After being adopted, my nominal older brother gave me a teddy bear.


    I made a wish to the teddy bear, and it granted any request.


    At the age of eighteen, I made a wish that my brother would love me as much as I loved him.


    But the teddy bear failed.


    Later, in the headlines of North Downs news.


    He was caught kissing a slightly famous female celebrity inside a car.


    And that female celebrity bore a resemnce to me.


    Afterward, I made another wish to the teddy bear, “I hope I never love my brother again.”


    My brother started going insane.


    “Melody, have you seen the news?”


    I lifted my eyelids, snapping out of confusion.


    My senior handed me the phone; she also knew my brother was the Ashburn in the headline.


    It was a short video, merely five seconds.


    In a dimly lit underground parking lot, Sophia, dressed in a pure white dress, casually sat in the passenger seat.


    Ashburn, in a tailored suit, gently bent down and nted a careful kiss.


    I stared nkly at the rey button, still until my senior nudged me to wake me up.


    Seeing my pale face, my senior thought I was unwell and offered to take me back to the dorm.


    I waved my hand, indicating that I was fine, hastily bidding farewell to my senior and leaving.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    My pace went from faster to gradually stopping, abruptly halting on the long path of the school.


    I lowered my head to pick up my phone but saw my own pale face on the ck screen.


    Iughed self-deprecatingly. In fact, I had expected this day toe.


    It’s just… I didn’t expect it to be Sophia…


    Sophia, who bears a resemnce to me.


    I have a secret, a secret that no one else knows except for Ashburn and me.


    When I turned eighteen, I made my only birthday wish, hoping that Ashburn would like me too.


    Mom picked me up on Christmas Day, so every year on my birthday, I would receive both a birthday gift and a Christmas gift.


    On December 31st, at 11:59 PM, I added my New Year’s wish.


    We leaned against each other, watching the fireworks on the balcony, yet neither of us was watching the fireworks.


    My palms were sweaty with nervousness as I nervously spoke:


    “Ashburn, I like you, not in the brotherly way.”


    I saw the fireworks in his eyes quickly fade away, reced by an icy look I had never seen before.


    “Do you know what you’re saying?”


    I helplessly looked into his eyes, attempting to find a hint of warmth, but it ended in failure.


    I lowered my head, not letting him see the tears welling up.


    “Ashburn, forget it. Pretend I never said anything.”


    From that moment on, we were no longer siblings who often stuck together but two strangers in the same family.