第4章

My heart fills with hatred as I lift my tear-stained face, my red eyes burning with pure rage.

I hate Sage for killing my mother. I hate Kane for being so heartless and never believing in me at all.

Looking at Sage's smug face, I can't help but rush forward. Even without a wolf, I want to tear her apart.

"You killed her!" I scream, lunging at Sage with my bare hands. "You murdered my mother!"

But Kane steps in front of Sage, his Alpha power radiating outward as he waves his hand dismissively.

The force hits me like a freight train. I'm thrown against the hospital wall, my back slamming into the concrete with a sickening crack.

I slide down to the floor, coughing up several mouthfuls of blood that splatter across the white tiles.

Then, to my horror, my son Finn steps forward and kicks me several times in disgust.

"You lowly slave! Isn't it enough that you killed my mother? How dare you try to hurt my new mother!"

His small feet connect with my stomach and chest repeatedly. Each kick feels like a dagger to my heart.

The accusation attracts the attention of other people in the hospital. They stare and point fingers at us, whispering among themselves.

My heart feels like it's being tortured by a thousand cuts.

In the end, I can only watch helplessly as Sage takes Finn's hand and they disappear completely down the corridor.

Now my wolf is dead, my mother is dead, and my own son sees me as his mother's murderer. I have nothing left to cling to.

Over the next few days, I settle my mother's funeral arrangements and secretly prepare to leave.

One day I hear other servants in the Sterling house saying that Kane's mother's condition has greatly improved after surgery, and she has even awakened.

A desperate thought crosses my mind. Kane's mother was there that night - she might know what really happened between my mother and Kane's father.

Maybe she witnessed something that could reveal the truth. Maybe she knows my mother was innocent.

Although my mother is dead, I don't want her to bear the stigma forever.

I run frantically to the hospital, but Kane's mother is lying unconscious on the hospital bed just like always.

The door suddenly locks behind me. Sage walks in.

I ask, "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you, of course. Your mother is dead, but it seems you still won't give up. You still want to stay in the Sterling family."

"That's none of your business."

"But you're blocking my path, so I have to make it my business!"

I look at Sage's sinister smile and immediately sense something is wrong.

I turn to run, but it's already too late. Sage smiles as she pulls out a silver-tipped syringe and injects it directly into Kane's mother's IV line.

"This concentrated silver solution should do the trick," she whispers with satisfaction.

Suddenly, the heart monitor starts beeping frantically, alarms blaring throughout the room. The machines flash red warning lights as Kane's mother's vital signs spike dangerously.

Kane bursts through the door the next second, drawn by the urgent alarms.

Sage immediately changes to a pitiful expression. "Kane, you're finally here! Call the doctor quickly. It's all my fault for not watching carefully. I let Aria have the chance to poison your mother with silver!"

Kane's face contorts with pure rage and anguish. "How dare you! How could you do this to her when she's already fighting for her life!"

"I... I didn't! It wasn't me..."

But Kane doesn't give me any chance to explain. He immediately calls for the doctor.

His bloodshot eyes glare at me, filled with hatred and a trace of disappointment.

"Are you really this cruel? Do you have to kill my mother?" Kane asks through gritted teeth.

I shake my head desperately. "It really wasn't me! It was Sage—she's the one trying to harm your mother!"

"Why would she harm my mother? My mother has no grudge against her!"

Kane's large hand grips my throat viciously, veins bulging on his forehead. "Do you know that just yesterday I was still thinking, if your mother’s heart could really save my mother, maybe I could find it in my heart to forgive you. Maybe we could..."

He doesn't have the courage to continue, his eyes full of pain and hatred as he throws me aside.

I gasp for air desperately. The current Kane is no longer the Kane who once treasured me like a precious gem.

He won't believe a single word I say. I shed a tear of despair and stop trying to explain.

Kane's face turns iron-gray. He angrily orders people to lock me in the silver prison.

"Until my mother is past the critical period, no one is allowed to give her food or water! "