Punished Twice for My Brother's Sins

After my younger brother, Thomas Werther, is born, my family puts a reward and disciplinary system in place. As the older brother, I receive double the punishment whenever Thomas makes a mistake. But whenever he accomplishes something, I am rewarded too. At first, I teach Thomas how to eat and use the toilet. My dad, Ronald Werther, praises me for doing such a great job and buys me stylish new clothes and all the toys I want. But one day, Thomas accidentally breaks a vase. After watching me take the punishment for it, he claps happily, as though he has just discovered something incredible. From that moment on, my life becomes a living nightmare. Thomas starts wreaking havoc around the house without restraint. He deliberately does the opposite of whatever I tell him. Dad's punishments grow harsher and harsher. At first, he only strikes my palms. Then he makes me stand for hours, forbids me from eating, and whips me with a cane. Every time I scream in pain, Thomas bursts into delighted laughter and claps his hands. I try to expose what Thomas is doing, but Dad only looks at me with disgust. "Thomas is just a kid! What could he possibly know? You don't teach him properly, and now you're trying to shirk responsibility? How did I end up raising a son like you?" And just like that, I endure Thomas' schemes until his third birthday. This time, giggling with delight, he smashes the only keepsake Granddad left behind. Chapter 1 A crisp, cracking sound shattered the dead silence of the living room like a thunderbolt. I jolted violently, my hands and feet turning ice-cold as I stared at the pile of emerald-green fragments on the floor. That was the only keepsake Granddad had left behind. It was a finely crafted emerald signet ring. My younger brother, Thomas Werther, was turning three today. As we were going to celebrate his birthday today, my dad, Ronald Werther, had specially taken the ring out of the safe and placed it on the coffee table, intending to put it on later. But now, it lay broken into several pieces on the cold marble floor. And the culprit, Thomas, stood barefoot right next to the shards. He was wearing the custom-made suit Dad had just bought him, looking like a charming little prince. Hearing the noise, Dad, who had been changing in the bedroom, rushed out in his slippers. "What happened? What was that sound..." His voice died in his throat as he took in the fragments on the floor. His pupils contracted sharply, and his face turned deathly pale. Dad roared, his voice trembling with disbelief. "My ring… The signet ring Dad left me!" Thomas looked at the broken pieces on the floor, then at Dad's enraged face. He blinked a couple of times, crouched down, picked up the largest fragment of the ring with his chubby little hands, and raised it high. "Tommy! Put that down!" I screamed in terror, lunging forward to stop him. But it was too late. Thomas grinned at me, revealing a few pearly white milk teeth, and let go. The fragment hit the floor with a crack, shattering into even smaller pieces. "That sounds nice! It broke! All broken!" Thomas clapped his hands in delight as peals of laughter escaped him. His innocent, carefree giggle echoed through the living room, but to me, it sounded like the most terrifying death knell. Dad's eyes turned completely bloodshot, filled with horrifying red veins. He whipped around, those crimson eyes locking onto me. Chapter 2 "Benjamin Werther!" Dad hissed through gritted teeth. "What is wrong with you? I told you to watch Tommy, and this is what you let him do?" He stormed over, grabbed me by the collar, and yanked me harshly toward the coffee table. A sharp pain shot through me as I felt my collar tighten around my neck, and I couldn't help but cry out. But Dad remained impassive as he looked at me and said, "According to the rules, when Tommy does something wrong, you get double the punishment!" A thick cane whistled through the air and lashed viciously across my back. "Ah!" I screamed, my thin shirt offering no protection against the brutal force. A searing pain shot across my back instantly, as if my skin had been split open. The lashes rained down mercilessly on me. From my arms and my back down to my thighs, no part of me was spared. I writhed on the floor in agony, instinctively covering my head with both hands. Cold sweat poured down my face as my vision blurred. "Dad, I'm sorry. I'll watch Tommy better from now on. Please stop! I'm begging you, please stop hitting me…" I pleaded, desperately hoping he would pat my shoulder approvingly like he used to when I taught Thomas how to eat. But that didn't happen. My pleas didn't awaken any reason in Dad. Instead, they