On the day of my mate-bonding ceremony, my parents suddenly brought my mate home and told me the marking ceremony that day would be with someone else.

“Your sister was poisoned by wolfsbane. There's no cure, and her dying wish is to become David’s mate.”

“You’re her older sister. Can’t you be kind and help her out?”

My mate also tried to persuade me. “Don’t worry, it’s just for show. After she dies, we’ll still be each other’s one and only.”

Still, I refused. However, my parents forced me to drink a potion that blocked my mind link, tied me up, and threw me into the silver mine behind our villa.

“We’ll untie you once the ceremony goes smoothly,” they said. But soon after they left, I was attacked by a vicious rogue wolf.

After endless torment, I was killed.

It was only when my body started rotting that they remembered I was still bound in the mine.

My soul drifted unconsciously into the chapel, staring blankly as my mate stood onstage, forming mate bond with someone else.

In the romantic venue, all eyes were fixed on the couple at the altar.

My sister, Laura, was wearing the gown I had meticulously hand-sewn. She recited her vows to my mate, David, with tears in her eyes and a voice full of love.

Below the platform, my parents dabbed at the corners of their eyes filled with tears of joy, whispering, “Our sweet Laura is finally with the love of her life!”

The crowd clapped and smiled as the happy couple shared stories of their fairytale romance.

What destined encounter and unbreakable bond were they talking about?

In all their memories, I seemed not to exist. It was as if I’d always just been invisible.

The dress I had painstakingly designed to fit tight enough to slim my waist now hung perfectly on Laura, like it had been made just for her.

I floated above them, dead inside.

From the moment David proposed this ceremony, I was never meant to be his bride.

Now it all made sense why he never cared about the planning, and he’d always be smiling at his phone while ignoring my calls.

However, what I still couldn’t understand was why loving Laura had to come at the cost of destroying me.

Three days ago, I was brutally murdered at the abandoned silver mine near my home.

My parents tied my hands behind my back, forcing an entire bottle of mind-blocking potion down my throat.

They didn’t want me to resist or interfere with the ceremony. So, they threw me into the mine and left me there.

Then I watched in horror as a rogue wolf rushed at me.

I was tortured, assaulted, and killed in cold blood, all while I was pregnant.

No one should ever have to go through what he did to me.

He took his time, slicing through my flesh with a blade, inch by inch. My blood flowed freely, my skin turned pale, and my body went limp.

When I died, I couldn't even fight back.

The silver ions in the mine had poisoned me, leaving me to my fate.

Worried that I would scream for help, my mouth was sealed shut with duct tape. I couldn’t even scream, my throat burning with silence.

My parents always loved Laura more, ever since we were kids.

Laura got the nice candies and wore the dresses I had wished for.

Later, even though they could afford tuition for two, they paid only for her to go to Lycan Academy. They told me I was an adult and that I should get a job to pay my own way through.

However, even with all of that, I never thought they would make me give up my mate.

When Laura told them a wolf had poisoned her with wolfsbane during a camping trip and didn’t have much time left, they didn’t hesitate.

The icing on the cake that broke my heart was that David, my childhood sweetheart, would cheat on me with my sister.

Their ceremony went off without a hitch, and all I could do was watch.

They rolled their suitcases out the door and headed off on their honeymoon as I floated silently behind them.

At the foot of the northern mountains, they strolled hand in hand across the snowy fields, golden sunlight bathing them in a soft, warm glow.

Laura wrapped her arms around David’s neck, and the two of them kissed tenderly. Tourists nearby snapped photos and praised them for being such a beautiful couple.

Even my usually conservative parents smiled and cheered them on from the sidelines.

They had long forgotten that my body still lay discarded in the mine.

So, who would care about getting justice for me?

“David... do you think my sister is mad at me? She hasn’t called.”

Laura leaned against David’s chest, faking a weary expression as she asked.

David gently stroked her hair and said reassuringly, “No way. She’s your sister. And with the wolfsbane in your system, this was your only shot. Eva’s not unreasonable. I’ll be nicer to her from now on, that’s all.”

Laura gave a nod, her eyes instantly regaining their shine. She grabbed his arm and joined Mom and Dad as they boarded the helicopter to enjoy an aerial view of the snowy mountains.

That flight, costing tens of thousands of dollars for a single experience, was more than I could earn in a year.

However, Laura could enjoy it without the slightest guilt.

After the trip, they treated themselves to a luxurious dinner. I floated behind them in silence as they checked in at Moonshadow Hotel, the most extravagant hotel in the werewolf pack.

Laura slipped into a revealing nightgown and climbed into bed next to David, reaching for his robe. However, he gently pushed her hand away.

He walked out to the balcony, staring at the snowy mountains in the distance as he drank in silence. His eyes were dark and troubled.

I turned and drifted into my parents’ room.

They were lying against the headboard in bed. Dad sighed, shaking his head, while Mom massaged her temples. Normally, they’d be fast asleep by now.

My mom pulled out her phone and tried calling me. However, all she got was a busy tone.

Their faces twisted in confusion, anxiety flickering in their eyes.

Whenever they wanted me to give something up, they’d slap me with one hand and offer candy with the other. It never failed to work.

All they had to do was take the first step and reach out, and I’d cave every time.

This time, no one was on the other end of the call, eagerly calling them “Mom” and “Dad.”

“Honey, Laura’s not exactly the sharpest at work, so why do you keep spoiling her? When we’re gone, she’ll burn through the family’s fortune in no time.

“I really thought we could count on Eva to take care of us when we’re old. But she didn’t answer just now. You don’t think she’s actually mad at us, do you?”

