The Phone I Bought My Sister Tore My Family Apart

For New Year's, I went out of my way to buy my younger sister the newest smartphone as a gift. She was thrilled when I handed it to her. But the moment she opened the box— Crash! She hurled the phone to the floor, shattering it. Then she pointed at me, crying as she screamed, "You're disgusting! You're a horrible person! You make me sick!" I was furious. I dragged our parents over and demanded that they make her apologize. At first, they were ready to scold her. But the second they picked up the shattered phone and saw it clearly, my father raised his hand and slapped me across the face. "Get out!" "We're done. From this day on, you're no son of mine." Even my wife, who had always been loving and affectionate with me, went pale the moment she saw the phone. She grabbed my arm tightly, her eyes terrifyingly cold. "Did you really buy this phone?" "If you did, I want a divorce." Chapter 1 The moment those words left her mouth, I stared at my wife, Yvonne Carter, in disbelief. We'd been married for five years. Everyone around us saw us as the perfect loving couple. Never in a million years had I imagined the word divorce would come out of her mouth. And over a phone, of all things. I forced myself to calm down and reached for her hand, gently rubbing her palm. Whenever I'd upset her before, this was usually enough to coax her out of it. "Honey, is there some kind of misunderstanding? How did this suddenly turn into divorce?" I gave her an awkward smile, trying to calm her down and get her to take it back. But her voice was terrifyingly cold as she yanked her hand away. "I'll ask you one last time. Did you buy this phone or not?" She threw the broken phone at me. My sister had smashed it into pieces. It had been one of the most expensive models on the market, and I'd gone out of my way to buy it for her as a New Year's gift. I'd never imagined she'd destroy it the second she got it. Before I could even figure out what was going on, my wife had dropped another bombshell on me. Divorce. I lowered my head, my voice barely above a whisper. "I did buy it, but it's just a phone. Why does this have to end in div—" Before I could finish, she slapped me hard across the face. My head snapped to the side. For a moment, everything spun. My cheek quickly swelled. In five years of marriage, this was the first time she'd ever hit me. And it was because of a phone. Tears streamed down her face, but the fury in her voice didn't weaken at all. "I'm telling you, Evan Henderson, you disgust me!" "That's your own sister!" "I married you, and now just looking at you makes me sick. Absolutely sick!" "If I, Yvonne Carter, don't divorce you, I'd rather die!" The finality in her eyes wiped away all my anger. In its place came a deep, aching sadness. Why? What could possibly be so horrible about this phone that she'd rather die than stay married to me? Mom wrapped her arms around Yvonne and cried. Then she looked at me, shaking her head as tears spilled down her face. She'd always spoiled me more than anyone else in the family. Even my youngest sister had never mattered to her as much as her precious son. But now, there was nothing but disgust in her eyes. As if she wished I would drop dead right there. "Evan, she's your own sister!" "Are you some kind of monster?" "Did I really give birth to a monster?" She broke down sobbing. But I still had no idea what she was talking about. What had I done? My sister was curled up on the couch, trembling as she cried. She looked utterly miserable. When she saw me still standing there in a daze, the hatred in her eyes grew even stronger. She jumped up and shoved me toward the door. "Why are you still here? "Do you really have to... I'm your sister! "I might as well just die!" With that, she rushed toward the kitchen and grabbed a knife, acting as though she was about to kill herself. Dad, who had been sitting on the couch with his face dark with rage, finally couldn't take it anymore. He snatched the knife from her hand and brandished it at me. "You filthy, heartless bastard! Why are you still standing here?" "Do I need to cut that disgusting thing off you before you're satisfied?" "You make me sick!" "I'm telling you right now, I don't have a son like you anymore!" "From today on, we're done. This is no longer your home." "You could do something this depraved and still have the nerve to stand here?" "Get out!" "And never come back!" He shoved me out the door and slammed it shut behind me. I stood there staring at the closed door. I could still faintly hear Mom and my sister cursing me from inside. I couldn't understand any of it. That phone was the exact newest model my sister had been begging for. So why had she smashed it the moment she opened it? And why had Mom, Dad, and Yvonne all turned against me over a