17 Years of Empty Draws: The Neglected Triplet Never Forgives Chapter 08

17 Years of Empty Draws: The Neglected Triplet Never Forgives Chapter 08

“Are they your family?” Stellan spoke first.

“No. I don’t have family.”

My voice stayed calm.

He patted my back gently.

“I’ll head inside and wait for you.”

In only a short while, my parents looked far older. Fine lines spread across Mom’s eyes, and Dad’s shoulders hunched further.

When Mom saw me, she rushed forward and grabbed my hand, her voice shaky with tears.

“Celestine, you traveled so far alone. Why didn’t you tell us? Do you know how worried we were?”

I pulled my hand free gently and stepped back.

“Mrs. Veyne.”

Mom was stunned. She stumbled and nearly lost her balance.

“What did you call me?” she asked in disbelief.

“Mrs. Veyne. You’ve always said how much better life would be if you only had Maren and Aurelia. Now your wish has come true.”

Dad hurried to explain, “Those were just words spoken in anger. You can’t take them seriously.”

“18 years of angry words?” My tone remained completely flat.

Dad fell silent.

Mom quickly pulled out a box holding a brand-new crystal bracelet. It was far more delicate than the ones Maren and Aurelia owned.

“Celestine, we bought this just for you. Haven’t you always wanted something like this?”

“Here, try it on and see if it fits.”

Mom tried her hardest to sound gentle, yet her voice trembled uncontrollably at the edges.

“Haven’t you already given me one?”

They froze, unable to reply.

Maren cut in quickly to ease the tension.

“We picked this out specially for you. Your name is engraved on it.”

“If it’s so precious, why wasn’t it given to me on my 18th birthday?”

No one answered.

I spoke first, my voice cold and steady.

“That’s because on my 18th birthday, I wasn’t an S-rank werewolf, and I hadn’t gotten into Royal Evergreen Academy.”

“In your eyes, I didn’t deserve this gift. I was only worthy of that 18-dollar plastic bracelet.”

“No, Celestine, it wasn’t like that at all.” Mom tried desperately to defend herself.

“Then what was it? The night before my 18th birthday, you already ordered cakes for Maren and Aurelia.”

“For 18 years, I always drew the empty lot. It wasn’t bad luck. You just never planned to celebrate my birthday.”

I nearly shouted the words out.

My parents jolted, their faces draining of color. Their lips twitched repeatedly.

“When you three were born, the Pack elder said triplets couldn’t receive birthday blessings all at once.”

I let out a cold laugh.

“Did he also tell you to make me work part-time every break to support the family?”

“To give my college spot to Aurelia, and force me to live in the storage room for three years?”

Tears rolled down Mom’s cheeks and soaked her clothes.

Dad hung his head and covered his eyes with his hands.

Tears also welled up in Maren’s eyes.

I looked at them, yet my heart turned strangely calm.

“Admit it. You never really loved me.”

I turned to leave, but Mom jumped up and grabbed my arm.

“Celestine, we know we were wrong. Aurelia knows too.”

“She hurt you in the past. This is the apology letter she wrote for you.”

I took the letter, did not glance at it once, and tore it to pieces right away.

Paper scraps fell at my parents’ feet.

“Not every sorry can heal wounds. I won’t accept an apology that comes too late.”

“Celestine, are you really leaving us?” Dad’s voice shook.

“Yes.” My tone did not waver in the slightest.

“Don’t come looking for me anymore.”

With those final words, I turned and walked back into the campus.

…

As soon as I walked in, I spotted Stellan standing under a distant tree.

He noticed I was upset and tried to cheer me up the whole way.

He walked me to my dorm and stopped at the door.

“Celestine, no matter what choices you make, I’ll stand by you and stay with you.”

He held up a gold bracelet engraved with my name.

“Will you be my girlfriend?”

I reached for it first, smiling brightly. “Yes.”

The bracelet glinted on my wrist, and warmth filled my heart.

Life at Royal Evergreen Academy moved forward steadily.

I won multiple awards for my outstanding grades and joined the department’s core research group ahead of schedule.

This time, there were no schemes or trade-offs. Everyone around me cheered for me sincerely.

On the other side, after Aurelia fought with my parents and moved out, she rarely came home, and eventually stopped visiting entirely.

I later heard she got together with a rogue wolf and dropped out of school.

After that, my parents traveled to Seattle to find me several times, bringing gifts each time, but I never met them.

Maren somehow got my phone number and sent many messages, yet I never opened or replied to any of them.

It was not to punish anyone.

I simply no longer needed those things.

For 18 years, I kept thinking that if I were more obedient and more outstanding, I would eventually draw the lucky lot meant for me.

Then I finally understood…

The life truly mine never needed their permission for me to claim it.