My sister Eliza’s most treasured cat passed away. I went to great lengths to find a little ginger kitten that looked almost identical, hoping to give her a wonderful surprise. But just as I was about to present this heartfelt gift, I stumbled upon my stepbrother, Leo, scissors in hand, snipping the kitten's ears until they were a bloody mess. He even used a lighter to scorch its tail. I lunged forward, my heart pounding in panic, but he suddenly threw himself into the icy swimming pool. Eliza, who witnessed the scene, didn't hesitate. She locked me inside the sterilization cabinet, ignoring my agonized screams as the temperature soared. She even ordered the bodyguards to secure the door with a heavy chain, as thick as a man's wrist. Seven days later, my flesh and blood had fused with the cabinet's inner walls, impossible to separate. And Eliza, at first, actually thought that horrifying, putrid mess was just another one of my elaborate pranks… 1 After Eliza locked me in the sterilization cabinet, she took Leo on an outing. When she returned a week later, a bodyguard spoke with a flustered expression, "Miss Sterling, Mr. Thompson… I think he’s still locked in there." Eliza’s fingers, flicking through her phone, froze. A flicker of unease crossed her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by cold indifference. "He's a boy. A little hardship will do him good." The bodyguard’s face stiffened. He hesitated, then tried again, "There hasn't been any sound from inside for a while. Don't you want to open it and check?" Eliza shot him a cold glare. "I said no! He’s just trying to get attention. If I go look, he’ll just start playing the victim again." The bodyguard swallowed the words he was about to say. Just then, Leo ran in from outside, affectionately linking his arm with Eliza’s. "Eliza, you're the best." Eliza smiled, ruffling his curly hair. "You silly boy. You're my favorite little brother." Leo blinked his innocent, wide eyes. "I'll grow up fast, and then I'll protect you, Eliza." "Good boy. You’re worth spoiling." Leo suddenly sighed. "It’s all my fault. Ethan must think I’ve stolen your affection, that’s why he hates me so much…" Eliza patted his shoulder. "He’s just petty. It has nothing to do with you." "Eliza, it’s been a week. Maybe we should let Ethan out. He must have learned his lesson by now." If this were before, hearing those insincere words, I would have rushed to expose his true colors, only to be met with Eliza's reprimand. But now, my heart was like dead ashes—because at this moment, I had already become a lost soul, drifting aimlessly in the room. In the final moments of being scorched by the high heat, my soul finally broke free from that mangled, bloody body. I watched as my skin inside the sterilization cabinet blistered and rotted in large patches, the flesh gradually charring and curling, while outside the cabinet door, layers of chains were tightly wound, the heavy lock glinting coldly. At first, I frantically slammed against the cabinet door. When I realized it was futile, I could only curl up in a corner, trying to escape the intense heat. But the UV rays inside the sterilization cabinet were inescapable, and my skin soon began to ulcerate and peel. The excruciating pain nearly drove me to collapse. I screamed and begged for mercy, my voice hoarse, "Eliza! I really didn’t do anything!" But Eliza's icy voice came from outside, "Can't take it anymore? Leo jumped into the pool because you bullied him! He had a high fever and almost died! Today, I have to teach you a lesson!" I could only keep apologizing, even for those baseless accusations, just begging her to open the door. Until my flesh melted in the high heat, sliding down the inner walls of the cabinet, my arm exposing stark white bone. Before my consciousness faded, I heard her viciously command the bodyguard, "Tighten the chains! No one opens it without my order!" 2 "Go let Ethan Lin out," Eliza instructed casually. "Tell him to come apologize to Leo and stop messing around." The bodyguard looked like he wanted to say something but ultimately turned and left. Leo swung Eliza's arm, saying "thoughtfully," "Eliza, once Ethan apologizes, let's just put this behind us. If he really leaves, you'll only have me left as family…" A flicker of contempt crossed Eliza’s eyes, but she still gently stroked his head. "It'd be better if he left. Someone with such a foul mouth and no manners doesn't deserve to be my brother. If he hadn’t bullied you, you wouldn't have gotten so sick." Rage flared in her eyes, but it instantly softened when she looked at Leo. I thought death would mean no more pain, but seeing this, tears still streamed uncontrollably down my face. A week ago, on Eliza's birthday, I came home full of joy with the little ginger kitten, only to see Leo sadistically burning the kitten's tail with a lighter… He taunted me, "Don't think buying a cat that looks like her old one will steal Eliza away from me!" Furious, I stood in front of the kitten and yelled at Leo. Eliza happened to overhear. He immediately turned and jumped into the fountain behind him. It was the dead of winter, and he had deliberately worn water-absorbent cotton clothes, sinking deep to the bottom of the pool. When he was pulled out, his face was pale, and he was barely breathing. He whispered, his voice a thread: "Eliza, since Ethan can’t accept my presence, if he wants me to die, then I’ll go." "It's just a shame I won't get to protect you in this life. Eliza, you have to take care of yourself. I want to be your brother in the next life too." That day. Eliza put all her work on hold. She carried Leo all the way to the hospital, not even bothering with an umbrella. The rain soaked her clothes, and she shivered from the cold. In the end, Leo was diagnosed with an acute cold. I stood at the door of the hospital room. Watching her hold Leo’s hand, begging him over and over: "Leo, please, get better quickly." "Please don't leave your sister all alone…" I found it ridiculous. My own sister, related by blood. A powerhouse in the business world. Yet, because of a simple cold, she was holding a stranger's hand, enacting a life-and-death drama. But when Eliza grabbed my neck. And shoved me into the sterilization