Stolen Future The Betrayed Brother's Revenge

The year college entrance exams were reinstated, my fiance stole my admission letter and gave it to my younger brother, Percival Fox. The two of them fled together to start a new life.

My adoptive parents knelt before me, begging me not to report their daughter and Percivalfor the sake of the kindness they'd shown in taking me in.

To ensure those two could successfully enroll, they locked me in the shed without food or water.

I contracted the plague. On the brink of death, Norma Pruitt, the eldest daughter of the Pruitt family, secretly brought me a bowl of congee.

"Duane Fox, what they did was too cruel. I've already told my parents I won't marry anyone but you. Just marry me, and I'll support all your dreams."

I was deeply moved. I married Norma.

During the day, I helped her manage the school's affairs. At night, I studied relentlessly. Three years of exams, and I still failed every time.

I was ready to give upto devote myself to being the man behind Norma's success.

Then I overheard a conversation between Norma and her parents.

"Norma, it's been three years. Duane's scores have improved each time. This year he even got into Capital University. Are you really not going to let him attend?"

Norma's refusal was immediate. "Percival took his student registration. If Duane goes to college, won't Percival's identity fraud be exposed?"

"For Percival's sake, I can't let him attend."

"But Duane has been retaking the exam for three years now. Percival is graduating next year anyway. Why don't your father and I pull some strings and get Duane a new student registration?"

The elder Pruitts offered what seemed like a reasonable suggestion, but Norma's brow furrowed deeply.

"Get him a new registration? Have Duane take someone else's spot and sacrifice an innocent person's future? How could you even suggest that?"

"But we've watched Duane work so hard these three years. During the day he handles the school's affairs for you. At night he studies by lamplight while keeping watch, yawning so hard he can barely keep his eyes open."

"The first two times you hid his admission letters, I saw him crying in secret. He kept saying he was stupid, that he'd wasted two years for nothing."

"He knows how much you care about these children. He moved into the school on his own, fighting to do every dirty, exhausting job. And the way he treats uswe couldn't ask for better."

"Such a good man. Betraying him once was enough. If we do it again, I'm afraid there'll be no coming back from it."

The elder Pruitts spoke with genuine concern, but Norma had made up her mind.

"Mom, Dad, please stop."

"Back then, I was the one who helped Louise and Percival scheme to take Duane's admission letter. That was wrong of me. Destroying his letters two years in a row was also wrong."

"But Percival isn't like Duane. He donated a kidney to me. Without an education, what future does he have?"

"Besides, I'm a school principal. Marrying me means he'll never want for anything. I'm giving him the rest of my life to make up for it. Isn't that enough?"

"This admission letter can't be kept. Percival's future is more important than anything."

With that, Norma prepared to burn my admission letter to ashes in front of everyone.

I stood outside the door, holding the chicken soup I'd made to help Norma regain her strength. I watched the letter I'd dreamed of for so long, trembling uncontrollably.

Three years ago, when the college entrance exams were reinstated, I took the test alongside my younger brother Percival and my fiance Louise Pruitt.

The day the results were posted, Percival had failed.

Before I could even think of how to comfort him, I was told my admission letter had already been collected by someone else.

At the same time, Louise and Percival had vanished.

Someone saw them boarding a train to the provincial capital together.

The provincial capitalexactly where the university I'd applied to was located.

I couldn't believe it. I immediately told the Pruitts, hoping they could help me contact Louise.

Their response was shameless.

"Duane, let me be honest with you. Louise is in love with your brother Percival. Taking your admission letter and letting Percival take your placethat was her idea."

"Percival isn't like you. He donated a kidney to Norma. Just let him have this one. You can try again next year."

That was the result of my hard work. How could I just hand it over?

And on top of everything, Percival had stolen my fiance!

I tried to argue, but the Pruitts tied me up and threw me into the woodshed.

Afraid I'd ruin things for the happy couple, they cut off my food.

I starved for seven days straight.

Then came the rats. A swarm of them. I caught the plague and burned with fever.

Just when I thought I'd die in that filthy shed, NormaLouise's older sisterappeared before me with a bowl of porridge.

"Duane, hold on. You can't die. You still have your dreams!"

To get me treatment, Norma cut ties with her own family. She carried me on her back all the way to the clinic in town.

I was too delirious to swallow medicine, so she fed it to me mouth to mouth.

Under her care, I clawed my way back from death's door.

Then Norma knelt before me and confessed her feelings.

"Duane, I've always loved you. I just couldn't say anything because of Louise."

"Will you marry me? Whatever Louise owes youI'll make up for it."

I wept with gratitude.

My fiance and my brother had both betrayed me, but I still had Norma, who loved me with everything she had.