single phone? There was no time to keep standing there thinking. Still holding the shattered phone, I called a cab and headed to my best friend's place. Chapter 2 My best friend, Lucas Bennett, was a tech expert. Basically, he knew everything there was to know about phones. If there was really something wrong with this one, I was sure he'd be able to find it. And if the phone itself turned out to be the problem, I'd go straight back to the store that sold it to me and raise hell. The moment I got to Lucas's place, I handed him the shattered phone and told him to check it carefully. He was still in the mood to joke around. Turning the mangled phone over in his hands, he grinned. "What happened? Tried to spice things up with the wife and pissed her off instead?" I wasn't in the mood. I kept urging him to check every inch of the phone and figure out whether there was anything messed up inside it. I needed to know what the hell was going on. Lucas went through the phone's information several times. Eventually, even he got irritated with me. "Dude, there's nothing on this thing." "It hasn't even been turned on before. What exactly are you expecting me to find?" "I've checked everything I can. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it." "If you dragged me into this on New Year's just to screw with me, get the hell out." He'd clearly checked it seriously, so I finally believed him. I picked up the broken phone and ran my fingers over it. Mom, Dad, my sister, even Yvonne. All of them had turned on me after seeing this phone. They'd called me a monster. If there was nothing wrong with the phone itself, then what was the problem? I was still trying to make sense of it when Lucas suddenly shot to his feet. His expression was terrifying. Before I could react, he punched me hard across the face. The blow sent me crashing to the floor. My head slammed against the edge of his computer desk, splitting the skin open. I sucked in a sharp breath and clutched my head, staring at him in disbelief. "Are you out of your mind, Lucas? What the hell are you doing?" His eyes were ice-cold. Worse than that, they were filled with hatred. He strode straight toward me, grabbed me by the shirt, and started punching and kicking me without holding back. "You sick bastard! You know damn well what you did!" "You bought this phone for your own sister. You really think I can't tell what that means?" "And you had the nerve to bring it here and play dumb in front of me?" "You think just because I usually stay out of trouble, I'll ignore something like this?" "A piece of trash like you deserves to die!" "I'll kill you!" My eyes went wide. Lucas was over six feet tall and built like a tank. Now he was grabbing a chair, raising it as if he meant to smash it down on me. "You sick bastard! You deserve to die!" I started shaking. I scrambled toward the door, but even then, I didn't forget to snatch the broken phone off the table. I ran out of Lucas's place and kept going for more than ten minutes. Eventually, I ducked into a deserted side street. Only after I was sure he hadn't followed me did I lean against the wall, gasping for air. One thought kept pounding through my head. They'd all gone insane. Dad had wanted to come at me with a knife. And now even Lucas, my best friend of ten years, had nearly beaten me to death. They'd all lost their minds. Still shaken, I stared down at the shattered phone in my hand. Chapter 3 After hiding out for half an hour, I finally managed to calm down. The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that the problem had to be the phone. Every single person had reacted the same way. The moment they saw it, their expression changed. But no matter how long I fiddled with the thing, I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Photos: 0. Files: 0. It was obviously a brand-new phone. After thinking it over, I decided to try my luck at the phone store. They were the ones who sold it to me. And if something about this phone was responsible for ruining my life, then they had to take responsibility. Before going there, though, I decided to run one more test. I stopped at a small convenience store and bought a bottle of water. Then I casually struck up a conversation with the woman behind the counter and asked if she'd take a look at my phone. She examined it for a while, turning it over in her hands. "Nice choice. This is the newest model." Everything seemed completely normal. But then I said, "I actually bought it for my younger sister, and then..." The woman's face instantly went white. She hurled the phone straight at me and snatched the bottle of water out of my hand. "Get out!" "I'm not selling you anything. Get out of my store!" I stood there stunned. Before I could even react, she'd already grabbed a broom and started driving me toward the door. "We don't