The moment the plane's engines sputtered and failed, the flight attendants handed out paper and pens for us to write our last words. Right in front of me, my wife, Luna, wrote down another man’s name. “Rich,” her pen whispered across the page, “it took me half a lifetime to realize… you were always my one true moon.” “If this plane goes down, and they’re lucky enough to find the wreckage, let my ashes be returned to Rich’s side.” Rich. My adoptive brother. The one who shattered my mother's ashes. As fate would have it, the crisis was a false alarm. The plane landed with no casualties. Back home, Luna invited me to a dinner party to celebrate our survival. I handed her a set of divorce papers instead. “Sign them,” I said. “It’s time you went to find your real moon.” … Luna just stared at me, her expression blank for a second. “Alex, I’m busy right now. I don’t have time for your jokes.” “Tonight’s party is important. It’s not just for us—it’s a chance to see friends and family we haven’t connected with in ages.” Friends and family, or just Rich? She’d spent two hours in front of the mirror this morning, cycling through outfits. I hadn’t missed the engagement ring she’d prepared, tucked away in its box. The one engraved with the initials “R.V.” for Rich Vance. This party wasn’t a celebration of life. It was just an excuse to see him again. “Could you move? That table isn’t set yet,” Luna said, her voice soft but strained. I didn’t budge. My hand, holding the documents, was unyielding. “Just sign it.” Her brow furrowed. “Alex, do you really have to be like this?” “Yes.” She sighed, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Look, I know you’re still angry about what I wrote on the plane.” “But we thought we were going to die, Alex.” “I was just writing whatever came to mind. I didn’t think you’d take it so seriously…” I shrugged her hand off. “Let’s get a divorce.” Before we were together, Luna had pursued me relentlessly. She used to say my quiet, reserved nature was what drew her in, that she’d never met a man like me—cool and distant, like the moon in the sky. But after I accepted her proposal, I suddenly became boring. Stale. Five years of marriage, and my quiet nature had turned into a flaw. Countless times, I’d overheard her telling others: “I just feel like my life wasn’t supposed to be… this.” “Alex is so rigid and dull. It’s like we’re from different worlds.” “Rich is different. He’s vibrant, passionate, and so kind.” “He’s like… a ray of moonlight that brightens everything.” In those moments, my nails would dig into my palms, a dull, crushing ache spreading through my chest. She knew. She knew exactly who Rich was to me. If he hadn't hidden that venomous snake in my mother's trunk, she never would have crashed on the freeway. If he hadn't intentionally caused a scene at her funeral, her urn wouldn’t have been shattered, her ashes scattered and lost. Rich and I were sworn enemies, bound by a debt of blood. And Luna had chosen his side. Guests were beginning to arrive. Not wanting to prolong the scene, she snatched the pen from my hand in a fit of pique. “Fine! You want a divorce? I’ll sign it!” Without even a glance at the contents, she flipped to the last page and scrawled her name. Then she threw the papers in my face. “There. Are you happy now?” Expressionless, I picked them up from the floor, checked the signature, and tucked the folder safely into my bag. This party might have been to celebrate our survival, but as far as I was concerned, it had nothing to do with me. I grabbed my coat to leave, but a low voice stopped me from behind. “Big brother, leaving so soon? You only just got here. Did I do something to offend you?” “Look, I even brought you a gift.” Rich stood there, a smirk playing on his lips, dressed in a sharp red suit and holding a gift-wrapped box. The sight of his perfectly innocent face made my entire body go rigid. My hands clenched into fists. An image flashed in my mind: my mother’s funeral. Rich, pretending to trip, sending her urn crashing to the floor. Then, “accidentally” knocking over a vase, soaking her ashes, rendering them unsalvageable. And through it all, his face, streaked with crocodile tears, insisting it was all an accident. The memory made me sick. I turned to walk away. A hand grabbed my arm, hard. “Alex, don’t be childish,” Luna hissed. “We’re the hosts tonight. At least have the decency to stay.” “What will it look like if you just walk out?” I shook her off, my patience snapping. The sound of my palm connecting with her cheek echoed in the sudden silence. “Luna, I’m not in the mood for your little play. And in case you forgot, today is the anniversary of my mother’s death.” I shot a venomous glare at Rich. “I find it disgusting to breathe the same air as a murderer.” “Don’t you dare use that word to describe him!” Luna shrieked, her eyes turning red as she rushed after me. “I told you, it was an accident!” I didn’t bother to respond. I made it to the parking lot, ready to drive off, but my pockets were empty. No keys. “Looking for these?” Luna stood behind me, dangling my car keys from her fingers, her smile devoid of any warmth. “Give them back.” In the next second, she tossed them, and they clattered into a storm drain. “You want to leave? Fine. After the party’s over.” “You know what they’ll say about Rich if you’re not here. The gossip will hurt him.” I stared at her, a bitter, self-mocking laugh catching in my throat. “He deserves it.” She knew full well the cloud of suspicion that had hung over Rich since my mother’s death. She just wanted me there as a prop, to create the illusion that we were all one big, happy family. But I refused to play along. I wouldn’t accommodate a killer. No keys, no