembling as she revealed evidence of Ivan's betrayal. "Ruby, look..." The photos and screenshots laid bare their secrets—dining together, going to hotels, shopping, and dating. Accompanying them was a trail of money transfers and chat logs, all proving my brother's infidelity. Nora, the woman he cheated on was my best friend of five years. In their relationship, we had both kept things under wraps to protect our friendship. It had been like that for years. Would I truly aid my heartless brother in hurting my best friend? The answer was clear. I sat on the floor, looking directly at her. "Why are you crying? Do you still love him? Why not just get a divorce?" Nora shook her head, her eyes locked onto mine. "No, I want a divorce, of course. After being married for so long, I know exactly what kind of person Ivan is... I was foolish to accept his proposal. If he wants a divorce, he won't just hand me half of the house. He will certainly find a way to make me leave with nothing. I refuse to let that happen." She continued, "If he keeps the house, we'll be the first ones out! You know better than I do how he treated you! Ruby..." I had thought she was crying for my brother, but it turned out she was worried about me. I felt lost, unsure how to support her without getting tangled up in the mess, and I wasn't sure how to get my brother's house. As I hesitated, Nora believed I was unwilling to act. She gritted her teeth and made a desperate plea. "Ruby, just think of all the nights I spent with you helping you through those tough times. Please, help me..." Her words struck me deeply. If I had been unsure before, I was now firmly on Nora's side. When I struggled with my emotions and needed medication, Ivan would only demand endless IOUs from me, while Nora unconditionally gave me her support and money for medicine. She had stayed up nights comforting me during my fears and had argued with my brother on my behalf time and time again. We shared a bond that had developed over five years. I steadied my gaze and looked at her. "Okay, what do I need to do?" 2 Nora told me she was ready to share Ivan's plans. She just needed the right moment to do it. Now that Ivan was away for a three-day training, it was her chance to be frank with me. She explained that he was pressuring her to sign the agreement, threatening to split their shared assets. He would hold on to the cash while she would only have a small amount of money and all my IOUs. To avoid losing the house, Ivan planned to transfer the property to me as a "gift," intending to reclaim it later once things cooled down. All I had to do was wait for the right opportunity to claim the house for myself and enjoy it alone. Nora watched me closely, worried that I might not agree with her. I nodded, then saw her off before heading back to my little rental. Yes, not long after our parents passed away, my brother had asked me to move out so he and Nora could have their own space. They had fought for days over it, but in the end, Nora couldn't stand against him. He stayed in the big house while I was given a small rental in the suburbs. I felt like an abandoned raft with no place to go. I struggled emotionally and had bipolar disorder. I had leaned on him and begged him countless times not to make me live alone, but he still forced me out and even hit Nora. The wheel of fortune had finally turned, and now it was my turn. Not long after, Ivan suddenly "returned from a business trip," and the first thing he did was come to my rental. He walked in and scanned the room before finally fixing his gaze on me. "I didn't expect you to keep this place so tidy. You used to say you couldn't live alone, but now it seems you're doing fine. I guess people adapt." I sat silently, looking down, while he trampled on my white sofa. "If you ask me, you're just a little girl with no real skills. You'd better get married soon. That way, you can pay off the debts you owe me." He went on and on, and I kept my head down, my nails digging into my skin. Eventually, he sighed deeply. "Honestly, why did Mom and Dad leave me with such a burden?" His words made my nose tingle, and tears sprang to my eyes. "Ivan, what do you want from me?" He paused, dropped his leg, and sat up straight to ask, "Since you brought it up, I won't hide it from you. I know you get along well with Nora, but she betrayed me. I want a divorce. Will you help me?" What a classic case of playing the victim first. When he saw my slightly furrowed brow, Ivan eagerly shared evidence of Nora's infidelity and his deep disappointment. If Nora hadn't already warned me, I might have been confused about the truth. I frowned and looked at him. "What do you want me to do?" Spotting an opportunity, he clapped his hands together. "I knew it! Siblings are the most reliable! Here's the plan: I can't let that b***h take my house. A friend of mine suggested I put the house we're living in under your name. You just move back in, and it'll be like we're living in your house. Even if she tries to fight me for it, she'll only walk away with 100,000 dollars at most..." As he got excited, he chuckled and stared at me. "So, what do you think? Are you willing to help me?" 3 I shook my head, pretending to be timid under Ivan's angry gaze as I voiced my concerns. "But if you put the house in my name, wouldn't that mean I'd lose my first-time homebuyer status? Your house would still belong to you, but mine..." Ivan paused for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Ruby, no offense, but do you really think you can buy a house with a salary of several thousand dollars a month? You should be grateful I'm putting the house in your name! Otherwise, you might never even get the chance to see a real-estate deed in your life! Don't worry, we'll live together. You can move out when you get married. That's my biggest concession. I advise you to recognize who your real family is." His words were filled with threats, and in the end, I had no choice but to "yield to his intimidation" and reluctantly agree. As I left my house, Ivan happily handed me the lease termination for me to sign. He mentioned that if I wanted, I could move back in tomorrow. I nodded. Once Ivan was gone, I called Nora. "Ivan came by, and I agreed. It should be done in a week, and then the house will be in my name..." Nora was surprised and fought back tears of gratitude. In truth, I should be the one thanking her. If it weren't for her, I might have committed suicide under the weight of despair during one of those late-night moments of hopelessness. In the days that followed, Ivan contacted me more frequently, and after a week, the house was finally transferred into my name. Ivan was cautious. He feared that when it came time to divide the property, Nora might uncover evidence