My Brother's True Obsession

I had a dream that spoiled the whole book for me.

It turned out I wasn't the main character, but the mean girl side character. My extremely obsessive brother, whom I wasn't even related to, was actually the main lead.

I fell for the second lead and begged for his love, but he never wanted me. Instead, I kept hurting my brother, over and over.

Later, my brother was saved by the heroine, and that was when I realized he was the one I truly loved. But by then, it was way too late.

And just now, I had forced my brother to drink a glass of wine I'd slipped something into.

I shot up from my seat, the glass in my hand shattering into pieces on the floor.

The room was full of music and laughter, so no one really noticed, except Melvin Frazier. Sitting right next to me, he turned his head, his eyes sharp and watchful.

His voice came out soft, almost too soft. "Sheila, what's wrong?"

I shivered, teeth clenching as I looked at the man in front of me—the same man who would one day hit me so hard until I lost my baby, the same man who'd push me, fresh out of the hospital, to sleep with clients.

As I recalled the tragedy that was my past life, the feelings I thought I had for him disappeared in an instant. It was as if I had woken up from a dream and realized I didn't love him anymore.

"My stomach hurts. I need to use the restroom," I whispered, my face pulling into just enough pain to sell the lie.

"Go on. I'll wait for you," Melvin said smoothly, not doubting me for a second.

I nodded like a good girl, stood up, and walked out slowly. But the moment the door shut behind me, I bolted through the halls toward the hotel rooms upstairs.

-

I had just done something incredibly stupid.

I'd handed my brother, Ryan Cobbett, that glass of drugged wine myself.

His eyes were already red when he looked at me, asking if he really had to drink it.

I was cruel enough to smile and say, "Of course. If you don't drink it, I'll drink it for you."

He couldn't fight me when I was risking myself. He'd always been helpless against my stubbornness.

So he took the glass and downed it in one go.

I laughed and touched his face. I praised him for being so obedient and told him to stay this way forever.

His eyes got redder. I thought it was because he hated alcohol.

Ryan had always been the perfect one. He was everyone's golden boy.

But after seeing the whole story play out, I finally understood. Ryan wasn't perfect but obsessive and dangerous.

He already knew Melvin and I were setting him up. The scary part was that he walked right into it willingly.

The drug worked fast. His cheeks were flushed, his body