I was huddled in the corner, my hands bleeding, my knees raw from hours of scrabbling on the concrete floor.

The sharp shards of the broken crystal were like needles, slicing through my skin.

As the first light of dawn filtered through the dirty windows, my fingers finally closed around the last fragment.

Stumbling out of the garage, I made my way back to the mansion.

When I finally reached the living room, Lisa was there, looking as perfect as ever in her designer clothes and flawless makeup.

I held out the crystal ball, my hands shaking so badly that the pieces rattled. Lisa's eyes widened in disgust.

"What the hell is this? It's covered in blood! You're disgusting!" she shrieked, snatching it from me and hurling it to the ground. She stomped on it with her high - heeled shoes.

Frank, who had been sitting on the couch, barely looked up. "If you don't like it, I'll buy you a new one. It's not a big deal," he said cold.

I backed out of the room, my head bowed. The servants' eyes were filled with pity, but I was used to it.

After quickly bandaging my hands, I went back to my chores.

The study was filled with ancient books and important documents, and I had to be careful not to damage any of them. By the time I finished, my back was aching, and my hands were throbbing.

That evening, Lisa came to me with a fake smile.

"You, come and help me change the flower arrangements," she said sweetly.

As soon as I put the baby's breath in the vase, she let out a scream that could have shattered glass.

"Ah! Don't you know I'm allergic to baby's breath? Are you trying to kill me?" she screeched.

Frank's face darkened. "Are you deliberately trying to cause trouble? Throw those flowers away and get new ones, now!" he roared.

I started to clean up the flowers, but as soon as I touched them, my hands began to itch and turn red.

The allergic reaction was getting worse by the second, but I forced myself to pick a new bunch of forget - me - nots. When I presented them to Lisa, she exploded again.

"Are you stupid? I'm allergic to all pollen! You're doing this on purpose to spite me!"

Frank's voice thundered through the room. "You can't even do this simple thing right. No dinner for you tonight. Go and do it again!"

I went to start over.

By the time I was done, I was so weak that I could barely stand.

And my ALS, which had been slowly getting worse, was now at a critical stage.

I was taking herbs to ease the pain, but they were barely working.

It was the weekend, and I was lying on my small, uncomfortable bed, in so much pain that I couldn't even move.

That's when Frank's call came. "Lisa's custom - made dress needs to be changed. Go and pick it up right away!"

"Can someone else go? I'm in so much pain..."

"When did I ever give you the right to refuse? Either go right now or get out of my sight forever!" he roared.

I forced myself out of bed and made my way to the tailor shop.

The dress was expensive and delicate, and I carried it back to the mansion with trembling hands. When I handed it to Lisa, she threw it on the ground.

"Who told you to pick this one? I don't want to wear this style anymore!" she screamed.

I was so tired, so in pain, that I could barely speak. "But... you said..."

Lisa stomped on the dress. "I changed my mind. Are you deaf?"

Frank's cold voice cut through the air. "Go and get another one. Now."

I made several trips back and forth, each time coming back with a dress that Lisa found something wrong with.

By the last trip, it was dark, and I was on the verge of collapse.

As I reached the front gate of the mansion, a cold wind blew, and I stumbled.

I fell hard, my head hitting the steps, and blood gushed out.

The dress was torn, and my body was covered in cuts and bruises.

Lying on the ground, I could hear Lisa's shrill voice. "Look what you've done! You've ruined my dress!"

Frank's voice was like a whip. "Get out of here! I never want to see you again!"

Then, everything went black.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital room.

Nill was there, his face pale and drawn. "Nancy! You're awake!" he cried.

But I was too weak to answer.

I could only cough up blood.

The doctor's voice was grave.

"Advanced ALS, combined with long - term fatigue and abuse. Her body is shutting down."

I lay there, my consciousness fading in and out. I kept murmuring Frank's name, even though I knew he didn't care.

Nill held my hand tightly. "I'll go get him. Just hold on,".

He picked up my phone and dialed alpha Frank's number.

