I Stole My Brother’s Destiny

Old commander, Peter Howell, slipped and fell into the water, while his guard—my brother, Joe Castro—was off setting off fireworks with our foster sister, Felicity Castro.

After getting a second chance at life, I didn't run to find Joe like I had before. I jumped in without hesitation and dragged Peter out.

Last time, I went to get Joe. He made it in time and saved Peter, and from that day on, Peter treated him like a hero. His career took off.

But Felicity had started a fire with the fireworks. Her face was badly burned, and she couldn't handle it. In the end, she took her own life.

Joe stayed eerily calm and told me it was just an accident.

But the day my college acceptance letter came, he grabbed the iron poker from the fireplace and smashed my leg.

His face twisted with hatred.

"Commander Howell knows how to swim. Why did you have to drag me there?

"If you weren't trying to get my attention, Felicity wouldn't have gotten hurt. She wouldn't have died! And now you think you get to go off to college and start fresh? Not happening.

"Your future, your life, you'll use it to pay her back!"

He beat me until everything went black.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day Peter fell into the water.

There was a splash.

The man walking a few steps ahead of me slipped and went straight into the water.

My mind went blank, then flooded all at once. Memories from my past life crashed in, overlapping with what I was seeing now.

I just stood there, staring at the same scene I had already lived through once.

I had really come back to the moment the old commander, Peter Howell, fell into the water during his inspection.

My heart started pounding so hard that it felt like it might burst.

I glanced toward the small patch of trees nearby. It would only take a few minutes to run there and find my brother, Joe Castro.

However, I turned around without hesitation and jumped.

The current wasn't strong, and the water wasn't deep.

But Peter had already lost consciousness. That made everything worse.

It took everything I had to drag him back to shore.

Peter still wasn't waking up. I wiped the water from my face with the back of my hand, cleared his mouth and nose, and pressed down on his chest.

After a bit, he coughed up some water, but he was still unconscious.

I didn't panic. I reached into my pocket, pulled out a piece of candy I had been saving, and pushed it into his mouth.

Finally, his eyes opened.

"What…happened?"

Those dazed eyes met mine, and I let out a breath of relief.

Good. This time, I had still saved him.

"You probably passed out from low blood sugar and fell in, Commander Howell. That could've ended very badly."

The moment I said his name, his gaze sharpened. He looked me over, slow and careful.

"Kid, who are you?"

I pressed my lips together. Calling him that had clearly made him suspicious.

"I'm Joe's sister, Maegan."

Even after hearing that, Peter still looked suspicious. "I've met Joe's sister before. Her name's Felicity. I didn't know he had two sisters."

My fingers curled into a fist.

Of course. To everyone else, Joe only had one sister.

After our mother died, the only one he cared about was Felicity Castro, the girl our father brought home.

In my past life, Joe ditched his post just to cheer her up after she and I had argued and took her out to set off fireworks.

And when Peter fell in, I had run to that little grove and dragged him back to the river.

He saved Peter, earning Peter's trust and favor. Within just a few years, he became one of Peter's most valued people.

But I never expected that all Joe cared about was Felicity, who got into an accident after he left.

He hated me. He was convinced I had deliberately called him away, that I was the reason his beloved sister ended up dead.

Even now, I couldn't forget the searing pain of him striking me over and over with a fire poker.

"Commander Howell knows how to swim. Why did you have to drag me there? If you weren't trying to get my attention, Felicity wouldn't have gotten hurt. She wouldn't have died! And now you think you get to go off to college and start fresh? Not happening. Your future, your life, you'll use it to pay her back!"

Thankfully, I was given another chance.

If Joe didn't care about becoming Peter's savior and only wanted to stay with Felicity, then so be it.

This time, I would take that opportunity for myself.

I gave Peter a bitter smile and quietly explained, "I'm Joe's biological sister, but he doesn't really like me. He favors our foster sister instead, so it makes sense that you don't know about me."

Peter froze, clearly not expecting his subordinate's family to be this complicated.

Then he noticed how lightly dressed I was, soaked from head to toe, and a hint of guilt crossed his face.

"I'm really sorry. You saved my life, and I still questioned who you were. That was my mistake."

He lowered his head and apologized sincerely.

Even though I already knew Peter was a man with strong principles, his reaction still surprised me.

"No, please don't say that. Given your position, it's only right to be cautious. Besides, you put your life on the line for this country back then. I've always admired that. You're a hero to the people. If I can help you, then I'm helping them too. That's an honor."

After hearing that, Peter looked at me with clear approval.

"Good, good. You've got a strong head on your shoulders. Not much different from Joe."

At the mention of Joe, Peter glanced around, and when he couldn't see him anywhere, his expression darkened.

"Where did that kid go?"

I let out a small sigh, hesitating like I wasn't sure I should say.

Peter was sharp. One look at me, and he knew I had the answer.

"You know where Joe went?"

I paused, then nodded.

"This is partly my fault. My old clothes were too thin, so I argued with my sister over a new set, and she got upset. Joe went to cheer her up. He said he would set off fireworks for her."