For a second, I didn’t understand.
“What?” My ears rang. “No… that doesn’t make sense,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “I just paid. You saw it. The money is there. Why would you stop now? He needs the surgery, he’ll die without it, you can’t just—”
“I’m sorry. There’s nothing we can do.”
The world tilted. I stumbled back, my heart racing so fast it hurt.
Argus.
I fumbled for my phone and dialed his number, my fingers slipping.
He picked up.
“You’re calling me already?” he said, amused. “What is it, Dahlia? Miss me that much?”
“Argus!” My voice broke. “Please, please don’t do this. My father needs treatment. I already paid, I did everything you wanted, I drank everything, I—”
“So?” he cut in, almost bored. “He had surgery last week, didn’t he? Skipping one won’t kill him. Or are you saying your father is that weak?”
My knees hit the floor.
“Please,” I whispered. “I’m begging you. Don’t punish him for this. If you’re angry, take it out on me. I’ll do anything, just don’t—”
“Of course it’s punishment,” he said, his voice turning colder. “This is for hurting and humiliating Celine. Did you really think you could walk away after making her upset?”
Everything went silent.
The call ended.
And then—
Beep.
Beeeeeeep—
I froze. Slowly, I turned my head. The line on the monitor… it wasn’t moving anymore. Just straight.
“No!”
My phone slipped from my hand and hit the floor. I rushed to the bed, grabbing my father’s hand. It was cold. Too cold.
“No, no, no… Dad!” My voice shook. “Wake up. Please wake up. I’m here now. I got the money, everything’s okay now, you’re going to be fine, so please…”
He didn’t move.
“Dad…” My grip tightened, my whole body trembling. “Dad!!!” My scream tore through the room. But no one answered.
—
I didn’t know how long I’d stayed there. Hours, maybe longer. By the time sunlight crept into the room, I was still on my knees, my eyes dry and empty.
He was gone. The doctor approached quietly and handed me a letter.
“Miss Dahlia… this is something your father left for you. Please… take care.”
My hands shook as I opened it.
[Dahlia, my dauhter. Please run... Don’t let Argus ruin your life.]
A broken laugh escaped me, and then I couldn’t stop crying. Even at the end… He told me to leave.
To live.
—
After arranging his funeral, after everything was done, after there was nothing left tying me here…
I stared at my phone for a long time.
Then I dialed the number.
“Professor Blackwood,” I said when the call connected, my voice quiet but steady. “I’ve made my decision.”
A pause.
“I want to join the research project.”
I closed my eyes. Argus took everything from me. But this time, I was the one walking away.
Professor Blackwood’s voice shook the moment he heard mine. “Dahlia, is that really you? Are you serious about this? Did you settle your father’s situation? And what about the man you love?”
I closed my eyes for a second before answering, my voice quiet. “My father’s gone, and I’m not going to love him anymore. Not now. Not ever.”
There was silence, just two seconds, but it felt heavy. Then his tone softened. “Dahlia… I don’t know what happened to you these past five years, but the most painful time is also when you grow the fastest. Your life isn’t over. It’s just starting.”
Just starting. I let out a breath. Was that even true? After everything… could I still start over? Still, I said, “Yeah. I understand.”
Maybe I really did like Argus before. He was handsome, and sometimes he treated me gently, and he spent money without hesitation, paid for my father’s treatment, and gave me things I never even dreamed of. So what was I unhappy about? I used to ask myself that.
Until Celine came back.
I still remembered that night. Argus had never drunk alcohol before, not once, but that night he drank like he lost control, and then he said it, clear and raw. “Celine… I missed you so much I went crazy. If only you're not my step sister, things would’ve been different.”
I stood there, frozen.
Later, I picked up a photo from the floor. She was beautiful, bright, and she looked a little like me. That was when I finally understood. Between her and me, I was never the one he chose. I was just the substitute. The one he could touch, the one he could use, the one he didn’t have to hold back with.
From that moment, whatever feelings I had left for him burned away. But I still stayed. Why? Because my father was still in that hospital, because I needed him alive. So I played my role, quiet and obedient, and I endured everything Argus wanted but couldn’t do to Celine. I told myself it was temporary. Once my father got better, I would leave and never look back.
But in the end… all I got was his body. Cold. Gone.
And then Argus still asked me, “Do you even know what you did wrong?”
I stared at that message for a long time. Did I? Was it wrong to exist in his life? Without thinking, I opened his social feed. Beach, ocean, sunset, and him smiling freely beside Celine, so relaxed, like nothing ever happened. Like my father’s death meant nothing.
My chest tightened. Everything he had now felt like it was built on top of my father’s life.
I clenched my phone and took a taxi back to the villa. I needed to pack and leave before I broke completely.
The moment I walked in, I saw him sitting on the sofa, his face dark. “Where did you go? Why didn’t you reply to my messages? Do you think you can just disappear like that?”
I didn’t answer and walked past him.
He immediately got up and followed me upstairs, then shoved me hard. “Dahlia, you made Celine upset, and now you’re ignoring me? Who do you think you are, taking your anger out on me?”
My back slammed into the wall and something tore, warm blood sliding down, but I didn’t react. I just looked at him. “So what?” I said quietly. “What do you want me to do this time?”
He paused, clearly not expecting that.
I tilted my head slightly. “How should I apologize this time? Break a stone on my forehead in front of your friends? Or break my other arm too? Or maybe drink another thirty glasses until I pass out… will that finally make Celine feel better?”
For a moment, he just stared at me. Then his expression slowly calmed, like nothing happened. “Pack your things. Come back to the old house with me. Grandpa wants to see you.”
I didn’t move.
He added casually, “I’ll give you a fifty million. You know what to say and what not to say. Don’t embarrass me.”
I let out a small laugh. I didn’t even know why I was laughing anymore.