only sparked excitement in someone else. Thomas stood off a little to the side. Not only was he not frightened, but he even jumped up excitedly, clapping his hands and giggling. When Dad heard Thomas' laughter, he paused for a moment. He turned to look at Thomas, his gaze instantly softening. He even took on a fawning tone and cooed, "It's alright, Tommy. There's nothing to be afraid of. Daddy's just teaching Ben a lesson for not watching you properly. See, he was naughty and made you break something!" At that moment, the pain in my heart hurt far worse than the wounds on my body. I looked at Dad's face, the one I knew so well yet barely recognized anymore, and screamed in despair, "Dad! Why won't you listen to reason? Thomas broke it deliberately! He's the naughty one! He just wanted to see me get punished!" "Shut up!" Dad whipped around, his eyes cold and filled with disgust once more. "Tommy is only three! What does he know about doing things deliberately? Can he even tell right from wrong? You're the mean one! "You won't teach your brother properly, you won't take responsibility for it, and now you dare to pin the blame on Tommy, who's only three years old? How did I end up with a piece of garbage like you?" With that, Dad raised his foot and drove his hard-soled slipper straight into my stomach. The force sent me sliding backward, and I slammed back against the hard wall with a dull thud. My insides felt like they'd been rearranged on impact. I opened my mouth wide, but no sound came out. I could only curl up in pain. "Benny's flying! He's flying!" Thomas laughed even louder. He even ran over and nudged my face with the toe of his little leather shoe, saying with innocent glee, "Benny! Fly again! I want to see you fly again!" Through the tears and sweat blurring my vision, I looked at that cherubic little face and felt nothing but cold dread. He was a demon through and through. From the day he realized that whenever he misbehaved, I would be the one punished, he had become my worst nightmare. He would deliberately smear paint on the walls, tear up my homework, and knock over bowls of scalding soup. And every time, he would watch me suffer with that same innocent look in his eyes. Then, he would burst into giggles when he heard my screams of agony. As Dad looked at me lying motionless on the floor, the anger in him didn't seem to subside. But a glance at the clock on the wall told him that it was almost time for Thomas' birthday party. So, he said coldly as he walked into the store room, "It's Tommy's birthday today. I don't have time to waste on you." Moments later, he came back carrying a coil of nylon rope, the type usually used for tying up cardboard boxes. Chapter 3 I shrank back in terror, but the searing pain all over my body left me powerless to escape. Dad walked over, hauled me up ruthlessly, and brutishly shoved me onto a heavy, solid-wood dining chair. "Since you never learn your lesson, you can stay home and reflect on what you did wrong! You'll stay tied up right here with no food and no water, and you won't be coming to Tommy's birthday party today! We'll settle things properly after I come back from celebrating Tommy's birthday!" My hands were bound behind the back of the chair, and my legs were lashed securely to the chair legs. Dad tied the rope so tightly that the slightest movement caused it to dig deep into my flesh, making me gasp in pain. Then, without sparing me even a glance, he turned and took Thomas' hand. "Come on, Tommy. Let's go get your shoes on. We're going to have a big feast today, and there'll even be a three-tier cake!" "Coming, Daddy!" Thomas chirped in a sweet, sugary voice before turning to shoot me a provocative, triumphant look. Halfway to the door, he paused, as if remembering something. Then, he turned back, deliberately knocked over the glass of water on the table, and sauntered off. The sound of water dripping onto the plastic power strip echoed endlessly in the empty living room. Tied to the chair less than two yards away from that power strip, I stared at the spreading puddle of water. Out of nowhere, a memory flashed in my mind. It was one of a firefighter giving a talk at school. "Children, remember, water conducts electricity. Never let water touch a live socket, or it can cause a short circuit and start a huge fire..." Fire! The word slammed into my nerves like a sledgehammer. "Help! Dad! Dad, come back!" I screamed with every ounce of strength I had, but the thick security door blocked out every sound. I began to struggle frantically, my wrists and ankles rubbing violently against the coarse nylon rope. My skin quickly tore open, and blood seeped out, staining the rope red. But