Smeared

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"Ruth..." His tired eyes groggily looked up at me from the bed. His breathing was heavy, and his voice was raspy.

"I'm right here." I gently clutched my brother's frail hand in my own. I noted that his fingers were bonier than before.

His body had built up an immunity to the medication. This was not good news. The physician was already charging a hefty sum to make his medication as it was; I dare not wish to know the cost of his solution to this new problem.

"Ruth... Stay with me tonight?"

I gave a sad smile as my heart ached at the sight of my weak twin. Rourke meant the world to me, and he was the only true family I had left.

He and I were adopted into the grand household of the Earl of Faintree at the early age of seven. The whole adoption was merely facade to improve the household's image in the aristocratic society.

It was made out to be a grand gesture, so grand that our names were the gossip for months on end. Unbeknownst to us at the time, our stay in the Faintree household would not be anything like the rumours made out to be.

The Faintrees were by no means pleasant people. Lord Faintree could always be found with a drink in his hand and could be quite the violent drunkard. Lady Faintree spent most of her days bickering and gossiping with her fellow ladies, worrying over her wrinkles, or doting far too much on her son beloved Archibald who in turn it quite the spoilt brat.

Archibald is two summers older than my brother and I and the next heir to the Earl of Faintree. Something he would never let us forget.

I tried to avoid him as much as I possibly could as he would always find ways to torment me. His continuous acts not only disrupted my life behind doors but often found their ways into tarnishing my reputation in society.

He once got a hold of all my invitations and changed all the dress codes on them resulting me arriving at grand events looking like a fool and that was not even the worst of it.

On the day I was first presented before the Royal family, my nerves were so extreme to the point that Lady Faintree had even specifically prepared cue cards for me to follow in fear of me messing up the family's reputation, unfortunately Archibald got hold of them before hand and altered them slightly. By the time I had realised it, it was much too late.

I was deemed an idiot by society. No one would believe my explanations as Archie was seen as the blue-eyed boy.

Unfortunately, Lady Faintree was always the most upset. She hated how society depicted me because that meant she was an incompetent mother figure as my actions reflected her own. Not that she represented any mother figure towards me to begin with.

Lady Faintree decided it was best to pay more attention to me and by attention, I mean the worst kind. I was declined any opportunity to attend an academy, she believed I would be taught best under her strict eye.

The lessons were horrible, and the tutors were strict, the awful woman had specifically chosen each herself.

It was my very first lesson where the first time I had ever received a beating took place. Apparently if I were to be perfect, all the imperfections that I had needed to disappear first.

Most of my lessons from then onwards always resulted in some form of pain whether it be physical or psychological. She broke me in like a wild horse. I could not fight back as she threatened to stop my brother's treatment at any given moment.

If it were not for my brother Rourke, I would have completely lost the will to live. He was my only joy in this horrid life. He meant everything to me, and I would sacrifice my world for his happiness.