serve sick freaks like you!" "You'd better leave right now, or I'm calling the police!" When I saw her reaching for her phone to make the call, I panicked. I grabbed the shattered phone and hurried straight to the phone store. The moment I arrived, Lisa Chandler, the salesperson who had helped me before, came over to greet me. But instead of exchanging pleasantries, I slammed the phone down on the display counter. "Did you install some kind of virus on this thing?" "Why did my sister want to cut me out of her life the second she saw it?" "She called me a monster!" "My parents want nothing to do with me now, and even my wife wants a divorce because of this damn phone!" "What the hell did you put on it?" Lisa jumped at my outburst and immediately tried to calm me down. She started rattling off all the phone's features and telling me how reliable the model was. I didn't care. I demanded that they inspect it and figure out what was wrong. "Sir, the phone is damaged this badly, so unfortunately we can't offer a refund." "And this is one of the best models on the market. There shouldn't be anything wrong with it." She examined the phone, then nodded again. "I can assure you, there's no problem with it." "Then why did my sister react like that after I bought it for her?" The smile vanished from Lisa's face. She stared at me. "You mean..." "You bought this phone for your younger sister?" The next second, she lunged at me, her long nails clawing toward my face. "Boss! Call the police!" "There's a pervert in here! Call the police!" "You disgusting bastard!" "You bought this for your own sister? What the hell were you thinking?" "Boss, hurry up and call the police! Don't let this sick freak get away!" Her coworkers were startled by her sudden outburst. One of them quickly grabbed the phone from her. But the moment she looked at it, her expression turned strange. "Wait... I don't think this phone is..." Before she could finish, police officers rushed through the door. "The woman at the convenience store across the street reported a pervert in here." "Which one of you is it?" Chapter 4 The police took me to the station, and my phone was brought along as evidence. The entire way there, I kept protesting that I was innocent and telling them about all the bizarre things that had happened to me. The officers only frowned. Once we arrived, I was taken into an interview room. One of the officers kept tapping the table. Tap. Tap. Tap. The sound made my nerves worse with every second. I could barely sit still. "The owner of the convenience store reported you for allegedly..." Before he could finish, I shot to my feet and glared at him. "I didn't do anything!" The two officers reacted immediately, forcing me back into the chair and trying to calm me down. "I didn't do it, Officer!" "I don't even know what's happening!" "Everyone keeps misunderstanding me. Everyone keeps accusing me of things I never did." "If I've done one thing wrong, it was buying this phone two days before New Year's." "That's it!" "Because of this phone, my sister called me a monster. My parents disowned me. Even my wife, the woman I've loved and built a life with, is determined to divorce me." "I don't understand!" "All I did was buy a phone. What the hell did I do wrong?" After hearing everything I said, even the officers seemed somewhat moved. But they were police officers. They still had to remain objective and examine the phone. A preliminary inspection found nothing unusual. A more thorough forensic analysis would take time, so for now, the officers decided to simply turn it on and look through it themselves. At that point, the police were my last hope. I prayed that whatever had affected everyone else wouldn't affect them too. I just wanted someone to prove I was innocent. The pale glow from the phone screen illuminated one officer's face. Officer Brooks. The instant he looked at it, his expression changed. A vicious light flashed in his eyes. Then, without warning, he lunged at me like he wanted to tear me apart. "You sick bastard!" "I'll arrest you myself and drag you into court!" "I'll make sure everyone knows exactly what kind of monster you are!" "You disgusting piece of trash!" The other two officers quickly held him back. Then they looked at whatever was on the phone. The sympathy in their eyes vanished too. All that remained was cold disgust. My heart sank. I couldn't understand it. Why? Why was everyone reacting this way? Even the police? After a brief discussion, one of the officers looked at me coldly. "Based on what we've found, you're suspected of committing a sexual offense against a young woman." "You'll need to remain here while we investigate." I stopped struggling. At that point, I almost felt numb. I was waiting for them to take me away when another officer suddenly entered the room. He leaned over