Chapter 1

A few seconds later, my father, Henry Clifford, laughed coldly and said, "Katie, do you think you can get out of apologizing to Daisy with a casual lie or two?"

Upon hearing his reply, I suddenly lost the desire to explain myself.

I had once explained my part in rescuing my younger sister, Daisy, from the fire that broke out seven years ago.

Our house had caught fire, but Daisy locked herself in her room and refused to open it no matter how much I pleaded with her.

In the heat of the moment, I ran straight out of the house and smashed her room window open to rescue her without regard for the raging flames.

It was while running through the sea of flames that I sustained the burns on my arm.

I had only been 11 years old back then.

I thought my parents would be proud of me and praise me for a job well done.

Contrary to my expectations, they believed Daisy's one-sided account and only concerned themselves with comforting her as she cried.

No matter how much I tried to explain myself, they still believed I was a liar.

Dad was furious at my lack of reaction.

He ended the live stream, grabbed a glass off the table, and smashed it violently against the floorboards.

A sharp, stinging pain shot through my calves as shards of glass sliced into my skin.

"So, you're adamant about not apologizing, are you? Fine. From now on, you won't get a single penny from us. You can just fend for yourself!" Dad yelled.

My eldest brother, Hans Clifford, frowned and said, "Dad, she's still a student at the werewolf academy."

My eyelashes fluttered, and my heart skipped a few beats.

When I was young, Hans used to dote on me the most.

The first time I ran a high fever, he watched over me all night long.

Even when I found the medicinal herbs too bitter, he patiently coaxed me into eating them.

"Be a good girl, Katie. I have some sweets here for you," he would say cajolingly.

For the past seven years, I always thought he would continue to love me as he used to.

I trusted him enough that I couldn't help my anticipation upon hearing his words.

Yet, in the next second, I heard him continue coldly, "At least let her finish her courses so that she doesn't go around telling people that we're mistreating her."

I smiled self-deprecatingly.

The greatest tragedy wasn't never having been loved, but continuing to hold on to hope despite countless disappointments.

My second brother, Hayden Clifford, pointed at the front door and shouted, "To hell with that! If she won't apologize, then she can just get out! Get out of this house!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, thunder rumbled loudly.

I couldn't help but look at my mother, Rose Miller.

When I was young and couldn't sleep at night because I was scared of thunder, she would always hug me gently.

"Don't be scared, Katie. I'll protect you," she would say.

She was still here now, but all I could see in her eyes was disgust.

Her promise to protect me was also a thing of the past, just like the fire.

I gritted my teeth and reached for the door.

The movement pulled at my old burns, making them feel just like they had during the fire years ago.

Just as I walked out the front door, Daisy called out to me.

"Katherine."

When I looked back, I saw tears in her eyes.

"Why do you have to lie about rescuing me? Would I deliberately slander you?" she asked.

Mom cried at that, her heart aching.

She wrapped her arms around Daisy and screamed at me to get lost.

The door slammed shut behind me.

Soon, I heard Mom comforting Daisy inside while I stood in the cold rain, shivering from head to toe.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated—my attending healer had sent me a message.

"Katherine, the toxins have spread throughout your body. Please seek treatment as soon as possible."

After a moment's hesitation, I deleted the message.

Nobody would believe me even if I shared the news anyway.

Seven years ago, they didn't believe that I'd rescued Daisy; seven years later, they definitely wouldn't believe that I was about to die.

As I gazed out into the dark, rainy night, I suddenly wondered how they would react if I really died.