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Chapter 2

Penulis: Liora Z
Early the next morning, my mother walked into my room holding a takeout box.

I stared at the box, a bit stunned.

I recognized the logo. It was from the restaurant where they celebrated with Jessica last night.

My mother casually handed the box to me and said, "I made this for you myself. Eat up."

I smelled the entirely unfamiliar scent coming from the bowl. I remembered how, ever since my inner wolf began failing, I threw up everything I ate.

So my mother used to prepare different meals for me every day by hand.

Hers was the only food I could keep down.

Back then, she’d sit by my bed, feeding me spoonful by spoonful, her eyes red, saying she would cook for me for the rest of her life as long as I got better.

But now, looking at this cold, leftover porridge they clearly brought back from a restaurant, I couldn't stomach a single bite.

My mother didn't notice anything wrong. She just asked, "Did Jessica drop her favorite bracelet in here?"

My chest tightened.

"No."

"How could it not be here? She came to see you yesterday, and it was gone when she got back."

Refusing to believe me, my mother yanked all my drawers open.

Pill bottles, medical reports, and photos of me as a pup were shoved carelessly aside.

One of my painkiller bottles fell and rolled under the bed.

I gripped the edge of the mattress, trying to get down to pick it up, but my vision went black, and I nearly collapsed.

My mother saw this and frowned.

"Didn't the healer say they stabilized you last night?"

"Why are you still faking it for sympathy?"

I looked up at her.

So, in her eyes, surviving resuscitation meant I was fine.

Just like all these years, every time I barely survived my wolf failing, they assumed it would be exactly the same the next time.

"Mom, my wolf won't even last a month."

My mother’s hands stopped.

But a second later, she calmly shut the closet door as if nothing had happened.

"Healers always like to exaggerate."

"When you were eighteen, they said you were in critical condition too, and didn't you make it to today?"

She noticed I hadn't touched the porridge and frowned. "Why aren't you eating?"

"I..."

She cut me off impatiently. "Forget it. I know you're throwing a tantrum again. When are you going to grow up?"

"Jessica still needs me to take care of her. I'll come see you later."

After the door closed, I sat alone in the empty room for a very long time.

A nurse ended up getting the pill bottle out from under the bed for me.

Seeing how pale I was, she heated up a glass of milk.

"Why aren't the Alpha and Luna staying with you?"

I lowered my eyes.

"They're busy."

Busy arranging Jessica's injection schedule, busy contacting post-op rehab centers, and busy planning the rest of her healthy life.

That afternoon, the elite medical team assigned to me suddenly came in and started packing up their equipment.

I stopped one of them.

"What are you doing?"

"It's an order from the Alpha. We're moving the equipment to Miss Jessica's suite."

The head nurse rushed over, looking uncomfortable.

"Jessica's constitution is weak; she needs top-tier, round-the-clock monitoring."

"The Alpha said that since you're only receiving conservative treatment now anyway..."

My room became completely bare.

A family portrait slipped out of my medical file and fluttered to the floor.

It was taken on my fifteenth birthday.

Jessica had just joined the family back then, standing timidly at the very edge.

My mother was holding me, and my father and Caleb were on either side of me, putting a birthday hat on my head.

That was the last photo we ever took where I was in the center.

At 9:00 PM, Jessica updated her social media.

It was a photo of the four of them sitting on the living room couch.

A new family portrait. Without me.

I stared at the blue princess dress Jessica was wearing.

Half a month ago, Caleb asked me what I wanted for my birthday.

I sent him a picture of that exact dress.

He had scoffed at me then.

You barely leave the house. It's a waste to buy it.

A few minutes later, Caleb texted me.

Jessica said she saw the dress first. She really likes it. Don't fight with her over this and upset her.

I stared at the screen for a long time before replying with a single word.

Okay.

Once I died, everything in that house that belonged to me would become hers anyway.

Sooner or later, what difference did it make?
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  • They Partied While I Died Alone   Chapter 8

    After the funeral, the packhouse felt like a tomb.The last straw was a bracelet Mom found by accident while cleaning.Jessica had buried it deep at the bottom of her jewelry box. Mom recognized it instantly. It was the exact same bracelet she had torn my hospital room apart looking for—the one Jessica swore she'd lost.Mom held the bracelet like it was burning her skin, her hands shaking uncontrollably. The memory finally hit her—how she had doubted me over this stupid piece of jewelry. How she had even accused me of faking my sickness for attention."Didn't you say... you lost this in Sansa's room?" Mom’s voice was hollow, raspy.Jessica went pale. She lunged to snatch it back, but Caleb grabbed her wrist."I... I just forgot! I didn't mean to..." Jessica burst into tears. Her usual trick."Then what about this?" Caleb pulled out a journal. It was hers. He’d found it by accident. Every page reeked of her hatred for me.The 'lost' bracelet? A setup to make Mom hate me.The torn dre

