I Got a Second Chance, So I Stopped Saving My Brother Chapter 05

I Got a Second Chance, So I Stopped Saving My Brother Chapter 05

On the day Mason came home from the hospital, my parents laid out a full dinner.

They claimed it was to celebrate his return, but everyone knew there was nothing worth celebrating.

A home health aide wheeled Mason up to the dining table.

He had lost a great deal of weight. His cheeks were hollow, and his gaze had grown somber.

Paige had made a point of wearing a pale blue dress and sat beside him just as she used to.

She placed a piece of fish on his plate after carefully checking it for bones.

“Mason, this used to be your favorite.”

He stared at the fish without touching it.

When the aide picked up a spoon to feed him, Mason’s expression immediately darkened.

He had always hated being treated like a child.

Now even eating on his own had become difficult.

My mother quickly said, “Mason, eat something. Your health comes first.”

Mason opened his mouth and let the aide feed him. He ate slowly, as if every bite forced him to swallow another piece of his pride.

No one at the table dared speak above a murmur.

Paige, however, brought up the graduation showcase in another attempt to lighten the mood.

“Mason, the graduation showcase is the day after tomorrow. Do you want to come? I’ve prepared a new number.”

My father frowned.

My mother shot Paige a warning look.

Paige pretended not to notice and continued quietly, “You used to say you loved watching me perform.”

Mason looked up, and something shifted in his eyes.

Paige hurried to add, “Your classmates will be there too. Everyone really wants to see you.”

I knew why she was so determined to make him attend.

She wanted to prove that nothing had changed.

She was still the sister Mason doted on, and he was still the brother who would sit in the audience and applaud for her.

What she did not understand was that once a person had been broken, there was no returning to who they had been before.

Mason remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he said, “Fine.”

I lowered my head to sip my soup and hide my smile.

In my last life, Paige had fallen apart after the graduation showcase.

She had appeared at school in a wheelchair, and everyone had looked at her with pity.

Some people had felt sorry for her. Others had mocked her.

After she came home, she had never left her room again.

Now it was Mason’s turn.

I wondered how long he would last.