Framed By Family
After the crowd dispersed, she turned to me, a flicker of exasperation in her gaze. "Is this what youve become since you got out?"
I didn't answer. I just looked at her, at the designer clothes clinging to her slender frame, and spoke in a flat tone, "Freshly roasted sweet potatoes. Want to buy one?"
She stared at the scattered potatoes, then met my eyes, her own filled with an unreadable mix of emotions. "Why didn't you come to me? I had a plan for you, a way out!" Her voice trembled slightly. "Don't you know I've been looking for you?"
Finally, I met her gaze, but my eyes held only a cold indifference. "Why? So you could find me and then finish the job?" Eleanor Shaw. To me, you were nothing but trash now.
1
My words seemed to stun her. Eleanor recovered, her expression uneasy. She was about to speak again when she realized I was already pushing my cart away. She hurried to catch up, finding me crouched down, talking to a little girl.
"Mister, I don't have any money. Can I have a sweet potato for free?"
I smiled, pulling the largest one from the oven and handing it to her.
"Wow! Mister, your wristband is really pretty!"
I instinctively glanced at the red string on my wrist. Without hesitation, I began to remove it, intending to give it to the little girl. But before I could extend my hand, a pale, slender hand clamped down on my wrist. On her wrist, too, was a red string. It looked identical to mine.
Before I could even lift my head, Eleanor's voice, trembling with emotion, came from above me. "Blake Reed, do you know what you're doing? How can you just give this red string away? Don't you know what it means?"
The red string. It was a token of our love, from when we were together. I had meant to take it off, but I suppose when you stop loving someone, you simply forget. I casually shook off her hand and finished giving the bracelet to the little girl. The girl skipped away, but Eleanor remained rooted by my stand, her eyes fixed on me with an unsettling persistence.
I didn't know what she was doing. I didnt care to know.
"Want a sweet potato?" I asked, my voice devoid of emotion.
As I spoke, snowflakes began to flutter down, landing on my shoulders, my hands, andI imaginedmy heart. Eleanor instinctively reached out, as if to cover my eyes, a rare hint of panic in her voice. "Don't look! You're afraid of snow."
I calmly stepped back, my expression as if she were a stranger. "I'm working. Don't cause trouble, or I'll call the police."
Something in my words seemed to pierce her. Eleanors face went chalk-white, her eyes clouding with pain. As I turned my cart to leave, her choked voice reached me from behind. "Blake, are you are you still angry with me?"
I opened my mouth to respond, but then a little girl suddenly ran up from nearby. Behind her was Jasper Stone. Jasper, my arch-nemesis, my half-brother. The little girl reached Eleanor, excitedly pointing at my stand.
"Mommy, I want a roasted sweet potato!"
"Sweetheart, Mommy will buy you one, okay?"
I froze. In that moment of stunned silence, Jasper walked up to me. When he saw me, a flicker of shock crossed his face. But the next second, he simply smiled and extended his hand. "Brother, long time no see."
The Jasper of my memories was arrogant and unbridled, his every word laced with sarcasm. Looking at the man before me, now a little more composed, I gave a wry twist of my lips. Time, it seemed, really did change a lot. Jasper stepped forward, took the little girl's hand, and smiled again. "Sweetheart, this is Daddy's brother. Say hello to Uncle."
The little girl wrinkled her nose in distaste, backing away. "Daddy, he's so dirty." She looked up at Jasper. "Daddy, how can you have a brother like this?"
Jasper's lips curled into a faint smile. "He used to be the most brilliant neurosurgeon in A-City."
Eleanor, who had been silent for a while, stepped forward. She pulled a bank card from her pocket and offered it to me. "There's ten million dollars on this card. Consider it compensation for what happened all those years ago." Her eyes searched mine. "Come back with us. The three of us can be like we used to be." Her face held a subtle, hopeful expectation.
Under her hopeful gaze, I reached out and took the card. "Blake, it's so good that you've finally come to your senses"
But before she could finish, my next action stunned her. I walked to a nearby underpass and casually handed the bank card to a shivering beggar boy. Then, I turned back to the three of them, my voice laced with impatience. "Anything else?" I asked. "If not, you can leave."