When alpha Frank answered, Nill roared,

"It's Nill! You get to the hospital right now! Nancy's dying!"

There was a moment of silence, and then Frank's voice, panicked. "What happened?"

Nill was about to shout, but then I weakly grabbed his arm. "Don't... tell him... don't let him come,"

Nill stared at the monitor, his eyes wide. "She's okay! She's going to be okay!" he shouted, and then he rushed to get the doctor.

On the other side, Frank was left standing in the living room, his phone still in his hand.

Lisa, seeing his distress, tried to comfort him. "She's probably faking it. Don't worry about her," .

Frank pushed her away. "Leave me alone,".

That night, the light in Frank's study stayed on all night.

The next day, at the hospital, Nill pleaded.

"Nancy, you have to. You'll die if you don't," .

But I just smiled sadly. "I'm tired, Nill. I don't want to fight anymore."

A few days later, I left the hospital.

It was Elena's death anniversary, and I went to the abandoned factory where we used to play.

As I walked through the old, dusty building, memories of Elena flooded back.

We had been so happy there, once. I looked at the wall where we had written "Best sisters forever" and my heart ached.

"Elena, I'm so sorry. I wish it was me instead of you,".

I curled up in the corner, sobbing. "I'll be with you soon. I hope you'll forgive me."

Just as my foot was about to cross the threshold, my entire body seized up.

I saw a group of figures emerging from the mist - shrouded path.

Among them, Alpha Frank's presence was like a thundercloud on the horizon.

The moment our eyes met, a jolt coursed through my bod.

For him, the sight of me standing there, beside the wilted bouquet of flowers at the factory entrance, must have been like a punch to the gut.

His eyes, usually a steely blue, darkened to the color of a stormy sea.

Laura, Elena's mother, was at his side.

She lunged forward like a predator pouncing on its prey, her hands outstretched.

In a flash, she had my collar in her grip.

"Who the hell let you slither back here, you wretched creature?"

Laura screeched. And then, she swung her hand.

The sound reverberated, a sharp, stinging crack that left me reeling.

I teetered on the edge of collapse. "Auntie, please, I - "

"Silence!" Laura roared.

" You, who are responsible for my Elena's death? You have no right to even breathe the same air as us! Get out! Vanish from my sight, and never, ever come back!"

My left cheek, already reddening from the slap, swelled rapidly.

But Laura was not appeased.

Her eyes, wild and unfocused, landed on the flowers on the ground.

She charged at the flowers, scooped them up, and then, with all her might, hurled them at me.

"We don't need your pitiful attempts at remorse!"

"If it weren't for you, my Elena would still be here! That truck... it smashed her to pieces! Her bones... her blood everywhere..."

Laura grabbed my arms, her fingernails digging deep into the soft flesh.

"My Elena was so young, so full of life,"

"Why were you with her? Why couldn't you protect her?"

Finally, with a last burst of energy, Laura pushed me with all her might.

"Why did Elena die?" she screamed. "Why aren't you the one in the grave?"

My body flew backward.

The back of my head hit the edge of a rusted machine with a sickening thud. I felt warm blood trickle down my forehead.

"Mom, calm down," alpha Frank said.

"I'll handle this."

Dragging me behind him like a ragdoll, he pulled me out of the factory.

Alpha Frank released his grip and shoved me hard.

I landed on the ground with a thud.

Alpha Frank loomed over me. "Are you suicidal?" he hissed. "I warned you never to come back here. This is the last time I'll tell you. Stay away."

Despite his harsh words, there was a flicker of something else in his eyes, a pain that he couldn't

I looked up at him.

"I just wanted to see Elena," .

"You don't deserve to," he spat and turned on his heel and strode back into the factory.

As I stumbled away, my face streaked with tears, Elena's voice echoed in my head.

"Nancy, try these cookies. I made them just for you."

"My brother can't stop talking about you. He's head - over - heels."

"Let's win this competition together. We'll be unstoppable."

My legs gave out, and I sank to the ground.