cabinet. I finally understood that in her heart, Leo was her only brother, and I— I was nothing. "How could I have such a foul-mouthed, ill-mannered brother like you!" "Leo almost developed pneumonia! Even if he recovers, he'll be weak for a long time." "Ethan Lin, let me tell you, don't think just because we share the same blood, you can do whatever you want!" "You'll stay in there for every day Leo isn't well, until you admit you're wrong!" To teach me a profound lesson, she ordered the bodyguards to use a heavy lock. And now. Leo was in a better mood, so she magnanimously decided to let me out. She didn't know. I couldn't come out anymore. "Miss Sterling! Miss Sterling, it’s terrible!" "Mr. Ethan… he’s… he’s fused with the sterilization cabinet! We can't open it!" Eliza froze. I drifted closer to her, wanting to see her reaction to the news. But I was disappointed again. She just chuckled coldly: "The sterilization cabinet uses UV light, there’s no fire. How could he fuse with it?" "If it won't open, he must be holding the door from the inside, just being stubborn." "Give the order: throw the cabinet in the junkyard. If he likes being in there so much, he can stay there forever!" The bodyguard stood there, uneasy, not responding for a long time. The silence stretched. Eliza snorted, her tone patronizing: "Go tell him, if he keeps this up, it won't be just simple sterilization next time. If he doesn't want a severe punishment, he should know when to quit." The bodyguard didn’t move. Eliza completely lost her patience. "What are you standing there for? Go!" Turning to Leo, her voice softened. "Leo, when Ethan comes over later, don't believe anything he says." "I plan to make him kneel for three hours. Let's see if he's truly learned his lesson this time." "This is a test for him. You can't be soft-hearted and tell him." Leo gently massaged Eliza’s shoulders, looking obedient and sensible. "I'll listen to whatever you say, Eliza…" I suddenly felt exhausted, not wanting to stay any longer. But my soul seemed to be shackled by blood ties, unable to leave Eliza's side. I could only watch, as if torturing myself, as she cherished Leo and trampled me into the mud. 3 Eliza is eight years older than me. When I was born, she was already the leader of the neighborhood kids, doting on me and protecting me alongside our parents. She even gave me my name, Ethan. Because her name, Eliza, held a certain grace, she hoped we siblings could always be close, like "E and E," always together. Our parents died suddenly in a car accident, and shareholders coveted the family assets they left behind. Eliza, facing a crisis, took over Lin Industries. She forgot, she was only twenty at the time. I often thought she was cold and heartless, and I said many harsh things. Until one argument, I accidentally missed a step and tumbled down the stairs, falling into a coma. When I woke up, I saw her red, swollen eyes. She held my hand tightly, her voice trembling as she asked: "Ethan, Mom and Dad are gone. Are you going to leave your sister too?" Suddenly, I understood. Eliza wasn't incapable of sadness; the burden on her shoulders was too heavy, not allowing her to be vulnerable. From then on, I learned to grow up. I stopped being a picky eater, exercised regularly, and studied finance diligently, all to one day help share her burden. Later, she was too busy with work and worried I'd be lonely, so she brought a boy back from a children's home to keep me company. At first, I treated Leo like a real brother. He said he’d never had peanut butter fudge, so I braved a downpour to buy some for him, even scraping my leg badly in the process. But after eating it, he had an allergic reaction and had to be rushed to the hospital for an IV drip, completely exhausted. Because of that, Eliza yelled at me for the first time. After that. Similar incidents happened frequently. The way she looked at me grew colder and colder. All the warmth and care she once had for me were now directed at someone else. Strange. My heart wasn't even beating anymore, so why did I still feel such pain? It was as if I had died all over again in my memories. Time ticked by, and Eliza's expression grew so dark it looked like it could drip water. "It's been five minutes, and he still won't come out!" "Ethan Lin, it looks like you're determined to defy me to the end." The speed at which she fiddled with her bracelet increased, her brow furrowed, a strong sense of unease already spreading within her. "Leo, Ethan is being too ungrateful." "The bodyguards don't dare lay a hand on him. I'll go myself! You sit here quietly and wait for me to bring him to kneel and apologize to you." Eliza stood up and left, her strides large. She looked somewhat flustered. As soon as she reached the kitchen, she saw the trembling bodyguard and said, displeased, "What are you shaking for?" "Miss Sterling, I… I…" The bodyguard couldn't utter a complete sentence, his clothes soaked with cold sweat. I stood to the side, unsure how to feel about this scene. Perhaps the pain was too great, I couldn't remember what my own corpse looked like, but it certainly wasn't pretty. Eliza impatiently pushed the bodyguard aside and approached the sterilization cabinet. The chain, thick as a bowl, lay discarded to the side, the cabinet's power cord unplugged. A corner of the cabinet door was pried open. Some red liquid trickled from the edge. Eliza frowned in disgust, her voice cold: "Ethan Lin, the door's open. Why aren't you out yet? Do you like it in there that much?" I gave a bitter smile. The burning pain inside, the flesh splitting open, how could anyone like it? But I had tried so hard to get out, to escape that agonizing prison. It was my own sister who locked the door. Now. My body had melted, stuck to the cabinet, unable to ever come out. "Are you done with your tantrum! Do you really think I'll indulge you like before?" She pulled at the cabinet door, meeting some resistance. Then she kicked it angrily. "If you're not dead, then get out!" Perhaps out of extreme anger, she kicked the cabinet so hard it toppled over. With a loud bang, the reactive force flung the door open. Exposing everything inside.
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