He Chose A Snake Over His Sister Novel by WriterLola _ Novel




He Chose A Snake Over His Sister Chapter 01

Five years into my sentence, my embezzlement case was retried, and I was released early.
Stepping out of the prison gates, I saw my brother, Rodney Perrott, his eyes brimming with guilty tears. I kept my face blank as I looked away, ignoring him.
The prison guard sighed. "Look, I know he's the one who turned you in," he said quietly, "but he's also the one who brought in the evidence to prove you were framed. You've got terminal stomach cancer. You don't have much time left. Maybe it's time you set things straight with him."
I nodded, yet when Rodney reached for my hand, I avoided him and walked straight past him.
Years ago, I knelt in the snow for three days straight, desperately pleading with him to take a closer look at the case. Still, he chose to believe our adopted sister, Fiona Salvin, and handed me over to the cops. Because of him, I never got to see Grandma one last time before she died.
"Charlotte, do you really hate me so much that you won't even speak to me?" Rodney's hoarse voice drifted to me from behind.
I kept walking. I wasn't going to waste my last month on hate. All I wanted was to visit Grandma's grave and tell her she'd been right to believe in me.
"Lottie, come home with me." Rodney caught up, grabbing my wrist and forcing me to a halt.
I turned to face him, meeting his guilty eyes. He sounded panicked. "I was wrong five years ago. Once I realized you didn't embezzle that money, I started gathering the evidence right away. Lottie, you're getting out two years early. Can't you forgive me?"
I pulled my arm free, keeping my voice steady. "I've told you the second you dragged me to court, you weren't my brother anymore."
"I know you only said that because you were angry," Rodney said.
He reached out to touch my pale face, but I tilted my head away, leaving his hand hanging awkwardly in the air. His face darkened. "I've apologized. Why can't you just move on?"
He pulled me toward his car. "You're coming home with me."
I was too weak to resist, so I had no choice but to let him drive me home.
"Welcome home, Lottie." The second the front door swung open, I saw Fiona—the person I'd hated for the past five years.
She flashed a wide smile, grabbing my arm in a fake display of affection. "Lottie, I'm sorry for the mistake five years ago. But don't worry—I swear I'll never doubt you like that again."
Her sweetness brought a smile to Rodney's face. "Fifi, I was the one who made the biggest mistake back then. It wasn't your fault."
They played off each other perfectly, acting as if a simple apology could magically erase everything they'd done.
If I were still the person I used to be, I would have hit her on the spot. But I'd changed after five years in a cell. Besides, with only one month left after my stomach cancer diagnosis, I had more important things to do; I wasn't going to waste my time on them.
I slipped my arm out of her grip and nodded. "Neither of you needs to apologize."
Then Fiona deliberately went for the one thing she knew would hit me where it hurt.
"Lottie, you're so kind, just like Grandma. You know, she called out your name right before she died. If she knew you were getting out early, she'd be so happy." She let out a sigh. "If this whole thing hadn't happened, Grandma might not have passed away—"
I slapped her hard across the face, cutting her off.
Fiona's head snapped to the side from the impact. She stared at me in pure disbelief.
My breathing grew heavy, and I fought to choke back the blood rising in my throat. "Stop talking about what happened five years ago," I snapped. "And don't you dare mention my grandmother. You don't deserve to speak of her!"
When my case was under review a year ago, everyone kept telling me how lucky I was to have such a supportive brother. But I'd made up my mind—I would never forgive Rodney.
He was nothing but cruel to me, and on top of that, it was because of him that Grandma died in my first year behind bars.
Five years ago, Fiona's dad, Duncan Salvin, passed away, and her mom, unable to handle the loss, took her own life right after. Duncan, who had served in the military with my dad, begged my grandmother on his deathbed to take Fiona in.
Grandma instantly agreed and sent Fiona to live with Rodney and me in Houston.
Rodney felt sorry for her. Within two months of her arrival, he secured her a job at our family business—in a position even higher than mine. Then, completely out of nowhere, she reported me for embezzling 5 million dollars.
Rodney flew into a rage, demanding to know why I did it. I stood my ground, screaming, "I didn't fucking do it!"
He slapped me, hard. "Still lying? Maybe a few years in prison are the only way you'll ever learn."
He pressed charges and dragged me to court.
I knelt in the snow for three days straight, pleading with him to take a closer look at the case, but he was determined to lock me up.
When Grandma found out, her already fragile health took a turn for the worse. However, instead of telling me in person, Rodney had a prison guard deliver the news. "Charlotte, your brother came by today," the guard said. "He said... your grandmother passed away. Right before she died, she told him she believed in you."
I was eating when he told me. The news hit me like a physical blow. I wept and threw up everywhere.
After that, I couldn't stop throwing up. Two years later, I was diagnosed with stomach cancer. And the root of every bit of this misery was Fiona.
And now, here she was, covering her cheek and playing the victim for Rodney. "Is Lottie still mad at me? Did I say something wrong again?"
Rodney frowned, ready to lay into me, but I beat him to it. "Since the retrial proved I was framed, why isn't Fiona in prison?"
He wouldn't look at me. He just brushed it off. "Fifi had just started at the company back then. She didn't know how things worked. She didn't do it on purpose."
I stared at him and let out a bitter laugh. "So, you're protecting her again."

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