After I Died, My Brother Cried Until His Eyes Turned RedChapter 1
Madilyn, the fake daughter of the Monticello family, had invited me to explore the mountains, and that's when everything went wrong. The ground shook, and before I knew it, a landslide had buried us in thick mud. Panic surged through me as we both tried to free ourselves from the heavy earth dragging us down.
When Adrian heard what happened, he came to rescue us. But when he arrived, his eyes were only on Madilyn. I could barely move, my body was weak, and I watched in disbelief as he made his choice. Desperate to save Madilyn, he pushed me further into the mud.
"Brother, please help me!" I screamed, my hands clawing at the slick earth, trying to hold on to something or anything.
But he didn’t listen. "Enough, Aliyah! Maddy is your sister too! If I leave her behind, she’ll die!" His voice cut through me, filled with urgency, but no concern for me.
With those words, he turned his back on me, not once looking back as I sank deeper. He probably never realized how little time I had left—or maybe he just didn’t care.
*
As Adrian slowly walked away, supporting Madilyn, whom he had just saved from the landslide, I remained trapped, desperately struggling in the thick, suffocating mud. The more I fought, the deeper I sank, the earth pulling me down with an unrelenting grip. Mud filled my mouth, clogging my throat and nostrils, making it nearly impossible to breathe. The weight of it pressed on my chest, crushing not just my body but my will. Every movement seemed to drag me further into the ground’s merciless embrace. I tried to lift my hand, to signal for help, but my strength was slipping away. I was too exhausted to respond.
Despair flooded me as I realized I was sinking—both in the mud and into hopelessness.
Just yesterday, Madilyn had invited me on this ill-fated adventure. Neither of us could have predicted the sudden rainstorm or the landslide that would leave us trapped here.
Adrian was nearby. I knew that. Despite the argument we’d had the day before, I was the long-lost child the Monticello family had searched for, for eighteen years. I believed that his guilt, buried beneath his anger, would drive him to save me. Surely, he wouldn’t leave me behind.
When I saw him approaching, dressed in a bright-colored rescue suit, a flicker of hope sparked within me. But that hope was quickly extinguished.