After I Died, My Brother Cried Until His Eyes Turned Red

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.

When Adrian reached us, his sole focus was on Madilyn. Without a second thought, he began pulling her free from the mud. He saw me—but his attention never wavered from Madilyn.

“Brother, please! Save me first!” I yelled, my voice cracking with panic, my heart pounding as the mud pressed harder against me.

I locked eyes with him, my desperation laid bare, but all I saw in return was irritation.

“Just wait! Maddy is your sister too. Why are you being so selfish?” he snapped, his words hitting me like a punch to the gut.

Stunned, I stopped moving. I wasn’t being selfish. The mud was crushing me, and I could feel my life slipping away with every second. “Please, Brother, I’m dying… I can’t hold on…”

For the first time in my life, I begged him—begged for my life. But Adrian ignored me.

“Brother, don't let go. I’m almost out!” Madilyn’s voice rang out. With his help, she finally broke free of the mud.

As she escaped, I looked at Adrian, a tiny ember of hope flickering in my chest. But when he turned toward me, there was no warmth in his eyes—only cold disdain. He extended his hand, but reluctantly, as if the very thought of touching me repulsed him.

At that moment, memories of the day I was brought back to the Monticello family flooded my mind. That same look of disgust had been in his eyes when he sneered at me for growing up in the countryside. Despite sharing the same blood, Adrian had always made it clear—I was unworthy to be his sister.

Tears blurred my vision as I grabbed his hand, clinging to him with what little strength I had left, desperate to survive. But my grip must have been too tight because I accidentally pulled him down into the mud with me. Adrian stumbled, his body now covered in the yellow sludge, and Madilyn rushed to help him up.

“What the hell are you doing?” he yelled, his voice laced with fury.

“Brother, we need to call for the rescue team. If we stay here any longer, we’ll die too!” Madilyn urged, her voice tight with fear.

Adrian nodded, brushing the mud from his clothes. He turned to me, his expression cold and detached.

“You don’t have any strength left,” he said flatly, his eyes empty of sympathy. “Just wait here. The rescue team will come for you.”

His words sliced through me, each one sharper than the last.

“Brother, please… I can’t hold on much longer… I’m so scared…” My voice trembled with terror, but Adrian’s eyes only hardened.

“Enough, Aliyah! Stop pretending to be weak. Maddy is your sister too. Do you expect me to risk our lives for you?” His voice was harsh and final, as if he had already sentenced me to die.

Silent sobs racked my body as I watched them walk away, supporting each other, without a single glance back.

I wasn’t pretending. I had been swapped at birth, raised in a family that never wanted me, in a home that only valued sons. My frail body had nearly killed me more than once.

I closed my eyes as I sank deeper into the earth, the weight of it crushing the last breath from my body.