As I spoke, the portable oven in front of us suddenly tilted and began to fall in our direction. Before I could react, Eleanor sharply pushed me. In an instant, our positions swapped. I was now standing in front of the little girl. A searing pain shot through me, and my internal organs throbbed.
It was just like before. Seven years ago, Eleanor had pushed me away to protect Jasper. Seven years later, Eleanor pushed me away again, this time to protect her child with Jasper. But this time, my heart was utterly calm. Eleanor no longer had the power to stir any emotion in me.
Seeing me lying helplessly on the ground, Eleanor was the first to react. She hurried to my side, carefully checking on me, her eyes already crimson at the edges. I actually saw genuine distress in her expression. She instinctively began to explain. "Blake, I didn't mean it. I really didn't. Sweetheart is just a child. I just instinctively wanted to protect her. Please... please don't be angry, okay?"
I ignored her. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I pulled out my phone and, right in front of them, called the police. She must not have expected me to do that; Eleanor froze. Jasper was the first to recover. He knelt beside me. "Brother, we're family. How can you call the police?" He stood up. "Alright, we have things to do. We won't bother your work." He gave me a triumphant look, then turned and took the hands of the little girl and Eleanor, ready to leave.
After a few steps, Eleanor stopped, looking back at me, her eyes unreadable. "Blake, that's enough. I told you I'd compensate you for what happened back then. How long are you going to keep this up?" She gave a sigh. "Think it over and contact me."
I lay on the ground, watching the three of them walk away, silent. Thankfully, the oven had fallen slightly to the side, only hitting my thigh. I struggled to my feet and continued pushing my cart.
As I passed a high-end restaurant, I paused. A memory flashed in my mind: the time they celebrated something for me right here. I subconsciously glanced inside, but the next second, I froze. What was it about today? Not only had I run into Eleanor, but with a casual glance, I met my mother's eyes.
Inside the restaurant sat my father, my mother, Jaspers mother, and Eleanor and Jasper. The five of them seemed to be celebrating the little girl's birthday. Seeing me, my mother first froze. But the next second, her eyes filled with the same disgust they had held for me back then. She waved a waiter over, pointing in my direction. Before I could fully process it, several security guards rushed out, surrounding me.
"Someone asked me to tell you not to disturb her precious granddaughter's birthday party!" With those words, the guards kicked and shoved me away.
As I left, I couldn't help but look back one last time at my mother. She was smiling, happily serving Jasper. I don't remember how I got home. The moment I lay on my bed, fragments of the past flashed through my mind. The dream. I started having it again, a dream I had been having for seven long years.
Before my father remarried, Eleanor, my mother, and I were always on the same side. Because more than anyone, I knew how much my mother hated my father, how much pain she endured. Until my father remarried, until Jasper appeared, everything changed.
The first time Jasper came to our house, my mother unleashed all her anger on him. That day, when Jasper left, he was covered in bruises. Perhaps it was my profession, but I took him home and personally treated his wounds. In our conversation, I learned he was also a neurosurgeon, just like me. Later, Jasper would visit my mother every few days, and each time, he would leave with new injuries. I asked him why he was so persistent. He said he simply wanted to "pay a debt" for his mother.
But I was too busy with work; sometimes I wasn't home, and Eleanor would be the one to treat his wounds. What I didn't realize was that, subtly, everything was changing. For instance, my mother's attitude toward him gradually softened. For instance, my mother, who had always hated my father, began to frequently enter and leave the Reed family home with Jasper. For instance, even without wounds, Jasper would stay at our house for a long time.
At the time, my focus was on studying abroad. My wife, Eleanor, had a rare genetic disease. To keep her from being afraid, only I knew about it. And that trip abroad was because I heard there was new research on the disease in Country A.
After two years of studying abroad, when I returned, everything seemed to have changed. Pushing open the front door, the house full of laughter made me freeze. Walking in, I saw my mother holding a child, smiling as she spoke. "You have to admit, Jasper and Eleanor's child is truly beautiful!"