car. Fine. I turned and started walking toward the main gate. This was a private estate in the hills. Just driving down the mountain took half an hour. Laughter echoed behind me. “Brother, are you really going to walk? You won’t get down until the sun comes up!” Rich called out. “Luna, darling, don’t worry about me. You should go drive him down. We wouldn’t want anything to happen to him…” In the reflection of a parked car, I saw the adoring, gentle look Luna gave him. “Forget him,” she said. “Let’s go back to the party.” I don’t know how long I walked along that winding mountain road. Blisters formed and burst on my feet. I finally took my shoes off, carrying them in my hand as I limped forward. At least it wasn’t too late. I could still make it to the cemetery for my mom. Just as my energy was completely gone, a car horn blared behind me. “Get in.” The window rolled down, revealing the sharp, elegant face of Victoria Frost. “Victoria?” I stopped, stunned. “When did you get back from overseas?” “Landed yesterday.” Yesterday. The same day my flight nearly went down. Before I could process it, Victoria was out of the car, scooping me up in her arms as if I weighed nothing. “What in the world happened to you?” she murmured, her voice a mix of warmth and concern. Inside the dimly lit car, her face was close, her voice a soothing balm. For some reason, I felt a blush creep up my neck. “Nothing. Just got divorced.” Victoria’s gaze was intense. “Divorced?” “Yeah,” I mumbled. “Decided it was time to let myself go.” We drove in silence for a while, her thoughts seemingly a million miles away. It wasn’t until we reached the bottom of the mountain that she spoke again. “Straight to the cemetery? I already have the cake.” A lump formed in my throat. Someone else remembered. I nodded. “Thank you, Victoria.” When we arrived, I carefully placed the cake on the cold stone and lit the candles. My mom had always loved sweets. I’d never missed her birthday, but this year, I’d almost been too late. As I stood up, a sharp pain shot through my stomach, making me freeze. Cold sweat beaded on my forehead. Noticing my distress, Victoria draped her jacket over my shoulders. “Stay here. I’ll go get you some medicine.” I just nodded, my head bowed. As she drove off, I watched her car disappear, a strange warmth spreading through my chest, like something had gently nudged my frozen heart. The candlelight flickered, dancing like fireflies before my mother’s grave. I was talking to her, telling her about my day, when a line of cars pulled up nearby. “Brother! I knew I’d find you here. Lucky guess.” Rich’s cloying voice drifted through the night air. I looked up, my body tensing in alarm, only to meet Luna’s disapproving glare. “This is all your fault,” she snapped. “You ruined a perfectly good party with your tantrum. It was Rich’s thoughtful idea for all of us to come and keep you company.” I ignored her, my voice dangerously low. “All of you, get out.” But they paid no attention, instead wandering around the grave, pointing and commenting. “Wow, Alex is cheaper than I thought. This plot is tiny. The feng shui must be terrible.” “They say he’s such a devoted son, but if he really cared, wouldn’t he have found the killer by now?” Rich listened to it all, a smug smile on his face. My fists clenched. I had been so close to putting him in prison, but at the last minute, Luna had secretly submitted a letter of forgiveness on my behalf, derailing the entire case. “Alex, your mother’s crash was just an accident,” she had insisted. But looking at the triumphant smirk on Rich’s face now, I knew that was a lie. I took a deep breath, about to order them out again. But before I could, Rich leaned forward and, with a playful puff, blew out all the candles on the cake. He blinked his big, innocent eyes. “That looked fun, so I did it for you, brother. You don’t mind, do you?” Without a second thought, I grabbed the cake—wax from the freshly extinguished candles and all—and shoved it squarely into his face. “How about this? Is this fun?” Rich froze for a second, then let out a theatrical wail. “Luna! I was just trying to be nice! Why is he always so mean to me?” he cried, burying his face in her shoulder. Luna frantically wiped the frosting from his face, her voice a furious roar aimed at me. “Alex, what is wrong with you? You’re a monster!” “The candles were still on the cake! You could have hurt him!” I laughed, a cold, empty sound. “He deserved it.” He came here, to my mother’s grave, to taunt me. “Rich is your brother, for God’s sake! All he did was blow out a candle. You can’t be this petty!” “Get out,” I repeated, my voice like ice. “Luna…” Rich whined, clinging to her arm, their bodies pressing together in a way that was far too intimate. Luna, for her part, seemed to be enjoying it. “See? He just doesn’t appreciate me. I only wanted to help celebrate his mom’s life… Did I do something wrong again? It’s all my fault…” My voice was terrifyingly calm. “My mother never gave me a brother.” Rich was a stray my family took in, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. At my words, his eyes filled with fresh tears. “I know you’ve never accepted me as family, brother, but you don’t have to be so cold every time you see me…” I stared him down. My gaze must have been colder than the grave itself, because he trailed off, shrinking back behind Luna like a frightened child. “Luna, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault…” “GET OUT!” I roared, my patience gone. I closed my eyes, trying to regain control. “Never in history has a murderer dared to be so arrogant in front of his victim. Rich, are you testing my limits, or are you just begging to die?” “Alex!” Luna cut me off, her