Chapter 1

My younger brother, Leo, has loved makeup and crying since he was a kid.

He was more sensitive and delicate than me.

Because of him, I always promised myself that I would marry a real, manly man.

I didn't want anyone like my brother.

Later, I got exactly what I wanted.

I married Dylan, a man with a thick beard, an eight-pack, and a booming voice.

On our wedding day, Leo cried so hard his mascara ran all over his face.

"Chloe," he sobbed, hugging me. "If Dylan ever treats you badly, you call me immediately."

Dylan watched him with sneering contempt. "Your brother is such a pussy."

But after the wedding, the loving, protective Dylan disappeared.

He showed his true colors and started abusing me.

Every time he finished beating me, he would mock me.

"So what if I hit you, Chloe? Who are you going to call? Your sissy brother? You think he's going to save you?"

One night, after another brutal beating, I crawled into the corner and secretly called Leo.

"Leo... I miss you."

That very night, Leo rushed to my house.

Seeing the purple bruises covering my body, he burst into tears and wrapped his arms around me.

"Chloe, did he do this to you? Oh my God... I'm taking you home right now!"

Dylan immediately blocked the door, towering over us.

"You? Taking her? Get out of my face, you little sissy."

Just then, the front door was kicked open.

A massive, towering man charged into the living room.

He grabbed Dylan by the throat and slammed him against the wall.

"Touch him again. I dare you."

My brother, Leo, had been different from other boys since the day he was born.

He hated trucks and action figures. Instead, he loved stealing my hair clips and playing with my Barbie dolls.

He was also terrified of everything. A single cockroach or a tiny mouse would send him screaming and crying into my arms.

Our mother used to yell at him, frustrated by his lack of "manliness."

But Leo would just sniffle, his eyes red. "But those bugs are so ugly and scary!"

He didn't change much when he grew up.

After graduating from college, he ignored everyone's advice and went to beauty school. Now, he owned a small lash and nail salon.

Our conservative relatives gossiped about him behind his back.

"A grown man doing nails and lashes? How embarrassing. It's not a real job."

Leo overheard them once. He locked himself in the bathroom and cried for fifteen minutes.

When he came out, the corners of his eyes were still red, but he whispered, "I earn my living with my own hands. I'm not hurting anyone."

I had always protected him.

But even I had to admit, Leo was not the kind of brother who could fight for me.

Especially after I married Dylan.

Dylan ran a successful construction contracting company.

He was thirty-two, handsome, and incredibly charming when he wanted to be.

When he was chasing me, he was the gentlest man on earth.

My mother told me, "He's stable, he has a good career, and he adores you. He's a keeper."

I believed her.

But during our first month of marriage, Dylan told me he didn't like me wearing crop tops or low-cut dresses.

"My wife is too beautiful," he said, wrapping his arms tight around my waist. "I get sick thinking about other men staring at you."

In the second month, he pressured me to quit my job.

"I can support us," he insisted. "You hate your boss anyway. Just stay home. I'll transfer you money whenever you want to buy something."

I hesitated.

His face fell. "Do you not trust me, Chloe?"

I hated fighting, so I compromised. I quit.

After that, my world shrank.

If I visited my parents for more than three hours, Dylan would bombard me with texts.

Are you still there?

You have your own home now. Stop running back to your parents every day.

The more I tried to explain, the angrier he got.

The first time he hit me was because Leo sent me a birthday cake.

The frosting on the cake read: To my forever beautiful Chloe.

Dylan didn't say anything while Leo was there.

But the moment the door closed behind my brother, Dylan grabbed the cake and hurled it into the trash can.

"Is your brother sick in the head?" Dylan spat. "A grown-man acting all sweet and clingy with his sister. It's disgusting."

"He's my brother!" I screamed.

Dylan's hand flew across my face.

SLAP.

My ears rang. I stumbled backward, staring at him in shock.

Dylan froze, looking at his own hand.

The next second, he fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around my legs and crying.

"Chloe, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"I just love you too much. I can't stand the thought of anyone else having a place in your heart."

"I swear, I will never do it again. Please."