He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 240

There was absolutely no way Juniper would ever look down on him.

He stood there, his heart hammering with desperate anticipation, waiting for Juniper to fight back. Say it, he prayed. Defend me. Tell this arrogant bastard he's wrong.

But instead, Juniper just softly replied, "Yeah."

The single word felt like a physical blow. Brooks stumbled backward, entirely stripped of the courage to even step inside.

He turned and ran all the way home. It was the middle of summer, but he felt a cold sweat clinging to his skin. When he walked through the door, his face was as pale as a sheet.

Beatrice was setting the table. She looked up and frowned. "Didn't I tell you to bring June back? Dinner's ready. Why is she still over there? That girl works so hard. If you had even half her work ethic, maybe you wouldn't have failed out of high school."

The careless remark violently struck a nerve. Brooks snapped, his voice echoing loudly through the small house, "She is not my sister!"

He screamed the words, the raw, fragile pride of a teenage boy shattering entirely. He thought about all the times he had bragged about Juniper, and his cheeks burned with utter humiliation. All this time, Juniper had secretly despised him. She probably hated being related to him at all.

Nelson had only been in the village for a fraction of her life, yet she was already wrapped around his finger.

Juniper was a completely ungrateful traitor.

He refused to acknowledge a sister like her! He vowed never to spend time with her again.

At that age, a boy's ego was practically made of iron. When Beatrice told him to go back and get her, he simply stormed into his room and slammed the door. "I don't care what happens to her anymore! She could die in a ditch, and I wouldn't bat an eye."

Hearing such vile words from her son, Beatrice snapped. "Are you out of your damn mind? You were perfectly fine this morning. Did you get possessed on your walk over there?"

Brooks collapsed onto his bed, only then realizing his face was completely soaked with tears.

His throat burned like he had swallowed acid. The psychological shock was so profound he thought he might actually pass out.

Listening to his hysterical screaming through the receiver, Juniper's voice remained eerily calm. "Nadine was the one who listened to Lydia and intentionally set you up. Otherwise, why would you have been anywhere near that pool? I told you to check Nadine's bank accounts, but you refused. Brooks, I don't even know when we stopped trusting each other. Maybe it was when Nadine married into the family, or maybe it was the day Nelson walked into our village. But somewhere along the line, we just drifted completely apart."

Brooks fell into a stunned silence, though his ragged sobs still echoed through the line into Juniper's ear.

They were family. She did harbor resentment toward Brooks, but it was born entirely out of frustration over his wasted potential. She had never, ever wanted to see him hurt.

Brooks's throat was raw and throbbing. He let out a bitter, broken laugh. "Nadine was pregnant with my child back then. Why would she ever conspire to cripple me? Juniper, do you think I'm an absolute idiot...? Then again, in your eyes, I'm no better than a pig. You've always looked down on me..."

He sobbed uncontrollably as he spoke. "Do you even know how you paid for your middle school textbooks? Mom didn't have the money. I went to the construction site with Dad and hauled bricks just to pay for your supplies. It wasn't much, but it was literal blood and sweat money! All I ever wanted was for you to have a good life. I wanted you to make it out of that town. Why would you do this to me..."

Juniper's eyes burned bright red, her lips pressed tightly together.