After I Died, the Alpha Who Abandoned Me Lost His Mind Chapter 02

After I Died, the Alpha Who Abandoned Me Lost His Mind Chapter 02

I stayed on my knees, helping Selena and her friends try on pair after pair of shoes.

Every part of my body hurt, but all I cared about was finishing quickly enough to collect the thousand dollars.

Late-stage cancer hurt like hell.

It hurt so badly that even a werewolf’s natural pain tolerance could no longer blunt it.

I survived each day on painkillers because, before I died, I wanted to get Mochi healthy and find a home where my dog would never be abandoned again.

But there were far too many shoes.

Selena’s friends deliberately chose styles with the most complicated laces and fussiest buckles, making every pair take as long as possible.

I had no idea how long I had been kneeling there.

My knees were red and swollen, while savage cramps twisted through my stomach without mercy.

As the painkillers wore off, darkness began creeping across my vision.

Before I completely blacked out, I finally finished every pair scattered across the floor.

I lifted my face and smiled at the young woman who had promised me the tip.

“Thank you. Could you give me the thousand-dollar tip now?”

My smile caught her off guard, and she reached for her wallet in a fluster.

Before she could take out the money, Adrian ripped the wallet from her hand and smacked me across the face with it.

“You want money? Did I say you could have it? You haven’t even finished your job, and you already have the nerve to ask for a tip?”

He pointed toward the display cases on the other side of the department.

“Bring Selena another twenty pairs. Erin, I want you to understand this clearly. Without me, you’ll never have a decent life, and I’ll make sure of it.”

I could not hold on any longer.

The last of my strength gave out, and I collapsed onto the floor.

Just before I lost consciousness, I saw Adrian as he had been six years ago.

He had stood inside the Black family’s private club, staring at me with open contempt.

“If you refuse to apologize to Selena, then get out of my territory!”

I had been too naive back then.

I thought he had only said it in anger.

I had even wondered what he could really do to me.

Would he actually kill me?

Only later did I understand that Adrian never needed to lay a hand on me himself.

An Alpha only had to use his power to cut off my access to work and housing, and that was enough to turn every day of my life into punishment.

It did not matter that I had a degree or that I was capable.

No company dared hire anyone the Black family had blacklisted.

Even worse, my parents had always favored my older sister.

Terrified of losing their business ties with the Black Pack, they immediately issued a public statement declaring that I was no longer a member of the Carter family and removed my name from the family registry.

Abandoned by both families, I had no choice but to flee the city.

At my lowest point, I sold expensive drinks on commission in bars, handed out flyers on the street, and spent entire nights cleaning warehouses.

I had finally found this job at the shoe store, and my life had only just begun to stabilize when I was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer.

The doctor at the medical center told me treatment might give me another year.

But I no longer wanted treatment.

Living was too exhausting, too painful, and too hard.

It felt as though no one had ever truly loved me.

As a child, I received nothing from my parents but criticism while they poured all their love into my older sister.

Then I grew up and fell in love with Adrian.

Everyone said he was cold and dangerous, an Alpha incapable of love.

I was the only one who refused to believe them.

When he said he wanted to see the first snowfall of winter in Alaska, I boarded a plane that same night, collected the freshly fallen snow, and carried it home in a temperature-controlled container.

When he said he wanted smoked brisket made by a retired pitmaster, I tracked the man down and spent an entire week learning his recipe.

When I placed the snow and the dinner I had cooked in front of Adrian, his gaze truly did soften.

He began letting me into his life and even learned how to tell me he loved me.

When he discovered how blatantly my parents favored my older sister, he held me and promised that one day, he would give me a real home.

I thought I finally had his love.

Then Selena returned from abroad.

She had been born with a heart condition, and her father had died protecting Adrian during an attack.

Whenever she showed the slightest sign of discomfort, Adrian demanded that I give way.

He always said the same thing.

“Erin, her father died because of me. I have to give her whatever she wants.”

So for his sake, I backed down again and again.

But Selena was never satisfied.

The last time it happened was at our engagement party.

In front of every guest, she accused me of stealing the bracelet her father had left her.

The bracelet was later found inside my purse, already broken.

Selena immediately clutched her chest and collapsed, sobbing that she could not breathe.

That was the first time Adrian hit me.

His palm cracked across my face before he gave me even the slightest chance to explain.

“Erin, apologize. I’ve overlooked the way you’ve treated her before, but you had no right to touch the one thing her father left behind. You’re so vicious you make me sick. No wonder even your own parents can’t stand you. Today, you will kneel and apologize until she forgives you!”

That was the moment I finally gave up on him.