Chapter 3

Our family lived in the countryside, not very wealthy, bearing the cost of Asher's medical bills made them anxious and exhausted. Sometimes, they couldn’t even afford his medication, leaving them at their wits’ end.

Desperate, they turned to superstitions, burning incense, praying, and even consulting fortune tellers.

The fortune teller revealed something that would haunt me for life.

He said that as twins, we should have similar conditions, but I was healthy while Asher had a heart condition because we were born to clash. I supposedly took Asher’s luck and health, causing his frailty and illness.

To protect Asher, we had to be separated, or I’d doom him.

My parents believed the fortune teller, and from then on, they saw me as a demon. Other families rejoiced over healthy twins, but not ours. One had heart disease while the other didn’t, just as the fortune teller said — one cursed the other.

When I was three, my parents sent me to live with Grandma in the countryside, while they took Asher to the city for treatment and work.

Grandma had trouble walking, yet she had to care for a three-year-old. I was ignorant and always asked Grandma to carry me, and we often fell, bruising ourselves.

When I reached school age, I studied in the village, while Asher went to school in the city, enjoying better conditions.

Ironically, my grades were always better. I consistently ranked in the top three, while Asher was always last.

Yet, my parents didn’t discipline him or guide him. They blamed me for taking his luck, making him dumb with poor grades.

I was speechless.

Isn’t studying about effort, not luck?

I remember when I got into high school, scoring first in the entrance exam, but Asher had no school willing to take him, so they had to buy a spot.

That was when my parents were at their worst.

They stormed into the countryside and, without listening, started beating me with sticks.

Scared, I ran and cried, but they wouldn’t stop.

Finally, perhaps from exhaustion, they stopped.

Only then did they reveal why they beat me.

They believed I was a devil, stealing Asher's luck. I got first place, while he was last, even with no school accepting him, all because of me, the jinx.

My brother was sick, now with poor grades and no school, how would he find a job to support himself?

My dad had finally settled, barely achieving a modest living, but it wasn’t enough for Asher’s needs.

So, all the blame fell on me, the jinx.

They beat me, scolded me, and almost killed me.

At that moment, I even considered dying.