of him trying to hide assets, whether on paper or online. He deliberately destroyed all documents and materials he had handled. Watching him, I couldn't help but smile quietly to myself. I had to thank him for being so considerate. Otherwise, how else could he help us survive? The moment we walked out of the housing authority, both Ivan and I felt a wave of relief wash over us. He probably really wanted to take action against Nora. I could temporarily enjoy having my own house thanks to his dirty trick. He brought me back home, and after a year apart, I returned to the place where I had once lived. Nora was taken aback when she saw me. She couldn't help but ask Ivan, "What happened? Why is Ruby back?" Perhaps it was true that he no longer loved her, but impatience flashed in Ivan's eyes as he even pushed Nora aside. "Get out of the way. This is my sister. Is it wrong for me to bring her back? If you can't stand it, feel free to move out early. We still have half a month left in our cooling-off period. The sooner you leave, the better it will be to cool down." Nora fell silent and turned to head back inside. Ivan casually flopped down on the sofa, looking around at his spacious house, a grin spreading across his face. "Ruby, what do you think? If I got a new wife and we lived here together, wouldn't that be nice?" I ignored him, but I thought, 'Teaming up with Nora to get myself a new brother would be even better.' During those days, Ivan became even more irritated by Nora because of my presence. Meanwhile, despite her many attempts to resist, Nora held back for my sake. Ivan grinned at me proudly. "See, Ruby, this is how women are. I really don't understand how she could even think of cheating on me. She doesn't appreciate a good man like me. By the way, aren't you two close? You better not be like her..." And here we go again. He continued to lecture me as he had before, and I listened with unease. But he didn't know I had already changed. Nora was right. The past belonged to the past, and I needed to live for myself. 4 After he thought he had taken care of everything, Ivan stopped coming home at night. He probably went to see his mistress, which gave Nora and me even more space. Because I was afraid of the dark, we naturally shifted from sleeping in separate beds in the master room and the guest room to sharing one bed. While nights were usually a time for feeling down, for us, two people with our own struggles, it was different. We didn't have time to dwell on our feelings. Instead, we used those moments to carefully plan our battle against a scumbag. Ivan messaged me that he was at the office dealing with work, but Nora and I knew better. He had probably moved in with his mistress a long time ago. His absence created a significant gap for both of us. We quickly upgraded our security door, installing the latest smart fingerprint lock and facial recognition system, programmed only with our fingerprints and faces. No one else could enter. If anyone tried to force the door open, it would connect automatically with the police. Just like that, half a month passed quickly. Their cooling-off period ended, and Ivan finally showed up. When he set up a meeting with Nora at the city clerk's office, I secretly followed him, sensing something important was about to happen. Dressed in a suit and looking out of place in his sunglasses, Ivan seemed wary of being recognized. He stepped out of the car and waited for Nora at the entrance. From the passenger seat, I caught a glimpse of a woman's silhouette in the back seat. I thought, if it wasn't a ghost, it must be his mistress. This day seemed to require a witness. I hid behind a tree and watched as Nora, dressed in black, hurried into the building. Ivan couldn't help but lean in and kiss the woman in the car goodbye, making me roll my eyes. Despite being my brother, his actions toward me and our parents made me wish I didn't know him. I felt justified in helping Nora against him. No one looked out for others without a reason. The sun blazed outside, and the car had shut off. A moment later, the restless woman in the back seat opened the door and stepped out, fanning herself. As I examined her familiar face, it dawned on me—she was Lucy Everly, my brother's colleague! She had been to our home several times pretending to be just a coworker. So, they had been seeing each other for a while. With that thought, any pity I had for Ivan vanished. I pulled out my phone and messaged Nora: [His mistress is here.] He was trying to use me to set up his ex-wife. Perfect. Nora and I were ready to teach him a lesson. He needed to understand that it's better to offend a petty person than to provoke a woman. Lucy stepped outside for some fresh air, glanced around as if worried about being seen, then ducked back in. While I watched her in shock, Nora and Ivan quickly wrapped up their paperwork and emerged. Ivan stood at the entrance, looking at the woman he had briefly married, saying, "The property has been divided, and we're divorced. You have three days to pack your things and leave..." Nora smiled slightly. "Leave for what? So you can hide your mistress?" Ivan's expression soured. "What nonsense are you talking about? We're divorced. Why are you so nosy?" Nora faced the stream of couples around them, calm as she replied, "Technically, we are divorced. But you brought your mistress here before we even finalized everything. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Ivan glanced back at the woman in the car, likely regretting letting her sit there where she could be seen. As he hesitated, Nora seized the moment, rushing over to yank open the car door and pulling Lucy's hair to drag her out. "Ivan, weren't you always spreading rumors about me cheating? Let everyone see today who the real cheater is! You brought your mistress here, hoping to finalize our divorce and marry her right away, huh?" To play the role of the "angry woman" perfectly, Nora shouted at the top of her lungs, almost losing her voice. I couldn't help but feel nervous for her. Naturally, this commotion drew a crowd, with many people pulling out their phones to record the scene. As Nora confronted Lucy physically, pulling her hair and tearing at her clothes, Lucy cowered and cried out. This caught Ivan off guard. He quickly jumped over the railing, pushed Nora aside, and shielded Lucy in his arms, frowning. "What's wrong with you? Don't you know hitting someone is illegal? She's just my colleague. Why do you have to treat her like that?" Seeing the mistress cowering in his arms and Nora's furious expression ignited my anger. I held up my phone and jumped out from behind the tree, rushing forward to aim my high-definition camera at the mistress's face. My sudden appearance startled all three of them.