Can’t Win Me Back by Ginger Sue

As Landon entered the living hall, his eyes reddened from the emotions swelling within him. Everything appeared unchanged, as if nothing had occurred.
A gentle voice, once a source of comfort, broke the silence. "Mr. Landon, you're back."
"I'm back," he choked out. His smile, though warm, faded as he realized there would be no reply to follow.
With a heavy thud, Landon's knees buckled beneath him. He crumpled onto the floor, his once sturdy frame folding inward. Silent sobs wracked his body as he curled into a ball.
"Landon!"
"Mr. Landon!"
Jasper and Jordan rushed to his side; concern etched on their faces. But the only response was the quiet sound of wet tears hitting the ground.
Landon buried his head in his arms, his body wracked with silent cries.
"Landon, Jordan and I will help you gather Angelina's belongings. You don't have to force yourself to do it," Jasper said, holding Landon's trembling shoulders, his own eyes red with emotion.
"I-I'm fine," Landon insisted, wiping away his tears forcefully as he struggled to rise, using his arms for support as he made his way upstairs.
Watching his friend's stubborn yet fragile form ascend the staircase, Jasper's heart constricted with anguish.
He recalled a time when mentioning Angelina would always bring a flamboyant grin to Landon's face. She wasn't just an employee; she was family—a loyal companion through thick and thin.
They reached the room where Angelina had stayed.
The room was pristine, with only a bed, a wardrobe, and a table. Its simplicity belied the fact that it had once been occupied by a young woman.
Jasper and Jordan, hesitant to disturb the sanctity of the space, remained by the door as Landon gently brushed his fingertips across the desk's surface, sensing the lingering scent of Angelina on the unwrinkled bedsheet.
Opening her wardrobe, Landon beheld each luxurious evening gown, carefully preserved in plastic as if untouched by time. Tears welled in his eyes as memories flooded his mind.
"Angelina used to accompany me to every business party I needed a date for," Landon said, his voice tinged with emotion as he lifted out a chili-red evening gown. "I'll never forget how stunning she looked in these gowns.
"Those creeps wouldn't stop staring at her. Every time I brought her out, I'd come home seething with anger. I didn't love her romantically; I just couldn't stand the thought of other men ogling someone I considered my sister."
His voice cracked with self-derision. "A good-for-nothing like me didn't deserve a sister like her."
Jasper's heart twisted in anguish while Jordan silently shed tears.
As Landon prepared to close the wardrobe, his gaze fell upon a brown leather box nestled at the bottom of the clothes. Intrigued, he retrieved the box and placed it on the bed.
Slowly opening it, he revealed a pink diary adorned with a bunny hugging a carrot, its pages secured by a plastic lock requiring a password.
Although the lock could have been easily broken, Landon hesitated, pondering for a moment before impulsively entering his birthday.
The lock clicked open.