  • They Partied While I Died Alone   Chapter 7

    The wine glass shattered on the carpet. My mother stared blankly at him. Caleb’s lips trembled. "The hospital... they said no one has claimed her body." My mother froze, then actually let out a dry, disbelieving laugh. "How is that possible?" "She just transferred hospitals. When she was eighteen, it was much worse than this, and she survived just fine, didn't she?" My father turned livid, furious, convinced this was some sick joke. "It has to be a prank call! If something really happened, why would they wait half a month to tell us?" As if suddenly remembering something, Caleb pulled the crumpled critical condition notice from his pocket with shaking hands. My father caught sight of the bright red warning print on the paper, and the words caught in his throat."You had a critical notice? Why didn't you go find the healer?!" Caleb stood frozen in place. "I thought... I thought she'd just pull through like she always did." With those words, absolute silence descended on the

  • They Partied While I Died Alone   Chapter 6

    During the half-month she stayed in the hospital to recover, no one seriously tried to find me. My father had his beta look into it. When he reported that I hadn't been seen at the hospital for a long time, my father immediately assumed I had transferred just to spite them. "She's purposely hiding from us." My father flipped through the rehab schedule, his face cold. "She thinks if she does this, we'll feel guilty for giving up on her." My mother, however, seemed faintly uneasy. "She was being resuscitated when she left. Could she really handle a hospital transfer by herself?" My father didn't answer. Caleb stood by the window, staring silently at our text messages. His last message to me was him demanding to know why I wouldn't just hand over the dress. Jessica quickly grabbed my mother’s hand, her eyes red. "Is she still mad at me?" "If I hadn't taken the serum, she wouldn't be this angry." My mother instantly hid her worry and comforted her gently. "It's not your faul

  • They Partied While I Died Alone   Chapter 5

    Patient's inner wolf is on the verge of total collapse. Multiple organ failure is imminent. Family members must report immediately.Caleb stared dead at the words, spinning around to run toward the ER. But just then, the operating room doors opened. Jessica was wheeled out, barely conscious, but her fingers weakly grabbed the edge of his shirt. "Caleb..." He looked down at her pale face and, in the end, couldn't pull away. My mother noticed the paper in his hand and asked, confused. "What does the paper say?" "By the way, where did she go?" Caleb’s throat tightened. "It's a critical condition notice." "Then you should go check on her," my mother said. But the moment the words left her mouth, Jessica suddenly frowned in pain, letting out a soft, miserable whimper. The family instantly crowded around her again. My father gripped Caleb’s shoulder. "She’s survived worse than this before." "Jessica just went through an incredibly dangerous injection. She needs her brother to c

  • They Partied While I Died Alone   Chapter 4

    It rained heavily on the day of the injection. My parents and Caleb stood outside her room before the sun even came up. My mother brushed her hair, while my father repeatedly confirmed the risks with the healer. Caleb crouched by the bed, placing my ivory pendant around her neck. "Don't be afraid." "We'll all be right outside waiting for you." I stood at the far end of the hallway, watching them quietly. No one noticed I was also in a hospital gown, looking terrifyingly pale. In the early hours of the morning, my wolf had suffered a severe fracture, triggering organ failure. I was rushed into the ER. The healer said the regular ward was no longer suitable and needed my family to sign a critical condition notice. But they couldn't reach them. The nurses had no choice but to let me go look for them myself. I had barely taken a few steps before the tearing agony in my soul made my vision go dark. Every breath felt like a rusty knife slowly twisting inside me. My mother saw m

  • They Partied While I Died Alone   Chapter 3

    By the third day after my medical team was reassigned, the agony of my fading wolf kept me awake all night. In the past, whenever I was in too much pain to sleep, my father would sit by my bed, reading me bedtime stories in his deep voice, or telling me about his youthful adventures to coax me to sleep. But since Jessica got sick, he hadn't told me a story in a long time. I couldn't help but call him. It rang for a long time before he answered. Through the phone, I could hear Jessica whining softly, and my father patiently comforting her. Only after they were done did he remember I was still on the line. "What is it?" "Dad, I can't sleep." He sounded incredibly impatient. "You're an adult werewolf now. Stop acting like an unweaned pup." "Jessica needs me here to calm her nerves right now." I wanted to tell him that I needed him too. But over the phone, Jessica suddenly called out for him. My father hung up immediately. I could only stare at the moonlight outside the wind

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