Dad had tied the knots too tightly. The fixed knots were pretty much impossible to undo. So, dragging the heavy wooden chair with me, I could only wriggle in place like a desperate insect, trying to move away from the power strip. The plastic casing of the power strip began to emit a pungent burning smell. Then came a dull bang as a bright yellow flame burst out. The flames quickly ignited the highly flammable wool rug under the coffee table, and in an instant, the flames spread, quickly devouring everything around it. Before long, thick smoke began to rise, and black fumes quickly filled the entire living room. I coughed violently from the smoke. Every breath felt like I was inhaling knives. My lungs burned with a tearing pain. As the fire raged on, the heat scorched my skin. I watched as flames crept up the curtains, up the couch, and finally, toward the chair I was bound to. But the rope binding me remained completely unmoved. "Dad... Dad..." I murmured in despair. The tears at the corners of my eyes evaporated the moment they formed due to the intense heat. I watched as the flames licked at my feet, which were still tightly bound. The excruciating pain of burning flesh instantly overwhelmed all my senses. The flames swallowed my vision, and the agony made me lose the ability to think. In the final moment before my consciousness faded, I thought I heard Thomas' giggles. It was so hot, and it hurt so bad. Dad, it really hurt… Chapter 4 After some time, the excruciating pain suddenly vanished. I felt weightless, and as I slowly opened my eyes, I found myself floating mid-air. All of a sudden, an inexplicable force pulled me forward, and the scene before me began to rewind and shift at a dizzying speed. When I stopped again, I found myself in a luxurious private room at a five-star hotel. The room was decorated with blue balloons and fresh flowers. At the center stood a massive three-tier fondant cake with a little figurine of a boy wearing a birthday crown perched on top. A cheerful birthday song echoed through the private room. Dad, dressed in a crisp suit, wore a warm, gentle smile I had never before seen on his face. He was holding Thomas' hand, guiding him as they cut into the enormous cake together. Thomas, wearing a sparkling little suit and a birthday crown, looked exactly like a little prince from a fairy tale. Relatives filled the seats around them, and everyone was applauding, looking at Thomas with the most adoring gazes. "Oh my, Tommy is getting more handsome by the day! What an angel you are!" Aunt Martha laughed, handing him a big present. "Exactly! Tommy has been a bright one since he was little. You just can't help but love him!" Granny added, beaming. Thomas smiled sweetly and said, "Thank you, Aunt Martha! Thank you, Granny! I love you all so much!" His smile was so happy and innocent. But looking at that smile, I felt a bone-chilling coldness running through me. "Ron, why don't I see Ben around?" Uncle Doug's voice suddenly cut through the room. He looked around and asked in confusion, "It's Tommy's third birthday. Why isn't Benny here?" The lively atmosphere in the room faltered for a moment, and Dad's smile vanished instantly, replaced by undisguised disgust and anger. "Ugh, don't mention that brat!" Dad slammed his fork down heavily and let out a cold snort. "He was supposed to watch Tommy, but he couldn't even manage to keep an eye on his brother! He actually let Tommy break Dad's signet ring!" "What? Dad's signet ring is broken?" Uncle Doug exclaimed. "Yeah! And Ben even tried to blame it all on Tommy!" Dad ground his teeth, as if I were some unforgivable criminal. Uncle Doug sighed. "But... Benny is only seven, and it really was Tommy who broke it after all. Is it really okay to leave Benny alone at home?" "What's not okay about it?" Dad sneered, taking a sip from his glass. "He agreed to this reward and disciplinary system himself. He enjoyed the rewards when things went well, so why can't he take the consequences when things go wrong?" A bitterness rose within me when I heard those words. But Dad, Thomas did it on purpose... Just then, a sharp ringtone shattered the peace in the private room. Dad frowned and took out his phone. An unfamiliar number flashed on the screen. "Hello? Who is this?" Dad answered impatiently. The room was quiet enough that the voice on the other end of the line came through faintly, carrying with it a suffocating seriousness and gravity. "Hello, is this Mr. Ronald Werther? This is the Havenshire Fire Department. A severe fire broke out half an hour ago at your residence in Unit 802, Block 4, Havenbrook Apartments. The fire has been extinguished. However, we regret to inform you…"