Mom Came Back From the Dead to Warn Me About the Boy I Almost Chose Chapter 07

Mom Came Back From the Dead to Warn Me About the Boy I Almost Chose Chapter 07

Sure enough, Elias lowered his voice and said, “So… this little ‘let’s pretend we’re best friends‘ game is over now, right? When are you going to tell everyone the truth?” 

I blinked at him, confused. “What truth? I really do want you as my brother.” 

Elias dropped his gaze, his voice turning quiet and a little hurt. “You don’t have to lie to me. The person you care about most is still Leo, isn’t it? Becoming siblings with me… was that just to make him jealous? And when he comes back to you, you’ll just throw me away, right?” 

His words made something twist in my chest, a mix of 

anger and ache. 

Mom’s voice chimed in my head with a laugh. “Aw, 

he’s jealous!” 

Hearing that, it was hard to stay mad. I reached out and took Elias’s hand. “What if I told you I’m serious?” 

He tried to pull his hand back, but I held on tightly. 

He looked up at me, his eyes bright. “Claire… you really don’t want to be friends with Leo anymore? You really want me as your brother?” 

I pretended to frown. “What, you don’t want to be my 

brother?” 

Before I could finish, he suddenly pulled me into a light 

hug. 

“I do,” Elias murmured softly. “I want to be your 

brother.” 

The evening breeze lifted our hair as the setting sun stretched our shadows long across the ground. 

And in that moment, I knew. I wasn’t going to be Leo’s 

shadow anymore. Not his tagalong. Not ever again. 

Dad officially scheduled Elias’s adoption for next 

Monday. That meant the day we would truly become 

siblings was just a week away. 

Ever since the announcement in the auditorium, Elias 

and I had grown noticeably closer. 

After school that day, he invited me to check out a new dessert café, and I happily said yes. 

The moment we stepped into the mall, we ran into two 

familiar faces. 

The second Leo saw Elias standing next to me, his brows knit together. “Why are you two together?” 

Elias lifted his chin, completely unfazed. “If you can go shopping for school supplies together, why can’t I grab dessert with my sister?” 

He emphasized the word “sister,” and Leo’s 

expression darkened instantly. 

“We just ran into each other!” Leo said quickly. 

It was the first time I had ever seen him rush to 

distance himself from Lily. She stood beside him with 

her head lowered, twisting the hem of her sleeve, 

looking small and hurt. 

Mom scoffed in my mind. “He doesn’t even have the 

courage to admit he’s hanging out with a friend. What a 

coward.” 

I didn’t feel like dealing with Leo at all. I grabbed 

Elias’s hand and started toward the café. 

But Leo stepped in front of us. “Claire, can I talk to you 

for a minute?” 

Elias glanced at me. I gave a small shake of my head. 

He understood immediately and walked over to a 

nearby bench, giving us space. 

Leo lowered his voice. “The paperwork isn’t finalized 

until next Monday. You still have time to change your 

mind. Just tell your dad you don’t want him as your 

brother anymore. I’ll still be your best friend.” 

I stared at him, baffled. “Why would I change my 

mind? And why would I want to be your best friend?” 

Leo froze, caught off guard. He stammered, “I know 

pretending to lose my memory was wrong, okay? But 

you picking Elias as your brother… that was just to 

make me jealous, right? If you change your mind, I 

promise I’ll walk you home every day after school.” 

A month ago, hearing “I’ll walk you home every day” would have made me so happy I couldn’t sleep. 

But after everything… after he stood by and watched 

while others picked on me, all because of Lily… something in me had changed. 

Kids love simply. And they hate just as simply. 

Even Mom didn’t understand why someone so young 

could say one thing and mean another.