Chapter 3

Elsa's face turned pale when she heard my words.

Then she rushed over and grabbed my hands, pleading in a pitiful voice,

"I'm sorry, Jenifer. I forgot to tell you I'm allergic to nuts."

"I fell off the roof when I was a pup, and ever since, my memory hasn’t been great. I really forgot!"

"Please don’t be mad at me, Jenifer. You can just make a different flavor for me, can’t you?"

Seeing her fake, scheming smile made my stomach turn.

I clearly remembered the first time I made walnut cake for her—I had no idea she was allergic.

I did it purely out of kindness and sincerity, hoping to build a friendship.

Just because she casually said she liked it, I went through dozens of attempts, burning my hands badly in the process.

But I didn't give up. I pushed through the pain and finally baked the perfect cake—for her.

However, Elsa ended up fainting from her nut allergy.

When she regained consciousness, she threw herself into our parents’ arms, sobbing:

“Mom, Dad, please don’t blame Jenifer! She worked so hard just to bake me a cake!”

“She even said it wouldn’t matter if I only had one bite!”

“Please don’t punish her! It’s my fault—I shouldn’t have been so greedy!”

Under my parents’ resentful glares, I stood frozen at her bedside, not knowing what to say.

“I didn’t know Elsa was allergic to nuts,” I murmured. “She never told me...”

But instead of understanding, all I got was my father's merciless rage—

roaring, cursing, and a face twisted with hatred.

His wolf had lost all control. Claws unsheathed, he nearly slashed my face when he struck the wall beside me.

My wolf flinched, terrified.

That moment left a scar deeper than any wound—

from that day on, she never felt safe again.

He glared at me with undisguised disgust and roared,

“Everyone in this house knows Elsa’s allergic to nuts! Why are you the only one who doesn’t?”

“Don’t try to fool us with your pathetic lies! I know exactly why you did it—you were jealous because we love her more!”

After that, I was thrown into the cellar. Three whole days of hell.

No food. No water. No light. No air.

By the time they let me out, my wolf was barely breathing.

My lips were cracked and bleeding. I could hear my wolf whimpering in agony inside me.

Thinking of that nightmare, I replied to her coldly,

“I don’t have time to bake it myself. Do it on your own—or buy one from a store.”

Elsa clung tightly to my arm, her voice trembling with fear:

“I don’t want to eat it again, Jenifer. Please don’t be mad at me, okay? You’re my best big sister. I can’t lose you!”

But as she spoke, I saw it—a flicker of hatred in her eyes.

Her claws dug deeper into my skin, sinking in slowly but deliberately. The pressure grew stronger with each word she uttered.

Pain shot up my arm, but before I could pull away, she suddenly collapsed to the ground—making it look as if I had pushed her.

My parents and William immediately panicked the moment they saw her fall.

My mother rushed over, scooping her up and frantically checking her injuries.

It looked like Elsa had hit the back of her head. She leaned limply against my mother, sobbing weakly,

“Mom… my head… it really hurts. Am I going to lose my memory again?”

William gently touched her wound and began rubbing it softly. Then he turned to me with a glare full of accusation and disappointment.

“How could you be so vicious, Jenifer? You’ve let me down—completely!”

My father's wolf let out a furious growl.

In the blink of an eye, he lunged forward—and before I could even react, I was knocked to the ground by the force of his uncontrollable rage.

He hadn’t meant to hit me. But he did.

And in that moment, I realized something terrifying—

even my father’s wolf saw me as the enemy.

“You shameless she-wolf!” he roared.

“If you hadn’t pushed her off the roof, would she still be suffering from memory loss?”

“We never would have had you if we’d known you'd turn out to be this cruel!”

“Get to your room—now—and reflect on what you’ve done!”

Because of the violent impact, I heard my wolf whimper faintly inside me.

Her voice was broken and weak as she whispered,

"I... I can’t stand up anymore."

Even her howls had lost their strength—like her spirit was cracking apart inside me.

My mother seemed to hear the agony in my wolf’s cry. For a fleeting second, a flicker of sympathy passed through her eyes.

But in the next moment, Elsa’s louder sobs stole her attention again, and she turned away to comfort her without hesitation.

I struggled to my feet, my legs trembling, my hands pressed hard against the wall for support.

Limping, I dragged myself back to my room.

I didn’t sit there to reflect on my “fault.”

Instead, I quietly pulled out the small bag I had prepared in secret.

When they saw me come out with the package, they looked stunned—then sneered.

“Well, well... off to run away from home again? Playing that game once more?”

“Jenifer, why can’t you understand your parents? We only punish you because we care. We just want you to correct your mistakes.”

“If you can’t admit you were wrong, then don’t bother coming back once you leave this den!”

Their words hit me like icy wind, but my heart had already turned to stone.

I’d been hurt too deeply—too many times.

They had said “don’t come back” more times than I could count.

And this time, I wasn’t going to beg to stay.

There was nothing left for me in that so-called home—no love, no warmth, only pain and bitter memories.

Without looking back, I walked out of the den.

Just then, my father grabbed a bottle and hurled it at the ground with all his rage.

The deafening shatter froze me in place.

As I instinctively turned around, sharp glass shards flew straight at my face. One slashed across my forehead.

Warm blood began to trickle down, slow and steady, blurring my vision—reminding me again that even pain could still feel so real.

But I didn’t give in.

I turned around and faced them all, my voice steady, sharp, and cold:

“I have nothing left to hold on to in this place. If I’m nothing but shame in your eyes—

then I’ll cut all ties with you. For good.”

“How dare you! What are you saying?” my father bellowed.