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.
