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CHAPTER 8
~Eryx's POV~
The lights were dim in my room, just the way I liked it—soft enough to feel like the world was quiet, even when my mind wasn't.
I sat at the edge of my bed, the corner of a worn picture frame pressed lightly between my fingers.
It was old, cracked slightly along the edges, but I kept it clean. I'd never thrown it out, though I'd hidden it for years behind books and forgotten drawers.
In the photo, my hand was looped casually around a younger Spring's waist. She had icing smeared on her nose, mid-laugh, her mouth open, head tilted back, like life was simple. Like her world hadn't started collapsing yet.
Her sixteenth birthday.
I stared at that frame, really looked, until my throat tightened.
Back then, we weren't pretending.
I remembered that day. Kaius had flown in early just to be there. Rhys brought Spring her favorite cake, the lemon one with blue frosting.
And I—I had wrapped her gift like a dork and used three rolls of tape. She'd laughed for ten minutes straight when it took her half an hour to open it.
Although much later, we all gave her memorable presents, well packaged.
Spring laughed.
That kind of laugh doesn't lie.
And yet… somewhere between that memory and now, everything shattered.
I set the frame down gently on my nightstand and let out a sigh that seemed to scrape the inside of my chest.
We thought we were doing the right thing.
When Rose showed up—scared, alone, covered in dust and secrets—we embraced her. We wanted her to feel safe and loved. After all, she was the real Kaine heiress, the one taken from us.
So we showered her with attention, gifts, and affection. We thought that if we made her feel welcomed, everything would balance out.
But it didn't balance.
It bled.
Spring… she changed. She got quiet and distant. Her smiles turned forced. We thought she was jealous, slighted, and angry at having to share.
That was what we were led to believe.
That's what Rose led us to believe.
She painted herself the victim, over and over. And we believed her.
Every story. Every tear. Every little tale that made Spring seem cold, bitter, or manipulative. We believed them all.
We never questioned it. We never asked Spring for her side. We never gave her a chance.
And then—then it got worse.
Spring started saying things—sharp things, words meant to hurt. She spoke ill about Kaius, whispered lies about Rhys, and even sent me a scathing message I could never forget.
Or so we thought.
But looking back now… none of us ever saw her say those things. No one confronted her. We just… let it sit. We let resentment grow.
And we did the opposite of love. We gave the opposite of the attention she wanted—we completely ignored and disregarded her until she couldn't bear it anymore and left the Kaine household.
Still, no one had cared.
We ignored her like a plague, a stain on our family name.
Cold shoulders. Dismissive tones. All our attention turned to Rose, our real sister. The one we thought needed protecting.
And now I'm asking myself the question I should've asked all those years ago.
Were those things Spring said real… or were they carefully crafted lies fed to us?
I clenched my fists, then slowly released them.
Had we raised a viper… or become the ones who fed it, till it grew too big to tame?
The guilt settled into my bones like frost.
My eyes drifted to the small drawer beside my desk, the one I hadn't opened in years. And just like always, the memory came crawling out the second I let it.
It was a memory that till now, still took me time to figure out—time to believe it all did happen, and now I was here.
Everything had fallen apart so fast.
The Kaine household collapsed like a house of cards. Overnight.
News broke. Headlines splashed across every feed.
"Kaine Conglomerate Declares Bankruptcy Amidst Scandal."
And it wasn't just the business.
Kaius—our brilliant, composed eldest brother—was blamed for corporate mismanagement. Investors tore him apart.
The media dragged his name through the mud, calling him the downfall of the Kaine legacy.
Rhys—our stoic, perfect surgeon—was accused of negligence. They claimed he'd made a mistake during a critical surgery and the patient was the Vice President's only daughter, almost costing the young lady her life.
His license was stripped and his name was disgraced.
And me?
I was framed for treason against the country.
They said I'd hacked into national security archives and sold secrets to rival nations with proof linking to my server—just enough planted evidence to bury me.
Within 48 hours… we were all ruined. Mother couldn't take it and ran into the road. She died on the spot.
Father was sent to life in prison for theft and embezzling company funds with Kaius.
Rhys couldn't come out in society anymore, and I was on the run with my life on my sleeve.
While we drowned, only one person remained, topping the charts: Rose Kaine, the distinguished daughter of the Kaine family, who was now proudly engaged to Mike Dawson, the heir of our rival company.
It was in that moment that I finally understood. We had made a grave mistake.
The sister they had adored, protected, and trusted had been the very one who orchestrated their downfall.
And worse?
Only one person had reached out with an olive branch when the world turned its back on them.
Spring Kaine.
The girl we had abandoned tried to pull us up. Not Rose. Not the friends we thought were allies.
None but Spring—the same girl we cast aside.
She called.
Not with anger, not with vengeance. She called with warmth and with care.
"Brother," she had said. "It's me. I'm here. I'll help however I can."
I remembered that call clearly. Her voice was low and kind. Shaken, but full of determination.
And me?
I didn't answer.
Because I was on the bathroom floor, poison burning its way through my gut, while a shattered glass lay on the tiled floor beside me, stained with blood—the very blood now dripping from my slit wrist.
It was the last voice I heard before blacking out.
That memory faded as I ran a hand through my hair.
I hadn't deserved that call. We didn't deserve her kindness. And yet, even then, after everything, we were given a second chance.
A second chance that came wrapped in the body of a girl who now stood taller, spoke sharper, and fought back.
Spring.
Either way, she was back. And she wasn't the same.
I rose to my feet and looked at the photo again.
The girl in the frame was laughing. Not like now.
I pressed a hand to the glass, thumb brushing over that bright smile.
"This time," I whispered, "I won't fail you again."
I didn't know how I'd fix it. But I would find out.
And I'd start by finding out everything Rose ever said. Every lie she whispered into our ears. Every dirty trick she played.
Because now, I wasn't just protecting the Kaine name.
I was protecting the girl we broke… and who came back stronger.