CHAPTER 47 — THE BROTHER SHE BROKE BEFORE HE BROKE HER
The door opened—
And time stopped.
Aries.
Angelo.
Standing right there.
Her breath caught.
Her chest tightened instantly.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
Something deeper.
Something older.
Something that never healed.
"…You're at the wrong house."
Her voice came out cold.
Sharp.
Distant.
Aries stepped forward slowly.
"…Jae—"
"I don't have a brother."
The words hit harder than anything.
Aries froze.
Angelo looked down.
Jae crossed her arms.
"The one I had?"
Her eyes locked onto Aries.
"…Watched everything fall apart and still didn't see me."
Silence.
Then she turned to Angelo.
"And my cousin?"
A small, bitter smile.
"…Tried to sell my life like it was a business deal."
Angelo didn't argue.
Didn't deny.
Because he couldn't.
Behind her, Min-jae stood quietly.
Watching.
Not interfering.
But ready.
Jae stepped outside.
Closing the door behind her.
Her safe place stayed inside.
This—
this didn't belong there.
"…Talk."
—
Café — later
No one touched their drinks.
No one moved.
Jae sat across from them.
Still.
Controlled.
But her fingers were trembling slightly.
Angelo spoke first.
"I'll say it clearly."
She didn't react.
"I treated you like a transaction."
Silence.
"I thought it was right."
Her jaw clenched.
"I thought if it helped the company, it didn't matter how."
Her voice cut through—
"…Even if it was me?"
"…Yes."
That hurt.
But not the most.
Not anymore.
She laughed softly.
"That's insane."
"I know."
Too late.
Always too late.
Silence fell.
Then—
Aries spoke.
His voice wasn't steady.
Not like before.
"…I didn't protect you."
Her eyes snapped to him.
Finally.
The real problem.
"You think that's the issue?"
"It is for me."
Silence.
"I thought… if I stayed out of everything… nothing would get worse."
Her hands clenched.
"I thought staying neutral would keep things stable."
Her voice dropped—
dangerously quiet—
"…So you watched."
He nodded.
"…Yes."
"And said nothing."
"Yes."
Her breath got heavier.
"And when everything was happening—"
Her voice started shaking now.
"When I was getting hurt—"
He didn't interrupt.
Didn't defend.
"…You weren't there."
"I wasn't."
Silence.
Then—
she laughed.
But it wasn't normal.
It was broken.
"You know what's funny?"
He looked at her.
"I don't even remember half of it clearly."
Pause.
"Just pieces."
Her fingers trembled more.
"Pain."
"Fear."
"Voices."
Her breathing got uneven.
"And then…"
She stopped.
Her eyes unfocused for a second.
"…That day."
Aries went still.
"…Jae—"
"No."
Her voice cut him off.
"You don't get to stop this."
Silence.
Her hands clenched tightly now.
"…I stabbed you."
The words dropped.
Heavy.
Final.
No one in the café moved.
Aries didn't react.
Didn't flinch.
"…I remember the knife."
Her voice was quieter now.
Distant.
"I remember my hands shaking."
"I remember thinking—"
Her breath hitched.
"…I'm not safe."
Tears filled her eyes.
"I didn't see you as my brother."
That hurt.
That hurt him.
"I saw someone who let everything happen."
Silence.
"I saw someone who didn't protect me."
Her voice broke.
"…So I protected myself."
Aries closed his eyes.
Because he deserved that.
Every word.
"I didn't even realize it was you until after."
Her hands loosened slowly.
"I just reacted."
Silence filled everything.
Then she looked at him.
Really looked.
"…Do you know what that feels like?"
He didn't answer.
"To be so scared… that you hurt someone you love?"
Her voice cracked completely now.
"…Because your brain tells you they're not safe anymore?"
Aries' voice came out rough.
"…Yeah."
That surprised her.
He looked at her.
Eyes tired.
Heavy.
"…Because I made you feel that way."
Silence.
"I turned into someone you had to protect yourself from."
Her tears fell now.
Quiet.
"…You were supposed to protect me."
"I know."
"You were supposed to choose me."
"I know."
Her voice broke again.
"…I waited for you."
Silence.
"I waited for you to say something."
Nothing.
"I waited for you to stop everything."
Nothing.
"I waited for you to be my brother."
That one—
that one broke him.
Completely.
"I failed."
He didn't sugarcoat it.
Didn't soften it.
"I failed you."
Silence.
Jae wiped her tears angrily.
"I left because I couldn't stay."
No one argued.
"I built a life without you."
Nothing.
"I survived things you don't even know about."
He believed that.
He could see it.
In her.
In the way she sat.
In the way she spoke.
In the way she didn't break anymore.
"I'm not that girl anymore."
Her voice steadied again.
Strong.
Controlled.
"But that girl still exists."
Silence.
"And she's tired."
That word stayed.
Heavy.
Real.
"…I'm tired of carrying this."
They both looked at her.
Carefully.
Hope—but not expecting anything.
She exhaled slowly.
"…So I'm letting it go."
Silence.
Then—
"…I forgive you."
Aries didn't move.
Didn't react.
Like he didn't deserve to.
Angelo looked down.
Relief mixed with guilt.
But Jae raised her hand.
"This doesn't fix anything."
They nodded.
"It doesn't erase anything."
They nodded again.
"But…"
She paused.
Then said quietly—
"…You're not strangers anymore."
That was it.
That was all.
And it meant everything.
—
Back home
Jae walked in.
Closed the door.
Leaned against it for a second.
Min-jae stood up immediately.
"You okay?"
She nodded.
Barely.
"…I forgave them."
He didn't ask anything else.
Didn't question.
Didn't analyze.
Just walked over—
and gently pulled her into a hug.
She didn't resist.
Didn't hold back.
Just… stood there.
Quiet.
Tired.
Finally letting everything settle.
Because this time—
she didn't wait for someone to save her.
She faced it.
She ended it.
And she walked away
still standing.