He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 248

Brooks's life was a profound, suffocating tragedy—one so pathetic it invoked the wrath of the heavens.

"Juniper, do you still hate me? You should. I'm your brother, but I'm nothing but a coward. I'm better off dead. I've never contributed anything to this family. I never believed in you. You have every right to resent me."

Brooks had cried so much recently. He wiped his swollen eyes. "The house in the city is in Nadine's name. When she was giving birth, she forced Mom to sign the rural house over to her, too. Now her lawyer says she's taking both properties."

Juniper took a deep breath, trying to talk him down. "That property is a marital asset. She can't legally walk away with the whole thing; at most, she gets half. Since the child isn't yours, the law will favor you. But the houses aren't the real issue here. The real issue is Nadine's family. Her parents are utterly shameless and completely unhinged. Getting tangled up with them is like being haunted by a death curse; you'll never know a day of peace. Give her the rural house, keep the one in the city, and cut your losses. Try to finalize the divorce as quickly as possible."

If he didn't, he would be locked in an endless, exhausting battle with a family of lunatics. The mental toll would likely drive Brooks to suicide, which was exactly what Nadine was hoping for.

At that very moment, Brooks was pressing a razor blade against his wrist, desperate to just end it all.

Then Juniper's voice came through. "Brooks, I warned you back then that putting the house solely in her name was a mistake. You were blinded. You refused to see Nadine for who she really was and let her drag you by the nose. You believed every lie she spun. Ending up in this situation is entirely your own fault. But you absolutely cannot die. If you die, everything the Lane family owns goes straight to her. They are praying for you to drop dead right now. So no matter how hard it gets, you have to stay alive. Otherwise, you'll be handing over both houses on a silver platter, letting her take our family's assets to fund her new life with her lover and their bastard child."

The razor blade hovered over his skin, his breathing turning ragged and heavy.

Juniper lowered her gaze. "You've been a coward your entire life. If you die now, you'll die a coward."

Brooks aggressively threw the razor blade away and burst into tears again. "I won't die. I'm not going to die. I'll stay alive no matter what it takes."

A pang of sorrow tightened Juniper's chest, but she hardened her resolve and hung up the phone.

Brooks's life had devolved into absolute chaos, followed by what would surely be an endless, agonizing divorce battle.

Staring up at the ceiling, Juniper felt like she was going crazy from all the relentless drama.

She got up to wash her face, only to receive a message from Caleb Xavier, inviting her to attend a charity gala that evening.

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