We got married.

For three years after the wedding, Norma kept her promise. She wouldn't let me work odd jobsshe wanted me to focus entirely on studying for the exam.

I appreciated how hard she worked running the school, so I came to help out.

Everyone said I was lucky. A principal for a wife, and such a devoted one at that.

I thought so too.

Until today.

Now I knew the truth. Every ounce of suffering I'd enduredit all traced back to Norma.

The soup crashed to the ground, and the sound cut through the room.

Inside, Norma froze. She set down the admission letter and stepped outside, her expression guarded.

When she saw it was me, that wariness didn't fade. If anything, it sharpened.

"What are you doing here?"

"How long have you been standing there?"

Two rapid-fire questions, like an interrogation.

My heart went cold.

I wanted to ask herafter burning my admission letters all those times, didn't she feel even a shred of guilt?

But I knew the answer better than she did.

No. She didn't.

She was just like Louise. The only person in her heart was my brother. Percival.

I swallowed the accusations rising in my throat and forced my voice to stay casual.

"I just got here. I heard your parents were coming, so I made some soup for everyone. Didn't expect to spill it..."

Norma's gaze dropped to my scalded hand, the skin an angry red. Her expression softened. She pulled me inside to treat it.

"YouI told you to leave these things to me, didn't I?"

"Let me put some oil on this first. I'll take you into town to get it looked at."

Her movements were gentle, careful, as she dabbed the oil onto my burns.

My eyes swept the room. The elder Pruitts sat there wearing hollow smiles.

But unlike before, there was something else behind those smiles now. A flicker of guilt.

The admission letter was gone from the table. They must have hidden it. Still, I couldn't resist testing Norma.

"Honey, I heard everyone's admission letters have been arriving. Have you seen if mine"

"I already checked. There's nothing for you."

"Duane, don't be too upset. Worst case, I'll take care of you for the rest of your life."

She lied without a single crack in her composure. And then she comforted me.

My heart had already sunk to rock bottom, yet I still clung to our three years of marriage, wanting to give Norma one last chance.

"But I heard my name was clearly on the admission list..."

"You heard wrong." Norma cut me off without hesitation, her brows knitting together as she spoke.

"Duane, I know you can't accept it, but this is just fate."

"You're not meant for college. Don't bother applying again..."

Fate?

But Norma knew better than anyone that my grades were good enough for university!

She was the one who'd torn up every single acceptance lettertorn away the wings that could have carried me toward my dreams.

Bitterness flooded my chest. I turned my head away, barely managing to hold back tears of disappointment. The Pruitts noticed something was off and shot Norma a look before stepping in to smooth things over.

"Norma! Is that any way to talk to your husband?"

"Duane, don't take her words too seriously. What she means is that even without college, with her by your side, you'll be just fine."

They gave Norma a pointed look.

Only then did she put on a show, leaning into my arms.

"Mom and Dad are right. I'm the principalmore than capable of providing for you..."

"Principal Pruitt! Mr. Percival Fox is on the phone! He says he's already on the train and wants you to pick him up!"

Before Norma could finish, someone outside interrupted.

"Really? Why am I only hearing about this now?"

"I need to go right away. It's so hot outif Percival gets heatstroke, that would be terrible."

Her eyes lit up instantly. Without another word, she abandoned me and rushed out the door.

The Pruitts looked embarrassed, but they didn't forget to make excuses for their daughter.

"Louise called and asked Norma to look after Percival."

"After all, Louise is still Norma's sister, and Percival is your own brother..."

I looked at these twomy in-laws who had wept and knelt before me after Norma and I got married, swearing that everything before had been their fault, promising they'd never contact Louise or Percival again, begging for my forgiveness.

Now I understood. They were cut from the same cloth as Norma.

I shook my head slightly and said words that completely betrayed what I felt inside.

"Percival is my brother and Norma's brother-in-law. It's only right that she picks him up."

The Pruitts praised me for being sensible and understanding, yet they made no move to leave.

I knew why. They couldn't tell whether I knew about the acceptance letters.

I made an excuse about going into town to buy medicine and left.

At the pharmacy, I searched every pocket and couldn't scrape together enough for a tube of burn ointment.

I was about to leave when I heard Percival's familiar voice from behind a curtain.

"Norma, it's just low blood sugar. You really didn't need to bring me to the clinic."

"You spend so much money on me all the time. Doesn't my brother have a problem with it?"

Norma's voice dripped with indifference. "He's a man I support. What opinion could he possibly have?"

"Besides, you're down one kidney. You need to be extra careful."

"Doctor, I'll take all those supplements you mentioned. And throw in some candied fruithe doesn't like bitter things. Something sweet for him to snack on."

