When Love Becomes a Burden

At the age of ten, I was adopted by the illustrious Specter in the capital, becoming a distinguished young lady of high society. My new family welcomed me with open arms, but the most significant part of my life became Lucas, my adopted brother.

He was my knight in shining armor, the one who comforted me when I had nightmares, the one who helped me with my homework and the one whose approval I sought desperately. My innocent admiration gradually grew into an all-consuming love, the kind that left no room for anyone else. But our relationship was never meant to be more than sibling-like affection. I was trapped in my own unrequited love, willing to do anything to keep him close.

I sabotaged every budding relationship he had, chasing away any woman who showed interest in him. In my desperation, I became possessive and obsessive, unable to see the pain I was causing him. Eventually, in an attempt to free himself from my suffocating love, Lucas took drastic measures. He had me committed to a mental institution, where I spent three long years battling my feelings and sanity.

Three years of suffering cured me of love and attachment. I became the person he wanted, but he had gone mad... Three years was neither too long nor too short. But it was enough time for me to let go of him.

When the head doctor called me in, he looked at me with a mix of pity and disdain. "Do you still love Lucas?" he asked, his voice dripping with contempt.

I shook my head, feeling nothing but a hollow emptiness where my love for him once burned brightly.

For the umpteenth time, he warned me, "Remember, Lucas is not a man you can love."

Again, I nodded mechanically, my heart was no longer fluttering at the sound of his name.

He patted my shoulder. "Go on, you can go home now."

I thanked him and limped towards the door of the mental hospital. The iron gates loomed before me, a symbol of my confinement and suffering.

As I stepped out, I saw Lucas standing by a Bentley, his presence as commanding as ever.

In the sunlight, he was tall and handsome, more mature and dazzling than three years ago. He looked at me with gentle eyes, "You’re out."

I stared at him blankly, as if he were a stranger. The memories of my torment flooded back and I felt a pang of bitterness.

"What’s wrong with your leg?" Lucas stepped towards me, eyeing my right leg with concern.

"My leg is fine." I took a step back, a trace of wariness in my indifferent eyes. "Lucas, I don’t love you anymore, really... Please believe me..."

A flicker of pain crossed his eyes. "Well, is your illness not cured yet?"

"I’m cured." Afraid he might send me back in, I quickly explained.

He looked at me for a moment before sighing helplessly. "Let’s go home."

He thoughtfully opened the car door for me. I hesitated before limping into his car.

The car started slowly, heading towards home. I hung my head, nervously staring at my hands resting on my knees.

At a red light, Lucas suddenly turned to look at me. "Why aren’t you talking?"

No wonder he was puzzled. I used to be like a little sun around him, always cheerful and chatty. He would affectionately pat my head, teasing me for being unladylike. Seeing me so quiet today must have been a first for him.

I replied softly, "Nothing to say."

He reached out and pulled me closer, scrutinizing me up close. "Are you upset?"

"No." Loving him was my fault to begin with. He thought I was crazy, so it was normal for him to send me to a mental hospital.

"Then why don’t you talk to me?" He asked again.

I finally raised my face to meet his gaze. "Lucas, didn’t you send me to the mental hospital to cure me of my obsession with you? I’m cured now, you should be happy."

He was at a loss for words. His eyes grew deeper as he looked at me. Eventually, he whispered apologetically, "I’m sorry, Helena, I didn’t want this either."

He didn’t want this? It was him who sent me there.

"It’s okay, it’s all in the past." I lied.

In reality, the suffering I endured over the past three years would never fade, nor be forgotten. I just didn’t want to bring it up anymore.

Half an hour later, Lucas brought me back to our old home. Mom and dad were waiting for me in the living room. Dad’s eyes were filled with pity as he looked at my thin, haggard self. "Helena, you’ve suffered. It’s good to have you back."

Mom sat elegantly on the sofa, as aloof as ever. "Now that you’re back, come and eat."

She glanced at me indifferently before heading to the dining room. Despite the discomfort in my leg, I tried to walk steadily and naturally as I followed Dad’s warm invitation.

After three years, the four of us gathered around the same table. But the laughter and warmth of the past were gone. During the meal, I mentioned wanting to move back to my own home.

Lucas was the first to object. "No, it’s not safe there."

"Yes, Helena, your place has been uninhabited for years. It’s unlivable now." Dad agreed.

Only Mom was in favor. "Helena is twenty-three years old now. It’s normal for her to want to live on her own." She looked at me with undisguised disdain. "With so many houses under our family’s name, you can choose any to live in."

"No need." I said calmly, "You didn’t mean to cause the accident back then. The Specter has taken care of me for ten years, that’s enough."

Everyone at the table froze. Even Lucas looked at me in surprise.

"Helena... you know?" Dad asked guiltily.

"Yes, I know everything." Not only did I know that the car that lost control years ago belonged to the Specter, but I also understood why Lucas had been so good to me all these years. Why he indulged me no matter how much I acted out.

When the head doctor strapped me to the electric shock bed, he didn’t forget to humiliate me. "Do you think Lucas was good to you because he liked you? What a joke. If it weren’t for your parents’ lives, you wouldn’t even have the chance to serve him on your knees!"

That was when I learned the truth about the accident. And I understood my true place in Lucas’s heart.