Chapter 2
1330 Words
Olivia’s POV
Aria’s words hit me like a sudden beam of light in a world that had been dark for far too long.
“A cure…?” My voice trembled.
She nodded quickly, eyes shining. “I went to another tribe. Their healers owed our pack a favor. They agreed to give us a treatment—they’re sending the medicine over. It’ll be here soon.”
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Then, with all the strength I could gather, I forced myself upright and threw my arms around her.
My body was weak, trembling, but I held her tightly, as if she were the only thing keeping me from slipping away.
“Thank you… Aria… thank you…” My voice broke, tears spilling uncontrollably. “I thought… I really thought I was going to die…”
“You’re not,” she whispered, hugging me back just as tightly. “Not while I’m here. Just hold on a little longer, okay? The medicine is on its way.”
Hope—fragile, unfamiliar, and painfully bright—spread through my chest.
Under her gentle reassurance, exhaustion soon pulled me under. My eyes closed, and for the first time in days, I fell into a restless but real sleep.
—
When I woke, the room was quiet.
For a second, I couldn’t remember where I was. Then the weakness returned, heavy and suffocating.
And then—
Laughter.
It came from the next room. Warm. Familiar.
My heart skipped.
Slowly, I pushed myself out of bed, gripping the edge for support. My legs trembled beneath me as I made my way to the door, each step unsteady.
I opened it.
And froze.
In the next room, my whole family was gathered around Evelyn.
Mother sat beside her, carefully feeding her sliced fruit, her expression soft and tender.
Father leaned back in his chair, telling a story about something amusing that had happened in the pack earlier, his voice animated, eyes full of warmth.
Lucas stood close beside Evelyn, holding her hand, occasionally smoothing her sleeve or adjusting the blanket draped over her shoulders.
Evelyn smiled faintly, leaning into their attention.
The room was filled with laughter—light, easy, intimate.
Like a family.
A real one.
For a moment, I just stood there, invisible.
I opened my mouth, wanting to say something—anything.
But the world suddenly tilted.
My vision blurred. My head spun violently, my body turning cold and heavy.
The next second, my knees buckled.
I crashed to the floor.
The laughter stopped.
“—Olivia?” someone said, startled.
Lucas immediately stood up, stepping toward me. “Olivia, are you—”
“Don’t go to her.”
Father’s voice cut through sharply, stopping him in his tracks.
Lucas hesitated.
Father frowned, his gaze hard as it fell on me. “She’s doing it again. Evelyn just got sick, and now she suddenly collapses too. Always trying to steal attention.”
I sat on the floor, palms pressing weakly against the ground as I tried to push myself up. My arms trembled violently, strength draining away faster than I could gather it.
I couldn’t stand.
I couldn’t even kneel properly.
Mother sighed, her tone filled with irritation. “Look at you. You seem perfectly fine to me. Where’s this ‘terminal illness’ you keep talking about? Two days left, was it? Stop exaggerating.”
My throat tightened. “I… I’m not lying…” My voice was hoarse, barely audible. “I really… don’t have any strength…”
Evelyn’s soft voice broke in gently. “Maybe… maybe she’s not pretending. She looks pale… Don’t scold her anymore, Mom, Dad…”
Her words sounded kind, considerate.
“See?” Father said approvingly. “Evelyn is sick herself and still worrying about you.”
Lucas glanced at me, his brows drawn together. “You should learn from her, Olivia. She’s ill too, yet she still cares about others.”
The words struck like a blade.
I looked up at him, desperation burning in my chest. “Lucas… I’m telling the truth. I… I really can’t stand…”
“Enough,” Mother snapped, cutting me off. “Not only do you not care about Evelyn, you keep lying and making a scene.”
My hands slipped against the floor. Sweat dripped from my forehead, my breathing uneven and shallow.
Father suddenly frowned. “Wait… something’s wrong. She’s sweating too much.”
Lucas straightened, finally stepping toward me.
But just as he took a step—
“Ah—!”
Evelyn let out a sharp scream.
Her eyes rolled back, and her body went limp, collapsing sideways onto the couch.
“Evelyn!” Mother cried, rushing to her side.
Father followed immediately, panic replacing his anger.
Lucas didn’t hesitate.
He turned—running straight past me.
“Call the healer!” he shouted, already heading for the door.
No one looked at me again.
I was still on the floor, trembling, my fingers curled helplessly against the cold surface.
My vision darkened at the edges.
The voices around me became distant, blurred, fading.
Then everything went black.
And I knew nothing after that.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying back on the hospital bed.
For a brief moment, warmth spread through my chest.
They must have carried me here… I thought.
Maybe… maybe they still cared. At least a little.
The thought was fragile, but I clung to it instinctively, like the last piece of driftwood in a storm.
Then I heard voices.
Soft. Low. Whispering just beyond the curtain.
“…She’s really pitiful,” a woman murmured—it sounded like one of the nurses. “She collapsed on the floor for so long and no one from her family even noticed.”
Another voice sighed. “They were all busy taking care of the younger sister. If a passing patient hadn’t helped lift her up and call us, who knows how long she would’ve been left there.”
My breath hitched.
The warmth inside my chest shattered instantly, turning into something cold and sharp.
“…No one came back for her?” the first voice asked quietly.
“Not once,” the other replied. “They didn’t even realize she’d lost consciousness.”
Silence fell for a moment.
Then a third person spoke, lowering their voice even further. “You know what’s worse?”
“What?”
“The medicine her friend risked everything to get for her…” the voice hesitated, then continued, “…her mate gave it to her sister.”
My heart stopped.
“What? The one from another tribe?”
“Yes. I saw it myself. He personally handed it over. Said the younger sister needed it more.”
“But her sister’s condition isn’t even serious!” the first nurse exclaimed in disbelief. “It’s nothing compared to hers—”
“That’s what I’m saying. This girl… she’s been abandoned completely.”
Each word fell like a hammer, smashing the last fragile pieces inside me.
The air felt thin. My chest burned as if something inside had collapsed entirely.
Lucas… gave it to Evelyn?
The medicine Aria begged for… the one meant to save my life…?
My fingers dug weakly into the bedsheet. My vision spun violently, dark spots crowding the edges.
No.
No… that couldn’t be true.
I forced myself to sit up, every movement tearing through my body. My arms trembled, barely supporting my weight as I struggled to stay conscious.
The curtain shifted as the nurses noticed.
“Ah— you’re awake!” one of them stepped forward quickly. “Please don’t move, your condition—”
“You…” My voice came out broken, almost unrecognizable. “What… what did you just say…?”
They froze.
My hands gripped the edge of the bed, knuckles pale. “Just now… you said… my medicine…” My throat tightened painfully. “My life-saving medicine… was given to Evelyn?”
- Writer
