The Life My Brother Stole

At his engagement party, Ethan Bennett caught sight of the person walking in, and his champagne glass shattered on the floor. “What are you doing here?” I stood at the entrance in an old suit, looking nothing like the guests filling the ballroom. The woman beside him, dressed in a white evening gown, frowned and asked quietly, “Ethan, who is he?” Ethan didn’t answer her. He strode over and blocked my path. “Daniel, this is my engagement party. Who invited you?” I didn’t look at him. My eyes were on the enlarged engagement agreement displayed onstage. The first line was perfectly clear: The eldest son of the Bennett family shall marry the eldest daughter of the Whitmore family. “The eldest Bennett son,” I read aloud. “You’re sure that means you?” Ethan’s face darkened. The woman walked over, her gaze sweeping over me. “Ethan, there’s another son in your family?” “He’s my half brother,” Ethan said through gritted teeth. “He grew up elsewhere. He has nothing to do with the Bennetts.” “Then whose name belongs under ‘eldest son’?” I pulled a document from my pocket. Its notary seal caught the light. “Richard Bennett’s eldest son, Daniel Bennett, born April 1998. Richard Bennett’s second son, Ethan Bennett, born July 2000.” “I’m the eldest. Want to count?” The entire room fell silent for three seconds. Ethan took the woman’s hand and turned to the guests. “Please don’t misunderstand. My brother never had much schooling. He’s a little confused.” Then he turned back to me and lowered his voice. “Daniel, if you make a scene today, I guarantee you won’t even be able to save that old man’s garage.” I looked at the dark green jade pin fastened to his lapel. It had belonged to my mother. “Interesting.” The woman in white stepped out from behind Ethan and stood in front of me. “Your name is Daniel?” “Yes.” “I read the notarized document. It does name you.” She tilted her head. “But do you know the background of this engagement agreement?” “I know it says ‘the eldest Bennett son’ in black and white.” “In black and white.” She repeated it with a short laugh. “When the Whitmores say ‘the eldest Bennett son,’ we mean someone who can represent the Bennett family. You were sent away at seven and grew up in a garage. You’ve never had anything to do with a single Bennett business deal. Do you think you can represent them?” I didn’t answer. Because those were facts. “My name is Claire Whitmore.” She extended her hand. I thought she meant to shake mine. She didn’t. Instead, she tapped the notarized document I held against my chest. “You can keep this. But this engagement party is for Ethan and me. Standing here will only embarrass you.” A middle-aged woman in a charcoal pantsuit approached. Victoria Whitmore. Claire’s mother. “Claire is right.” Mrs. Whitmore didn’t even glance at me. “Fiona and I have spent two years discussing this marriage. I’ve met Ethan at least twenty times. You can’t just appear out of nowhere and expect our family to accept you.” “Mrs. Whitmore,” I said. “Yes?” “Were you negotiating with Fiona, or with my father, Richard Bennett?” She paused. “Does it make a difference?” “Of course. The agreement bears Richard Bennett’s seal, not Fiona’s. If Fiona was the one you negotiated with, what authority did she have over this agreement?” The corner of Mrs. Whitmore’s mouth twitched. Ethan came around behind Claire and slipped an arm around her shoulders. “Daniel, don’t put Victoria on the spot. You know what Dad intended.” “What did he intend?” “He sent me here to get engaged. My name is on the invitations. I booked the reception. I invited the guests. You show up with a notarized document to cause trouble—did you even ask Dad?” He took out his phone and put the call on speaker. It rang twice before someone answered. “Dad, Daniel’s here. He says the agreement names the eldest son, so it should be him.” The other end went quiet for a few seconds. I tightened my grip on the document. “Danny.” My father’s voice came through the speaker. “This marriage was arranged for your brother. Why did you go there?” The corners of Ethan’s mouth lifted. The guests began whispering. “Stop making trouble. I’ll send Fiona to get you. Come back first, and we’ll talk.” Ethan put his phone away and cocked his head at me. “You heard him. Dad said it himself. Why are you still standing here?” I looked at the dark green jade pin on his lapel. “The agreement says the eldest Bennett son, not Ethan Bennett. Which do you think a judge will believe—your father’s words or his seal?” Claire turned around. “Security, please escort this gentleman to the lounge.” Two men in black suits approached. As they led me away, I heard Ethan say to Claire behind me, “Don’t take him seriously. He’s always been like this. Mom says he’s just like his mother. Neither of them ever knew their place.”The lounge door was locked from the outside. An unopened bottle of water and a plate of elegant little desserts sat on the table. I sat down, folded the notarized document, and slipped it back into my pocket. My phone vibrated. A Snapchat message. Ethan’s profile picture. He had sent me a photo. It showed a wall