"Brother! Save me! Brother!"


    A little girl''s heart-wrenching cries echoed endlessly in his mind.


    Gordon jolted awake from the nightmare, surrounded by darkness. As he faced the pitch-ck room, it felt like all his strength had been drained. He slumped back against the headboard,pletely disheveled.


    A mix of clear and hazy memories kept shing through his mind.


    "Brother! Hold my hand!"


    "Brother! Hug me!"


    Brother...


    Brother...N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    A babyish voice, both distant and close, seemed to appear right in front of him again.


    "Brother!"


    Gordon opened his eyes, as if he had traveled back in time. The summer courtyard was filled with the scent of fresh grass, and the koi fish in the pond yed and chased each other. Sunlight spread over the entire courtyard, warming everything it touched. He was just an eleven-year-old boy.


    In front of him, a little girl with


    face like a porcin doll called out to him, clutching his sleeve. Her face was soft and rosy. Gordon squatted down, as if guided by fate, and asked with a gentle smile, "What''s wrong now?"


    "Swing, swing!"


    The little doll pointed at the swing set not far away.


    "That''s not a ''swing, swing.'' It''s just a swing."


    "I want to swing!"


    Determination filled the little girl''s eyes.


    "Alright, let''s swing."


    Gordon''s tone was tender, his gaze as soft as melting spring water.


    As he stood up, the little girl pouted and said, "Brother, you forgot again! We have to hold hands!"


    Saying so, she raised her hand high and grabbed Gordon''s hand. Gordon, holding her hand, walked towards the swing set. "Sir!"


    A voice, seeming toe from the heavens, pulled Gordon back from his thoughts. The room was still pitch-ck.


    Rick turned on the light and said, "Sir, you had that nightmare again."


    "Just a little bit closer."


    Gordon whispered, "Still, just a little bit closer."


    "Sir, it''s best not to dwell on it."


    Rick''s tone was heavy. "The incident back then wasn''t your fault."


    He ced a bottle of medicine in front of Gordon. "You should take your medicine."


    Gordon looked at the medicine but made no move to take it. "Every night, in the quiet, I think, if I had watched her more closely that day, she wouldn''t have been kidnapped."


    "When I close my eyes, I can hear them holding her roughly, her cries reaching out to me, ''Brother, save me... Brother, save me..."


    "I watched helplessly as they tied her up in the car, watched as it drove away, and I couldn''t do a thing."


    "Rick, I was there when she was born. The first word she ever said was ''brother.""


    "I''ve watched over her for so many years, but I failed to protect her."


    Rick had already sensed Gordon''s emotional copse. He knew Gordon was having another episode, so he immediately turned on all the lights and opened the windows, letting the cold wind in. The chill made gne shiver but could instantly bring someone back to calmness.


    Rick approached Gordon and said, "Sir, that was sixteen years ago. Ms. Sophie has grown up. She''s just as beautiful, graceful, and intelligent as you imagined. She''s married now and very happy. She''ll be happy for the rest of her life."