patience finally snapping. “Watch your words! I’ve told you, the crash was an ACCIDENT.” “Rich is so gentle and kind he wouldn’t even step on an ant. How could he possibly harm your mother?” I sneered. “An accident?” “Then how do you explain the highly venomous snake that just happened to crawl into her trunk?” I had the surveillance footage. The dashcam video. It clearly showed Rich buying the snake and hiding it in her car in the middle of the night. But when I presented the evidence in court, it had mysteriously vanished. Wiped clean, with no backups. “Alex, your mother is dead! What’s the point of all this drama?” Rich sobbed, wiping at his eyes. “You’re such an unlovable man. What is your problem?” He then pulled a portable speaker from one of the cars and blasted cheerful, upbeat music. “I know you’re still mad about the funeral,” he said, his voice laced with false sincerity. “So I’m here to apologize.” On the anniversary of my mother’s death, he was playing “Celebration.” A white-hot rage burned through me, and the pain in my stomach intensified. “Do you want to die?” I gritted out. “What will it take for you to forgive me, brother? Should I get on my knees and beg…?” He made a show of starting to kneel, but Luna caught him before his knees could touch the ground. “You did nothing wrong. You don’t have to apologize to him.” Then, in a move that stunned me, Luna knelt before Rich on one knee and pulled out a ring box. “Rich, even the master jewelers said the gem was one of a kind. I had it recut and set for twenty million dollars. A unique gift, for a unique man.” A searing pain shot through my eyes. Even though the setting was different, I recognized it instantly. The ring was forged from my mother’s heirlooms. “Oh, Luna, thank you! You’re too good to me!” Rich exclaimed, slipping the ring on and rushing over to flaunt it in my face. “Look, brother! Isn’t it beautiful?” He leaned in close, his voice dropping to a vicious whisper. “You know what your mother said, right before she died? She said she was sorry. To you. Hahahaha, can you believe it? Dying, and still thinking of you. So touching…” That was it. I lunged, grabbing a fistful of his hair and slamming him against the cemetery wall. “Alex!” someone screamed. “Let him go!” Luna shrieked, her eyes wild with panic, her voice raw. “What do you want? Just tell me! Alex, I’ll give you anything!” I pulled a knife from my pocket. And pressed it to Rich’s throat. “Anything?” A bloody, feral grin spread across my face. I probably looked completely unhinged. The crowd of onlookers, who had been enjoying the show, scrambled backward, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. I turned my attention back to the terrified man in my grasp. “Just because I didn’t send you to prison doesn’t mean you’re not a murderer.” “As long as I’m alive, you will never know peace.” If he’d just stayed away, he might have been safe. But he had to parade himself in front of me. If he died on my blade tonight, he’d have brought it on himself. “You… you wouldn’t dare, brother,” Rich stammered, though his eyes held a flicker of defiance. “You’re just trying to scare me…” I pushed. The blade sank into his shoulder. He let out a bloodcurdling scream. “Luna, help me! He’s a psycho! Alex is a goddamn psycho!” “Get him!” Luna commanded. She had come prepared. She shot me a look of pure loathing and kicked me hard in the chest. “Did you really think I’d let you hurt Rich again, you lunatic?” The kick was thrown with her full force. I stumbled back, landing hard on the ground, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth. Rich was clutching his bleeding shoulder, but Luna was already at his side, gently supporting him. “Quick! Get the first aid kit from my trunk!” she ordered her bodyguards, her eyes filled with nothing but adoration for him. She had long since stopped hiding her true feelings. She began cleaning his wound while another guard called for an ambulance. “It’s okay, Luna, I’m fine…” Rich gasped, waving the guard away. “It’s just a scratch. The knife… it cut him too when he stabbed me.” He leaned against her, then glanced at me, a sly look in his eyes. “You know, Luna, I think brother’s gone crazy from being so lonely.” “I mean, we’re both men, I get it. You haven’t been… intimate with him in years. He’s probably desperate for a woman’s touch…” At his words, Luna stroked his cheek tenderly. “You’re always so thoughtful.” “As for Alex,” she said, her voice dripping with disgust, “I wouldn’t touch a vile, pathetic man like him with a ten-foot pole.” She pulled out a checkbook and waved a check at a group of female bodyguards. “You girls are up.” “Keep Mr. Collins here… entertained,” she instructed them. “You’ll all be well compensated.” The women’s eyes widened at the amount on the check. Greed won over professionalism. They began shrugging off their jackets, advancing on me. “Sorry about this, Mr. Collins. We’ll be sure to take good care of you…” Luna stepped back, wrapping an arm around Rich, and let out a low whistle. “Now the real show begins. Everyone get your phones out. You won’t want to miss this.” They moved to tear at my clothes, but one of the women paused, looking at the jacket Victoria had left on the ground. “Ms. Vance, this jacket… it looks like a woman’s.” “Who cares where he picked it up? Get on with it!” Luna snapped. But before another hand could touch me, the roar of a high-performance engine cut through the air. A sleek, black luxury car screeched to a halt beside us. The door opened, and a woman stepped out. The aura of power that radiated from her silenced the entire cemetery. Her voice, when she spoke, was low, calm, and terrifying.
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