"Heh heh, what a lie."

Luna was about to explain, but Elliot cut her off.

"Daniela Simmons, get down here. Explain this yourself—otherwise don't even think about going home."

If I could move, I'd have already come down to confront them all. Instead, I had to watch their little performance.

The injustice of it burned through me. Their lies had killed the only family I had left, destroyed my future, my youth—everything.

I summoned every ounce of strength just to lift my head and look at Elliot.

He was glaring at me, eyes wide with rehearsed fury. What an actor.

But I couldn't hold on long enough to speak. Warmth trickled from my nose—blood, about to spill.

The moment Luna noticed something was wrong, her face went pale. She pulled me tight against her back and tried to rush out.

She was the only one who knew about my illness. I'd never told Elliot—I didn't want to be a burden.

But his people blocked the exit.

"Elliot, let us go! Do you know Daniela's sick too? It's stomach cancer."

"She paid for your treatment without saying a word. She just wanted—"

"What?" Elliot's head snapped up. "What did you say?"

Before Luna could continue, Katherine cut in.

"Hahahaha! Pretend! You two will say anything to make excuses for yourselves—you'll fake anything."

"Stomach cancer? Then I've got leukemia! I'm dying too!"

Laughter erupted around us.

Whatever flicker of concern had crossed Elliot's face vanished instantly.

"Damn it, Daniela Simmons—get the hell down here. Now. Did you hear me?"

Luna kept trying to explain. He wouldn't listen.

In the shadows, Kayla sent Katherine a message. Without hesitation, Katherine kicked us both over.

Luna and I crashed to the floor together. Glass shards sliced into our palms.

I was beyond pain now—my nerves had gone numb. I had no strength to speak, let alone crawl up.

Luna choked back a sob. She dragged herself over and tried to lift me, her hands slick with my blood.

Elliot couldn't see any of it. He thought we were acting.

"Fine! I lowered myself to bring you home, and you still refuse." His voice turned cold. "Since you two sisters are so close, let's see how you feel watching your precious friend get beaten."

"Beat her. Beat her until Daniela's willing to crawl up and beg."

Katherine moved first. In seconds, more than a dozen men had Luna surrounded.

She was alone against all of them.

Tears blurred my vision. My eyes were slowly closing.

I'd never felt so hopeless. Even as they beat her bloody, Luna kept crawling toward me, still trying to get me to the hospital.

I never understood why she was so good to me. I'd only helped her once—and she'd remembered it forever.

We grew up together in Duckwater, but I had family. She was an orphan.

She was always the one who got bullied. Every New Year, every holiday, every house in the village was warm and bright—except hers, cold and empty.

So I brought her home. My father took her in as his goddaughter. From then on, she had a dad. She had me, her older sister, to protect her.

From that day on, she was never alone again.

After that, she stopped being weak. She became someone who knew how to protect the people she loved.

More and more people gathered to watch. Not one of them stepped forward. Not one of them tried to stop it.

When I was about to close my eyes, I looked at Luna with guilt.

I wanted to tell her I was sorry. I wanted to tell her that since the day I claimed her as my little sister, I'd never once regretted it.

But time wouldn't give me that chance.

In the distance, Kayla held a wineglass and watched us with a smile.

Every time Elliot showed even a hint of softness, she'd text him—harden your heart, punish them.

Maybe he sensed something was wrong with me, because Elliot had them stop.

The moment they backed off, Luna dragged her battered body over and pulled me up.

"Daniela! Daniela!"

She shook me in panic. When she realized my eyes had fallen shut, her own turned red.

"Elliot, help me!"

"Daniela fainted—call an ambulance!"

Elliot wheeled himself over. He glanced down at me, then scoffed.

"Call what? She's faking it."

"I don't even get what you're thinking. For her sake, you completely ignored whether you lived or died—"

"She's not pretending." Luna's voice cracked. "She's really dying."

"If you won't call, I will."

She set me down and fumbled for her phone, but Katherine kicked it out of her hand.

"You haven't even apologized to me yet! And you're already looking for an excuse to leave—what fantasy world are you living in?"

Luna broke.

All she wanted was for me to be safe. So she knelt. She apologized. She kowtowed again and again until her forehead split open, blood streaming down her face.

Katherine still wouldn't let us go.

Luna completely lost control.

"Elliot, if you keep stopping me from saving Daniela, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Her bloodshot gaze made him freeze. He couldn't see any trace of acting on her face.

So he told Katherine to stop. This time, no one blocked Luna.

She hoisted me onto her back and ran.

Elliot was about to stand and chase after her, but Kayla walked over and grabbed his hand, pulling him back into her arms.

"What's the rush? Daniela will be fine. Trust me."

"Why not enjoy tonight first? After all, it's the last time you have to act. Haven't you thought about yourself at all?"

As she finished speaking, she lifted her head and kissed him. Her lips made his whole world collapse.

After Luna brought me to the hospital, she knelt outside the operating room and prayed, repeating over and over that she hoped nothing would happen to me.

She didn't know my soul was right beside her. I could never be saved.

When the operating light went out and the doctors emerged, Luna scrambled to her feet.

When they announced my death, she collapsed to the ground and cried until her heart shattered.

I tried to comfort her, told her not to cry, but she couldn't hear me.

In the end, after she'd cried herself dry, she stood and walked in. She carried my body out on her back.

I remembered when we were little—when she'd been beaten until her whole body was covered in bruises, I'd carried her home on my back just like this.

Back then, she'd smiled and said that when she grew up and I got old, she'd carry me on her back too. She'd take me traveling around the world.

While my body was being cremated, Luna called Elliot countless times. He didn't answer once.

Finally, she gave up. She went home alone, holding my ashes.

What she didn't expect was that the moment she opened the door, she saw Kayla—the woman who was supposed to be dead—sitting on top of Elliot, kissing him.