and whispered something into Officer Brooks's ear. Officer Brooks immediately frowned. He shot me an angry, unwilling look before letting out a heavy breath. "Mr. Henderson, someone has posted bail for you and provided evidence supporting your innocence." "You're free to go for now." His gaze remained cold. "But if I find out you really committed a crime, I'll arrest you myself." I stared at him in disbelief. Then relief and joy flooded through me. Someone had proved I was innocent. Someone had come for me. The moment I walked outside, I saw Yvonne. Behind her stood my parents and my younger sister. Yvonne's face remained expressionless. But I was already overwhelmed with emotion. For one stupid second, I wanted to rush over and pull her into my arms. Then she tossed a document at me and took half a step back. The disgust in her eyes was impossible to miss. Behind her, Mom and Dad turned their faces away as though they were ashamed even to look at me. My sister, who had only just turned eighteen, kept her head lowered without saying a word. "Don't misunderstand." Yvonne's voice was ice-cold. "Just because I paid to get you out doesn't mean I want to make up with you." "Seeing a disgusting animal like you makes me sick." She pointed at the document in my hands. "Those are divorce papers." "Sign them." "I don't want to spend one more day, one more second, having anything to do with you." Then her expression became even colder. "And there's something else." "I just found out I'm three months pregnant." My breath caught. Yvonne stared straight at me. "Don't worry. I'm not giving birth to the child of a monster." "I'm terminating the pregnancy." "You chose to do something this disgusting." "So you'd better be prepared to lose everyone." With that, she turned and walked away without looking back. I was left standing alone outside the police station, clutching the divorce papers. Yvonne had already signed them. Her signature was decisive. Impatient. As if she couldn't get away from me fast enough. She was even going to end the pregnancy. The child we'd created together. She wasn't leaving me a single thing to hold on to. I slowly crouched down, the divorce papers clenched in my hand. There was so much pain trapped inside me that I didn't even know how to let it out. Just one week ago, Yvonne and I had still been the perfect couple everyone envied. She'd loved me deeply and had been hoping more than anything that we'd have a child. Mom and Dad had been healthy. My sister had just turned eighteen and won an international award. The whole family had been looking forward to spending New Year's together. And I'd thought I had everything I could ever want. Then I bought one phone. Now my parents hated me enough to disown me. My sister called me a monster and wanted nothing to do with me. And my wife wanted to terminate our child and divorce me. My head was filled with questions. Had I really done something unforgivable to my family? If I had, why couldn't I remember any of it? And why did everyone seem to know the truth the instant they saw that phone? Everyone except me. I was the only one who couldn't see what was wrong with it. --- With those questions still spinning through my head, I walked into a psychiatric hospital. By then, I was convinced of one thing. I must have done something terrible. I just couldn't remember it. I needed a therapist to hypnotize me and help me uncover whatever I'd forgotten. If I really had committed some unforgivable crime, I would turn myself in. Then maybe, somehow, I could earn my family's forgiveness. With that thought in mind, I spent nearly all my savings on the treatment. But after the hypnosis session ended, the therapist still couldn't find anything. He could only shake his head. "There is no memory of you committing a crime." "Unless someone somehow altered your memories, there are really only two possibilities." "Either the memory is completely inaccessible..." "Or the crime you're describing never happened at all." I tightened my grip around the phone. For a moment, I considered showing it to him. But after everything that had happened, I stopped myself. I walked out of the hospital alone. Outside, I leaned against the railing and gave a bitter laugh. Maybe there really was no way out. Maybe I should just die. What was the point of staying alive anymore? Cars streamed past the entrance. I stared at the traffic. For one terrible moment, I thought about running straight into it and ending everything. Then a voice suddenly shouted from behind me. "Mr. Henderson!" I froze. "That phone!" The voice was getting closer. "I don't think that phone came from our store!" My entire body went still. And in that instant, every strange thing that had happened suddenly clicked into place. I finally understood. I knew exactly why all of this was happening.