Chapter 2

"You don't want to wait either?" Byron frowned at me, his eyes heavy with pressure.

I pushed down the hatred boiling inside me and looked at him calmly.

"I'll wait with you."

The others, seeing me take his side, instantly erupted in anger.

"Bethany, can't you be a little more mature? This is our future we're talking about!"

"Are you serious? How can you side with him?"

"If we miss our chance to get into Centraford because of this, who's going to take the blame?"

Their complaints only made Byron more annoyed.

He waved the tickets in the air and glared at them coldly.

"Shut up! That's enough out of all of you.

"You're only getting into Centraford because of me. If you keep pushing it, no one's going anywhere."

Then, seeing that I was still standing by his side, he gave a satisfied nod.

"My mate knows what's up. You all could learn from her."

I gave him a cold, silent smile.

He really was good at playing the hero. He was acting like this was all thanks to him when that wasn't the case at all.

I was the one who led everyone in working day and night, spinning thread, weaving fabric, and selling them all over just to save up enough money. That was how each of us managed to get 30 thousand dollars for those tickets.

The only ones who didn't earn their tickets were Byron and Lisa. I had paid for theirs with the money I worked my hands raw to make.

And in this life, they wanted to use me all over again?

Not a chance.

The deep rumble of the train came from ahead, like a death sentence echoing through the station.

Our friend, Eric Tomlinson, saw the train approaching and suddenly snapped, "Damn it, Byron! Give me the damn tickets!"

He used to be a rogue. Getting into Centraford meant everything to him.

He nearly worked himself to death for more than a month just to scrape together the money.

Now, with time running out, he lunged at Byron, trying to grab the tickets.

Byron dodged and held the lighter within a hair's breadth of the tickets.

The edges of the tickets started to blacken.

Everyone gasped, eyes wide in shock. No one dared to even breathe too loudly.

Just then, a soft, girlish voice floated over.

"Byron…"

Lisa strolled in like she had all the time in the world, her pale face glowing with a lazy smile. She even pulled out a lipstick and touched up her lips as she walked.

People started scolding her for being so slow.

Lisa acted as if she hadn't heard a thing, flashing an innocent smile.

Only when Byron saw her arrive did he finally put away the lighter.

"Alright, now we can all go."

He handed her the ticket with a smile full of affection.

Lisa took it, but not before giving his hand a squeeze, her eyes soft and full of emotion as she looked at him.

My eyes darkened. In my past life, how could I have been so blind?

How did I not see what these two were doing behind my back?

I honestly believed they were just close like siblings.

My father had been a warrior. He died in action during a mission, becoming one of our pack's honored heroes.

My mother had gone into labor while hearing the news of his death. Her anguish caused complications, and she died from blood loss.

I became an orphan. Byron's mother took me in.

But I always knew the truth. They only adopted me for what they could gain.

What they really wanted wasn't just my mother's weaving techniques so I could make money for them—it was the huge compensation given to the families of fallen warriors. That sum reached into the hundreds of thousands.

I wanted Byron's love, so I chose to endure.

Even when his mother barely gave me enough to eat or wear, beat me, cursed at me, and made me work like a mule, I took it all for Byron.

I slaved away for ten years, doing everything I could.

Looking back now, I was such a fool.

He never cared about me. He only saw me as someone to use, while I gave him my heart like an idiot, loving him for years.

What a joke.

Dying made me realize he never deserved my love.

Maybe that was my punishment for loving the wrong person.