I rushed forward, tears streaming down my face. I roared for an explanation, but my mother just glanced at me with disdain. "I made a casual joke. Why are you so sensitive?"
My wife, whom I hadn't seen in two years, stepped forward and slapped me hard, her voice full of anger. "Blake Reed, are you doubting me?"
In my daze, a phone call came through from the hospital. It was an emergency surgery, one only I could perform. There was no time to say more. As I hastily turned to leave, Eleanor suddenly called out to me. She walked over and handed me a bottle of milk, her eyes showing rare concern. "You haven't eaten, have you? Drink some milk to tide you over." In that moment, my turbulent heart seemed to calm a little. I took the milk and drank it all.
The surgery lasted seven hours. For some reason, during the operation, my head ached terribly, and my vision blurred. Realizing something was wrong, I immediately requested a pause in the surgery, but it was too late. The surgery ultimately failed. Because of the failure, the patient became a vegetable. And it wasn't until after the surgery that I learned the patient was a special individual: A-City's wealthiest man. I was suspended, pending investigation.
And before the investigation even began, my wife, Eleanor Shaw, stepped forward with evidence. She accused me of drinking before the surgery. And because I was allergic to alcohol, that's why I had reacted that way during the surgery. My test report indeed contained alcohol. Suddenly, I became the target of public outrage, countless people attacking and cursing me. And I, with Eleanor's instigation, was sent to prison.
Because of good behavior, I was released early. The day I got out, I rushed home, wanting to ask my mother what had happened. But as I reached the doorstep, I saw my mother casually chatting with Jasper. "Blake will be out soon, won't he? But it doesn't matter. You've already taken his place." She smiled. "You have to admit, my suggestion of mixing alcohol into the milk was a good one, wasn't it?"
I don't remember how I left that day. But for many years afterward, I would have the same dream: my mother pouring alcohol into milk, and Eleanor handing me the milk. When I jolted awake, I realized I was covered in sweat. I picked up my phone, finding a message from my wife, Scarlett Davis. "We should be home in about two hours."
I got ready to go out and buy groceries. But at the supermarket, I ran into someone I didn't want to see. Eleanor saw me first. She ran up and blocked my path, then, without a word, grabbed me and dragged me toward my mother. "Mother, look who it is!"
My mother, who had been smiling just a second ago, instantly froze when she saw me. "Why are you here again?"
I gave a wry twist of my lips and turned to leave without hesitation. But Eleanor's hand remained firmly on my arm. She patiently explained, "Mother, no matter what, we're family. Let's let bygones be bygones." She looked at my mother, her voice softening. "Let's let Blake come home, okay?"
As Eleanor spoke, my mother's eyes reddened, and she rushed toward me. I had never seen my mother look so anxious. In that instant, my dormant heart stirred slightly. But the next second, my mother surged past me, grabbing Jasper who stood beside me. In my surprise, a knife plunged into me from behind. Blood poured out, and I watched, stunned, as my mother spoke with a look of relief. "Jasper, thank goodness... thank goodness it wasn't you." In that moment, my last remaining flicker of hope completely vanished.
Eleanor was the first to react. Without hesitation, she stepped forward and shielded me, taking the next few knife blows for me. Before I passed out, I heard Eleanor's trembling voice. "Blake, this is what I owe you..."
When I opened my eyes again, I looked around and found myself in a hospital bed. Eleanor was in the bed next to mine. She had woken up earlier than me. She was lying on her side, silently watching me, her eyes filled with complex emotions. When our eyes met, her eyes immediately reddened.
"I realized I can't let you go," she whispered. "The moment I saw you covered in blood, my instinct was to protect you. I've thought it through. You're still the one I love." She swallowed, her voice thick. "Blake, let's get back together! Let me spend the rest of my life making it up to you, okay?"
Just then, a knock sounded at the door. I looked at the woman and child who entered, my heart filled with tenderness, and smiled. "Allow me to introduce you. This is my wife and child."
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