covered with awards and family pictures. The wall in the Bennetts’ living room. Every picture featured Ethan, from childhood through adulthood. Not one of me. A voice message followed. I played it. “Take a good look at that wall, Daniel. From the year you left, there hasn’t been a place for you in this family. You’ve been gone almost twenty years. Dad barely remembers what you look like. What do you think coming back will change?” I didn’t reply. He sent another message. “Oh, did you check on your grandfather before you left? The old man isn’t doing so well, is he? Dad mentioned that the rent on his garage keeps going up. Sounds like he can barely keep it open.” My thumb stopped over the screen. He knew about Grandpa. The next message was a video. In it, Ethan sat on the living room couch, playing with a strand of dark wooden beads. I recognized them. My mother’s prayer beads. She had worn them around her wrist every day before she died. Later, Grandpa said he couldn’t find them. He thought they’d been lost at the hospital. “Nice, aren’t they?” In the video, Ethan waved his wrist at the camera. “Dad gave them to me. Said they belonged to his late wife. I’ve worn them for years. Claire’s complimented them a few times. She says they feel expensive.” He smiled and brought the camera closer. “She doesn’t know they were your mother’s.” I set my phone facedown on the table. The door opened. Claire walked in. She had changed out of her white gown and into a light gray jacket. “You’re still here?” “The door was locked from the outside.” She glanced at me, then went to the window and opened the curtains. “I came to tell you something.” “Go ahead.” “Ethan and I have been together for three years. He started pursuing me in college. He writes me letters by hand, including one on every birthday. Thirty-six letters in three years.” She leaned against the windowsill. “He’s told me about his childhood. Before he was seven, he lived in a little seaside town with his grandfather. He helped him fix cars every day. His hands always smelled like motor oil.” My body went slightly rigid. That was my childhood. “He said his favorite thing was standing on the docks, watching cargo ships come into port. He said his mother died young and left him a jade pin that he always wears.” She looked at me. “Did those things happen to you, too?” “Not too. They happened only to me.” One eyebrow rose. “You’re saying Ethan lied to me?” “Every story he told you was mine.” She was silent for three seconds. Then she laughed. “Daniel, I don’t know if this is about the marriage agreement or something else, but that story is pathetic. A guy who grew up in a garage crashes an engagement party and claims the groom stole his life? Who do you think I’m going to believe?” She headed for the door. As she passed me, she paused. “You smell like motor oil. Ethan never has.” The door closed behind her. I looked down at my hands. There were still traces under my nails that no amount of scrubbing could remove. My phone rang again. This time, it wasn’t Ethan. It was Grandpa. “Danny, two men came by. They say the Bennetts sent them to inspect our business license.”“Grandpa, don’t deal with them. Tell them to wait.” His voice sounded anxious on the other end. “They say the shop doesn’t meet fire codes. We have to fix it by their deadline, or they’ll shut us down.” I gripped the phone. Fire code violations. The garage had been open for fifteen years, and no one had ever come to inspect it. “Don’t argue with them, Grandpa. I’ll handle it.” “Where are you?” “On a business trip. I’ll be home soon.” After I hung up, the door opened again. Fiona walked in, followed by a man carrying a briefcase. “Oh, Danny. You shouldn’t have come to someone else’s engagement party like this. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” She always called me Danny, as if she were my mother. When other people were around. “Fiona, did you send those men to make trouble at my grandfather’s garage?” Her smile didn’t change. “What men? I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She sat at the table and opened the file the man handed her. “Danny, let’s work something out. Sign this, and I’ll give you five hundred thousand dollars. You can go back to Bayport and do whatever you want. I’ll take care of the trouble with the garage.” “Sign what?” “A voluntary waiver of your inheritance rights and any claims related to the engagement agreement.” I glanced at the document. The Bennett seal was already stamped beside the signature line. “Fiona, did you have this drawn up yourself, or did my father tell you to?” “Your father wanted it.” “Then why isn’t he telling me himself?” “He’s busy.” “Too busy to show up while his own son signs away his rights?” At last, her smile shifted. The door hadn’t closed all the way. Footsteps sounded in the hallway. Ethan approached with several guests. “Everyone, see? This is my brother. Grew up in a garage, and now he’s here claiming the engagement belongs to him.” Someone murmured something. I couldn’t catch all of it, but I heard the word garage. Ethan leaned against the doorframe. “Daniel, you have two choices. One, sign