The Forgotten Twin, The One They Beg in Tears Chapter 04

The Forgotten Twin, The One They Beg in Tears Chapter 04

That night, I packed my things and moved into the storage room. A tiny, windowless space with no bed.

Lucian helped me carry a couch into it.

He sighed.

“Freya, apologize to Elowen. She’s kind. She’ll plead your case.”

“Apart from borrowing her money, I didn’t do anything wrong. And I already said I’d pay her back.”

“No. I mean apologize for putting peanuts in the food.”

“I didn’t put them there.”

“Are you saying I did?”

“…”

I paused.

“It doesn’t matter who did it anymore.”

I looked up at the boy standing before me.

His eyes had lost the pure light they once held.

I’d once thought he was the only moonlight cutting through my dark world.

But if that light was never meant only for me… I didn’t want it anymore.

“Lucian, go home. Don’t worry about me anymore.”

Lucian left.

I pulled out my phone and booked a flight to Miami for a week later.

Seven days.

I carved the first tally mark into the wall.

…

The next morning.

The renovation crew arrived at dawn.

Mom threw out everything I hadn’t finished packing.

“See if there’s anything you want to keep?”

I stared down at the pile on the floor.

A pink hairband—Mom bought it for me at an amusement park when I was four.

A brown teddy bear—Kael gave it to me when I was five.

Three matching family shirts we’d designed together when I was six. Three wolf paw prints printed on the front, mine, Mom’s and Dad’s.

I’d kept all of them tucked deep in my closet, treasured.

I stared for a long time, then turned away. “I don’t want any of it. Throw it away.”

Wearing my faded t-shirt, I helped Elowen carry in big bags of clothes.

“Mom and Dad bought all these for me yesterday.”

I watched her calmly.

My blank expression only fueled her anger.

“And the two hundred dollars you owe me—when are you paying me back?”

“In three days. I got a job.”

The first day of work left me collapsed exhausted on the doorstep.

By the second day, I could barely lift my hands.

Three days later, I handed the two hundred dollars to Elowen.

She tossed the money casually onto the table. “Perfect. I have a party tonight. Iron my dress for me.”

On the fourth day, they talked about buying Elowen an apartment near her school.

On the fifth day, the whole family planned a graduation trip. Five tickets, with Lucian coming along too.

For five whole days, no one asked how I was.

I’d become a scentless ghost haunting the edges of their lives.

Elowen was pleased watching me leave before dawn and come home late every night.

Each evening, I reeked of sweat, soaked through and utterly spent.

She’d pinch her nose deliberately. “Ugh, what’s that smell? It’s so gross.”

Lucian chuckled and handed her a tissue to hold over her nose.

Kael glanced at me. “Seems like your health’s just fine. Still faking sickness.”

I didn’t reply.

I had no strength left.

Back in the storage room, I dragged my nail across the wall to make the final mark.

My phone rang.

…

In the dead of night, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and stepped softly out of the room.

Standing at the front door, I took one last long look at the house I’d lived in for eighteen years.

Memories from those years flickered through my mind.

Seven years of attention. Eleven years of invisibility.

I’d tiptoed through life in this family, trying to live up to their idea of fairness.

I didn’t dare take meat at dinner. Rode the bus for eleven years even though we had a car.

I never asked for new clothes.

Never complained about pain.

Never got sick.

Never dared say I wanted to be loved too.

Even so, Elowen still wasn’t satisfied.

But none of that mattered now. From here on out, my life was mine to control.

The front door clicked softly shut behind me.

…

Morning came. A group of pack reporters knocked on the front door.

“Congratulations! Your daughter is one of only two she-wolves across the entire Northern Territory to receive early acceptance to Southvale Academy this year.”

“Is she home? Would she be willing to do an interview?”