All Chapters of Trading My Life for My Brother's Sleep: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

"There it is again! That sound again! It's driving me insane!"My mom, Keira Sheeran, suddenly sat upright on the couch. She clutched her hair tightly with both her hands, and her eyes were bloodshot.In the living room, the only sound was the steady hiss and puff of the ventilator. It was proof that I was still alive.My dad, Wesley Lowe, quickly set down the ledger he had been working on and walked over to gently pat her back.He comforted, "Keira, keep your voice down. You'll scare Addie. This is already the best imported model we could buy. It's really not that loud."Mom argued, "Not loud? Wesley, listen to it! That sound is like a death knell, reminding me day and night that this family is supporting a bottomless pit that can never be filled!"Her voice was sharp and piercing, and it stabbed straight into my heart.I lay in bed in my room, watching everything in the living room through the crack in the door. Instinctively, I tightened my grip on the blanket.Just then, th

"Addie, are you asleep? Dad left you some chicken soup. It's in the thermos," Dad said."Dad, I'm right here!" I jumped up and down in front of him, but he didn't react at all.Dad went on, "Are you feeling sick again today? Come out and let me take a look at you, okay? Don't be upset with Mom anymore."Of course, I'd do as he asked. Playfully, I tried to sit on his shoulders, but I passed right through him.But none of them could hear me or see me. What was I supposed to do?No one could answer me.Mom's weary voice came from the living room. "Leave him alone! I think we've spoiled him rotten. We emptied our savings for him. You even used the down payment your brother needed for his wedding. And what did we get in return? An ungrateful brat who throws tantrums!"Just because I scolded him a little, he gives me attitude. Let him stay locked in his room. From now on, I only have one son, and that is Jas! I'll just pretend I never had Addie."I stood frozen in place.So, that wa

"Jas, stop fooling around!" Mom's face instantly turned pale as she scolded him sharply, thinking he was throwing another tantrum.She added, "I just praised you for being well-behaved. Why are you crying nonstop the moment we get home? If you keep crying, I'll send you away and never come get you again!"Aunt Emma chimed in from the side, "Exactly. He's just a child, yet he's making such a fuss. He must've learned it from that good-for-nothing brother of his, who acts weird and gloomy all day long."I floated in the air, staring at their angry faces. I desperately wanted to explain, but I couldn't get a single word out.I said, "Mom, don't be angry. Jasper isn't fooling around. He's just... He's just scared."Dad seemed to realize something all at once. He suddenly shot to his feet, his face turning deathly white. It wasn't because of Jasper's crying, but because of the suffocating silence in our surroundings."Keira…" Dad's voice trembled as he looked around. "Don't you think t

With just one glance, Mom and Dad looked as though every bit of strength had been drained from their bodies. They staggered backward."No... This isn't real..." Mom shook her head frantically, her face turning completely pale. "My dear boy… My Addie… How could he be lying in there?"Dad's legs were trembling too, but he still forced himself to stay upright. He tried to support Mom as she swayed on her feet.In the end, neither of them could hold on any longer. Both of them crumpled to the floor.Jasper didn't understand what was happening. He was still too young to understand what death meant. Curiously, he toddled over to the wooden chest and peeked inside. Then, his eyes lit up.He squealed in surprise and clapped his little hands excitedly as he pointed inside over and over, making mushed, incomprehensible sounds that sounded like "Addie". He reached out and tried to grab my hand. But all he touched were my cold, stiff fingertips.Anxiously, he patted my arm and babbled insist

After Dad regained consciousness, he completely fell apart. He could not accept that I was dead."It's all my fault. If only I'd been a little more careful..."He kept hitting himself while sinking deeper and deeper into guilt and regret.Mom picked up the cross-stitch that had fallen onto the floor and held it out to him.She said, "Look, dear. This is what Adrian left for Jas. He told us to live well. He wanted us to stay by Jas's side and watch him grow up. He'll be watching us from heaven."Dad's trembling hand reached out and traced the crooked "Quiet". At last, he broke down into inconsolable sobs. He cried like a child, as if he were finally releasing all the pain and pressure he had carried for so many years.Mom and Dad held a small funeral for me. For my memorial photo, they chose the one from my seventh birthday, where I was smiling the brightest. It was in color.Very few people came to pay their respects. Most of our relatives were only there to watch the spectacl