what Mom brought and leave with some dignity. Two, refuse, and I’ll call right now and have your grandfather’s garage shut down.” “Try touching him.” “You know perfectly well I can.” His smile was faint. “He rents that property. His lease expires next year, and the landlord went to school with Dad. One phone call. That’s all it takes.” Fiona chose that moment to speak. “Danny, don’t fight with Ethan. I really do want what’s best for you. Think about it. You have a peaceful life in Bayport. Why get mixed up in this?” One of the guests at the door chimed in. “Exactly, young man. We all have our place in life. Don’t force it.” I stood. Ethan took half a step back. “Relax,” I told him. “I don’t hit people.” I reached the door, but a guard blocked me. “Mr. Bennett says you have to sign before you leave.” I turned to Ethan. He took something from his pocket and held it up to the light. A tiny jade seal on a red cord. My mother’s personal seal. “Recognize this?” My fists tightened. “Everything your mother left is with me. Her beads are on my wrist. Her jade pin is on my lapel. Even this seal—Dad gave it to me himself.” He slipped the seal back into his pocket and patted it. “Your mother didn’t leave you a thing when she died. Know why?” “Shut up.” “Because she knew you didn’t deserve it.” The room went silent. Beside him, Fiona sighed. “Danny, just sign it. Stop making this harder on yourself.” I didn’t answer her. I was watching the corner of the phone sticking out of Ethan’s pocket. The screen lit up. A notification appeared. I caught only a name. Lily.“Are you signing or not?” Ethan slapped the document onto the table and tossed a pen beside it. I stayed in my chair. The hallway outside was growing louder. Guests were still gathering to watch. Fiona got up to close the door. As she passed Ethan, she patted his shoulder. “Don’t rush him, sweetheart. Your brother just needs time to think.” “About what?” Ethan braced both hands on the table and leaned toward me. “You’re a mechanic. You walk in here waving a notarized document and try to steal my engagement. What gives you the right?” “I told you. The agreement says the eldest Bennett son.” “So what if you’re the eldest? What have you ever done for this family?” He straightened. “I started helping Dad run the company at sixteen. Landed my first project at eighteen. Secured the Whitmore partnership at twenty. And you? What can you do? Change a tire?” The door opened. Richard Bennett walked in. My father. He looked much older than the last time I’d seen him. That had been five years ago. He’d passed through Bayport on a business trip and stood outside Grandpa’s garage for five minutes without coming in. “Dad.” He looked at me, his expression conflicted. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done today?” “I came for the marriage you arranged.” “I arranged it for Ethan.” “The agreement says the eldest son.” “Enough.” He slammed his palm against a cabinet. Fiona hurried over to support him. “Richard, don’t get yourself worked up.” He shook off her hand and walked up to me. “Listen carefully, Daniel. I negotiated this marriage with the Whitmores, and it’s for Ethan. Sending you away as a child was wrong of me, but that was between the adults. You show up now and cause a scene—where does that leave our family’s reputation?” “You wronged me, so you gave all my mother’s belongings to Ethan?” He froze. “What belongings?” “Her prayer beads. Her jade pin. Her seal. He has all of them.” Richard turned to Ethan. Ethan touched the pin on his lapel. “Dad, you gave them to me. Remember? You said no one wanted them after your first wife died, so I might as well keep them as mementos.” “Danny.” Richard’s voice hardened. “You’re bringing up petty things like that now?” “Petty?” “It’s a few pieces of jade. I’ll replace them.” I let out a laugh. “Replace them? With what? The beads my mother wore on her wrist before she died—you can just replace those?” His face flushed red. Mrs. Whitmore’s voice came from the doorway. “Mr. Bennett, the guests are waiting. Can you resolve this quickly?” Richard took a deep breath, then turned back to me. “Sign it. I’m telling you for the last time.” “What if I don’t?” He stepped closer. I thought he was about to say something. Instead, his palm landed hard across my face. Fiona gave a little gasp and arranged her face into just the right amount of distress. Ethan stepped back twice, clearing the stage for a father to discipline his son. “Get on your knees,” Richard said, his voice shaking. “Apologize to everyone. Then get out.” I didn’t move. The guests at the door whispered. Someone took out a phone. Ethan pulled a tissue from his pocket and offered it to Richard. “Dad, calm down. Don’t let him get to you.” As he pulled it out, his phone slipped from his pocket and hit the floor. Screen up. A message appeared. The contact name was a red heart followed by Lily. The message was just one line. “Baby, the ultrasound results are back. It’s twins. I’m so scared.” No one else in the room noticed it. Only me. I slowly straightened and wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth. “Ethan, who is Lily Foster?”