Mom looked at Dad with a worried expression.

He tossed his cigarette into the ashtray, scowling.

“For giving her life, she owes us everything. And Laura was dying. As her older sister, she should be happy to help. What right does she have to be upset? Honestly, we’ve been too soft on her lately. She’s forgetting her place!”

I hovered silently in the corner, my eyes burning.

At that moment, I was relieved I was dead.

They spent the next month laughing and traveling on their honeymoon before they returned home.

Laura strolled in wearing my nightgown.

She picked up my perfume and sprayed it casually over herself. Then she lifted the covers and curled up on my bed like she owned the place.

David walked through the house, as if searching for my presence.

After scanning everywhere, his face darkened. There was nothing, not even a trace of me.

He stood still for a long while, staring at the kitchen, where I had spent most of my time.

“David, I’m your mate now. We shouldn’t keep another woman’s stuff in our home, right?” Laura cooed, her arms wrapping around his neck from behind. She perched on the edge of the dining table I had set up so carefully.

“Since you got me so many new clothes, why don’t we turn that kitchen into a walk-in closet? We always eat out anyway.”

Her voice was sweet, and her warm breath against his skin made his heart race.

David pulled her arms away and stepped back, hesitating.

“Laura, Eva’s still my mate. I only held the ceremony to give you peace before… This kitchen, let’s just…”

“I don’t agree!” Laura cut him off sharply. With tears streaming down her face, she looked pitiful yet determined.

“We had a formal ceremony in front of everyone we know. I’m your true mate now! You shouldn’t be thinking about anyone else.”

In the end, David gave in. He agreed to convert my kitchen into Laura’s new walk-in closet.

“Put that over there!

“Get rid of this one.

“Toss these useless old things!”

Laura stood in the middle of my kitchen, hands on her hips, barking orders at the workers as they emptied the space.

One by one, my beloved kitchen tools were thrown out like trash.

David just stood there, watching in silence. He never once stopped them.

Even though I had told him again and again that my greatest dream in this life was to have a warm, sunlit kitchen where I could cook for the people I loved.

David knew my parents had always favored Laura and that I’d grown up in that house quietly swallowing every injustice. I had longed desperately for him to be the one who would stand by me unshakably.

Yet, instead, he was chasing some fantasy of being a valiant knight rescuing a poisoned princess, and erased me completely.

That kitchen had carried so many of my hopes and dreams. Every warm moment I had there still lived vividly in my memory.

Now, piece by piece, it was being dismantled.

Soon, it was gone entirely. In its place was a spacious walk-in closet.

Just like my life, Laura had overwritten and replaced it.

In the back corner of the former kitchen, a small photo frame had been left behind.

David quietly picked it up, slipped my photo out of it, and tucked it into his shirt pocket.

Back at the hotel, the sous-chef pulled David aside.

Apparently, I hadn’t shown up for work in a while. They had to bring in temp chefs to cover the banquet orders booked by clients who weren’t happy. There were lots of complaints about the food.

David’s face darkened. Without a word, he whipped out his phone and dialed my number.

Still, there was no answer.

His usual calm shattered. He spun around and overturned one of the banquet hall tables.

That day, he had formally terminated my employment, citing absenteeism. Then, he announced Laura, who had never studied cooking, as the new head pastry chef.

In the hotel suite, David finally gave in to Laura’s temptation.

He and Laura tumbled into bed together, their limbs tangled.

The passion didn’t stop there. They hooked up on the office desk, even in the storage closet, inseparable and insatiable, like teenagers drunk on new love.

I watched it all, my stomach twisting in knots. Instinctively, I cradled my slightly swollen belly.

How could I have been so blinded by love, believing his promises to me? I hated myself for it.

I was four weeks pregnant at the time and wanted to surprise David with the news at the ceremony. Now, the child and I had both been abandoned in the silver mine.

A few days passed before David remembered me again. He began texting nonstop, asking where I was.

Maybe the thrill of forbidden lust had started to wear off, because his tone grew softer. He humbled himself more with every word he messaged.

But I was already dead. There was no one left to reply.

“Darling, what are you thinking about?”

Laura walked up behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder. Her belly, too, had begun to swell.

Just several weeks after my death, she was pregnant.

Her cheeks were rosy, and her eyes sparkled with health. There was no trace of the supposed fatal poisoning she had used to manipulate everyone.

Yet, David didn’t seem to remember that was the entire reason for abandoning me and mate-bonding with Laura.

Startled by her voice, David quickly shoved his phone into his pocket like a cheating husband caught red-handed.

He turned around, trying to act natural, and reached out to hug her when he noticed the gemstone ring on her finger.

“Isn’t that Eva’s favorite ring? Why is it on your hand?”

“Huh? What a coincidence! I saw it at a boutique and thought it looked pretty, so I bought it.”

David frowned.

That ring wasn’t just any ring. He had bought it for me when we were both at Lycan Academy. It wasn’t expensive, but it had been our promise to each other.

It never left my finger.

Laura’s eyes flickered with guilt for a moment, then she quickly changed the subject.

“Sweetheart, today we’re celebrating the baby! My parents are cooking for once. They’re waiting for us at home!”

I watched them walk away, instinctively brushing the finger where my ring used to be.

The ring was taken off my finger by the thug who killed me. Now it was on Laura’s finger.

Could that really be just a coincidence?

Was my death not an accident, after all?

“Our Laura’s always been frail. To think she risked her life to carry this child. David, you must take care of them!”

“You can’t let Laura down.”

At home, Mom and Dad stared at Laura’s pale face, wiping tears from their eyes.