Chapter 2

The ambulance finally arrived to take me to the healing center.

The bumpy ride sent excruciating pain through my body. Whenever the ambulance jolted, pain shot through the wounds in my abdomen.

I kept drifting in and out of consciousness, only to black out from the pain moments later.

Whenever I managed to open my eyes, Kevin was always on the phone with Wayne, asking how Lina was doing.

By the time I was wheeled into the operating room, I could barely hear anything anymore. All I heard was the healer cutting away my blood-stained clothes. Then she inhaled sharply.

"The patient's wounds are contaminated with silver dust, and her internal organs are ruptured. We need to operate on her now!"

The operation lasted a whole six hours. When I finally came to, I found the hospital room empty. No one was there beside me.

Every time I breathed, pain tore through my body. I took out my phone and hesitated for a long time before sending Wayne a message. "How's Lina doing?"

Wayne replied almost immediately. "She's in stable condition now."

My fingers hovered over the screen for a few moments before I typed out another message. "Could you come see me? I'm in the hospital room."

Wayne replied curtly, "Sure."

I waited in the hospital room for a very long time. The healer had already changed my dressings twice, and she was about to change them for the third time.

The words slipped out before I even realized what I was asking. "Where are Kevin and Wayne?"

The healer paused for a moment. "Ms. Muhl won't stop crying, so Captain Green and Deputy Aston are with her. Your injuries are pretty severe, so you need proper treatment. Otherwise, you may not make it through the next few days."

I stared at the hospital room door, feeling hollow inside. So, I had almost died.

It wasn't until evening that Wayne finally came in, but Kevin wasn't with him. He said gently, "Lina had a terrible scare, so she couldn't be left alone. She's doing better now, so I came to see you."

My lips were cracked as I said softly, "I was in surgery for six hours."

Wayne glanced at the monitor and said calmly, "You've always been in good shape. One surgery isn't going to hurt you."

I wanted to reach for his sleeve, but the moment I moved, pain shot through my abdomen. My hand fell heavily back onto the bed.

"Wayne, my internal organs were badly damaged. I almost died on the operating table."

Wayne scowled in annoyance. "Well, you made it, didn't you?"

My heart sank. Back then, Wayne would panic even over a tiny cut on my hand. He would have me lie on the bed while he bandaged it himself.

That day, I had barely escaped death, and all he could say was, "Well, you made it, didn't you?"

The healer came in to check on me, her expression solemn. "You can't get yourself all worked up now."

Distracted, Wayne hummed in response, his mind still on Lina. "How's Lina doing?"

Before the healer could even respond, Lina's cries drifted in from the room next door.

Wayne shot to his feet and rushed out. Not long after, Kevin walked into the room and stared at the equipment beside my bed.

At first, I thought Kevin was here to see me. For a moment, I was delighted to see him.

But Kevin simply said coldly, "There's only one specialized machine like this in the entire healing center. Lina's in critical condition, so we need to give it to her."

The healer froze for a moment before stepping forward to stop Kevin. "Without this machine, Leia will die."

Kevin simply disconnected the machine. "You healers always like to exaggerate the risks."

The moment he saw the disbelief in my eyes, his voice turned icy. "Leia, don't be a fool. Stop trying to compete with Lina. We owe her this much. Our family owes her a debt we can never repay."

My heart lurched. I couldn't believe what I had just heard.

Lina's parents had sacrificed their lives to save our parents. Ever since, our family had done everything we could to make it up to her.

Memories kept flooding back. When I was 12, I fought hard in the pack's competition and won the one and only wolf-emblem pendant.

I had wanted that prize all year. I held the pendant, refusing to let it go.

The moment Lina saw the pendant, her eyes were filled with tears. She lowered her head and muttered that she wished she had it too.

Seeing that, Kevin snatched the pendant from my hand and shoved it into Lina's hand. "Leia, be more considerate. Let Lina have it. We owe her family so much. It's just a pendant, okay?"

Tears filled my eyes as I refused to give up the pendant. I whispered, "I won that pendant fair and square."

Kevin scowled as he lectured me for being so narrow-minded and selfish.

Back then, if Lina had her eye on something, it would always end up being hers.

Mom used to make me special sachets filled with calming herbs, but if Lina said she liked them, I had to hand them over.

Every year, even at my own birthday, Lina would always get the first slice of cake.

Kevin had even promised to take me into the mountains to see the fireflies—just the two of us. As soon as Lina said she wanted to come along, the entire plan would revolve around what she wanted instead.

I was young back then. I kept telling myself that Lina's parents had sacrificed themselves to save mine, so I should always give in.

I thought all I had to do was give up the things I wanted. I never imagined that I would still have to give in even when my life was on the line.