Boyfriend's brother

My boyfriend's younger brother is the devil who kept me locked in a basement in Myanmar for three years. But my boyfriend insists his brother has never even been to Myanmar. This guy, dressed in a sharp suit, politely calls me "Sis," with this stoic, almost emotionless face. He's completely different from the maniac in Myanmar who'd scream, "I'll kill anyone who messes with you!" I must be mistaken.

1

Three years after being kidnapped, I was rescued. My boyfriend, David, carried me all the way home from the police station, holding me so tight, like a gust of wind might snatch me away again. Back home, my best friend, Sarah, helped me bathe. She saw the scars on my stomach and cried as she washed me.

"Did it hurt?" she sobbed.

"No," I lied.

She cried even harder. She didn't know the two scars on my stomach and waist were what saved my life.

When I came out of the bathroom, my parents had made a table full of Southern comfort food. I used to love spicy food, but I couldn't even bring myself to pick up my chopsticks. Years of being locked in a basement with irregular meals had given me a severe stomach ulcer. Even a tiny bit of spice would make me writhe in pain.

"Try this spicy chicken, you used to love Mom's recipe," Sarah piled a bunch onto my plate.

"You eat it," I pushed it back to her.

"She can't," David, who'd been silent, suddenly spoke.

"Just a little," Sarah glared at him and took a bite. The next second, she clapped a hand over her mouth and ran to the bathroom.

I was confused.

"She... she's pregnant, can't eat spicy food," my mom sighed.

I was stunned. "She's married?" I whispered.

No one answered.

My dad said heavily, "David and Sarah are together."

It felt like I'd been hit by lightning. I barely remember what David and Sarah said afterward. I sat there, quiet as a scolded child. All I remember is my dad holding my trembling hand under the table.

2

Sarah wasn't feeling well, so David took her to the hospital. My dad drove them. He had a class that afternoon and the hospital was on the way to the university. The bustling house suddenly felt empty with just Mom and me.

"It's understandable," my mom sighed, wiping the floor. "You were gone for three years. Everyone thought you were dead. We were frantic, searching everywhere. Everyone told us to give up, but those two... they never stopped looking for you."

"They're both good kids. We're happy for them, especially since... none of us ever thought you'd come back."

I lay in bed, listening to my mom's reasoning, a heavy stone pressing on my chest, suffocating me. I didn't cry. All I could think was, how did they end up together?

I'd liked David since high school. I only told Sarah my secret. She was my next-door neighbor, an orphan raised by her grandmother. We were practically inseparable, and she was always scheming to get David and me together. She climbed the tallest peach tree and showered me with blossoms, hoping I'd run into him underneath. She let the air out of ...