"Thanks, Norma. Maybe... get some for my brother too? I don't want him overthinking."

Percival spoke, but I heard the contempt in Norma's reply.

"Why waste the money?"

"Besides, he can stomach any kind of bitterness. He doesn't need it."

"Last year, when those two fat pigs at the school got sick, he insisted on taking them all the way to town to see a vet."

"I didn't bother with him, so he dragged that flatbed cart off by himself. Wore himself out completely. If you ask me, he brought it all on himself."

"The pigs were sickjust slaughter them and be done with it. Why go through all that trouble?"

Percival let out a snort of laughter.

"Those two pigs had to weigh at least two hundred pounds each, right? Gotta hand it to my brotherhe's really something else."

"Still, good thing he hauled them off to the vet. Otherwise, I wouldn't have touched meat from sickly pigs!"

Percival took Norma's hand, and the two of them emerged from the back room laden with shopping bags. My body went colder than before.

Norma was a school principala respectable position with a decent salary.

But only I knew that more than half of what she earned went to the students at her school who couldn't even afford to eat.

Our life together had been painfully meager. Some months, we didn't see a single scrap of meat.

I'd felt sorry for her. I'd bought two runty piglets at a discount from a farm owner and raised them with care.

When they got sick, no one was more frantic than me. I'd hauled them on a flatbed cart to a town dozens of miles away to see a vet.

Blisters formed on my feet, but I didn't stop to tend to them. Every penny saved was another dose of medicine for those pigs.

But they still didn't make it.

I would never forget that weekendNorma had asked me to come home, then told me both pigs had died and she'd disposed of the carcasses.

I'd blamed myself for so long. I was convinced that my decision to save money on a pair of cloth shoes by bringing the medicine home to inject them myself had been a fatal mistake. That my incompetence was why Norma couldn't even have meat on the table.

Never once did I imagine that she'd given those pigs to Percivalas a gift to curry his favor.

And now, looking at the bags of supplements in Norma's handsevery single one expensivewhere was the woman who supposedly couldn't afford meat?

Tears surged to my eyes. For her deception. And for my own stupidity.

Norma spotted me too. Instinctively, she moved to hide those pricey supplements behind her back, but Percival gripped her arm and held her in place.

He even shot me a look of pure provocation.

"Hey, bro. I haven't been feeling well, so Norma picked up some supplements for me. You don't mind, do you?"

His words seemed to hand Norma a ready-made justification. Before I could even open my mouth, she was already frowning at me.

"Duane! Percival is your own brother! He fainted at the train station from low blood sugar. What's wrong with me buying him a few supplements?"

I said nothing. But the young nurse behind the pharmacy counter chose that moment to speak up.

"Sir, did you still want that burn ointment?"

"It's not expensiveeighty cents a bottle, and it lasts a long time!"

I looked at the bags of supplements in Norma's hands. Then I looked at the fifty cents I'd been clutching in my palmmoney I'd scraped together over weeks.

A bitter smile crossed my face. I thanked her for her kindness.

"No, thank you. I can't afford it."

I walked out of the pharmacy. Norma's expression turned ugly.

Percival was right there to fan the flames.

"Norma, you make at least thirty or forty a month, right? You couldn't afford a bottle of burn ointment?"

"Looks like my brother's still holding a grudge over what happened back then. He's deliberately trying to humiliate me!"

"Fine. I'll just leave."

Percival made a show of crying and turning to go. Norma's face went cold. She strode forward, blocked my path, and demanded that I apologize to Percival.

I almost laughed at the absurdity of it.

"Why should I apologize?"

Norma's reasoning was impressively self-righteous.

"All these years, Percival stayed away to spare your feelings."

"He finally comes to visit, and you treat him like thisembarrassing him in public? What kind of brother are you?"

"What should a brother be like, then? Should he just let his own fiance steal his college acceptance letter and run off with his brother without saying a word?"

"Or should he pretend to be deaf and blind when he knows perfectly well that his brother and his wife have been carrying on behind his back?"

I couldn't hold back any longer. Every grievance I'd bottled up came pouring out. But Percival's eyes went wide, tears streaming down his face.

"Duane, I know you hate me, but you can't slander me like this!"

"There's nothing between me and Normanothing! If you don't believe me, I'll prove my innocence with my life!"

He pulled out a bottle of pesticide, shoved it into my hands, and forced my grip toward his mouth, as if he truly intended to die to defend his honor.

But the moment his fingers closed around mine, he leaned in close to my ear. His voice dropped to a whisper only I could hear.

"Brother, you're so pathetic. Both women you've loved only ever wanted me. Tell meif I drink this today, do you think Norma will send you to prison?"

My pupils dilated. I never imagined Percival's mind could be this twisted.

I tried to wrench my hand free, but Norma rushed over and yanked Percival away from me. Her glare could have cut glass.

"Duane Fox! Enough! Do you have to drive him to death before you're satisfied? How can any man be as vicious as you?"

"Forcing your own brother to drink pesticidewhy don't you drink it instead?"

In her fury, Norma seized my jaw, wrenched it open, and poured the pesticide down my throat.

It was bitterso bitter. I tried to spit it out, but she pinned me to the ground, her foot grinding into my burns. I couldn't move.

By the time the entire bottle had been forced down my throat, my face had gone white as paper. My throat felt like it was being sliced open from the inside. But she had already turned away to comfort Percival.

"It's okay now, Percival. No one's going to hurt you anymore."

Percival nestled against her, a smug smile playing at the corner of his lips. Then he spat out a few mouthfuls of white foam and collapsed.

The acting was so clumsy that anyone could see through it. But Norma didn't hesitate. She scooped him up and rushed toward the nearest clinic.

She didn't even glance back at my weak cries for help.

All I could do was watch as I vomited a mouthful of bloodthen more, and more, gushing out like a fountain.

A kind stranger passing by carried me to the clinic.

The doctor said I only had one kidney. My metabolism was compromised. I needed IV treatment immediately to flush out the toxins.

But Norma and Percival had ended up at the same clinic.

Percival clutched his throat, wailing in pain.

"Norma, my stomach hurts so bad. Am I going to die?"

"Get the doctorsave me! I don't want our baby to be born without a father!"

Panic flooded Norma's face. She intercepted the doctor who was about to operate on me.

"Doctor, he's been poisoned. He only has one kidneyI'm afraid he's in danger. Please operate on him first!"

The doctor looked at me uncertainly. "But we have another patient here. He also only has one kidney..."

Norma barely spared me a glance before making her decision.

"I know him. He's my husband. He's finehe's faking it."

"But Percival actually drank pesticide. If you don't operate now, he'll die!"

She held up our wedding photo. Between the picture and her words, the doctor was convinced.

They abandoned me and wheeled Percival into the operating room.

I was left behind, vomiting more and more blood. Terrified, I grabbed Norma's hand and begged her to bring the doctor back.

"PleaseI only have one kidney. My body can't filter out that much poison..."

Norma wrenched her hand free. The look she gave me was the look you'd give your worst enemy.

"Duane Fox! Haven't you had enough of this act?"

"When I was critically ill, it was Percival who donated a kidney to save me! Now you've driven him to poison himself, put his life in danger, and you want to steal his doctor?"

"Fine! Since you love performing so much, I'll give you something to perform about!"

Norma dragged me off the hospital bed and drove her heel into my body over and over.

I curled up on the floor like a dog, begging her to stop, but it was useless.

Only when the operating room light flickered back on and Percival was wheeled out did Norma finally stop her near-frenzied assault, rushing over to fuss over him.

Percival leaned weakly against her, but his words were calculated.

"Norma, I'm fine. Maybe you should have the doctor check on my brother."

"Even if he's faking it, he's still my brother."

His words were gasoline on a fire. Disgust flashed through Norma's eyes.

"Check on him for what? You just got out of surgeryyou need the doctor here."

"As for that piece of trash who has to compete with you over everything? He'd be better off dead!"

Norma carefully guided Percival toward his room, but her words drove into my chest like a blade.

But I didn't die. Penelope Whitneythe daughter of the man who used to buy my study guideshappened to pass by and found me. She called for help immediately, and I was rushed to the emergency room.

I survived. But my one remaining kidney had completely failed. I needed a transplant, and fast.

"The patient previously underwent kidney donation surgery, which compromised his metabolic function. With proper care, one kidney would have been sufficient. Unfortunately, he ingested a large amount of toxins."

"Not only was treatment delayed, but he also sustained blunt force trauma. Even the strongest kidney couldn't withstand that."

I knew the truth. My wife, Norma, had destroyed my only kidney with her own hands.

I looked at my reflection in the mirrorgaunt, hollow, wasted. I should have had a healthy body. Now I had nothing.

And without a donor, even my life would be taken from me.

My feelings for Norma had been my undoing.

Tears fell before I could stop them. Penelope saw them, and her fists clenched.

"Duane, I know everything that happened. I'm going to make that monster Norma pay!"

I shook my head.

"She'll never admit to it."

And even if she did, what then?

Could she give me back a healthy kidney? Could she return the three years I'd lost?

No. I wanted her to lose what she cared about most. I wanted her to live in agony, every single day.