Seeing me in such a pathetic state, Valerie smirked and stomped down on my hand, grinding her heel into my skin.
Max, despite his frail body, lunged forward and bit onto her pant leg in a desperate attempt to protect me.
However, she simply flung him aside, her eyes flashing with amusement.
And then, before I could react, she grabbed a pair of scissors and slashed three deep cuts into her own leg.
"Ah! Help—!"
The scream echoed through the room.
Moments later, Marco burst through the door in a panic, and Colson trampled over my hand as he rushed past me to hold Valerie.
"What happened?! What’s going on?!"
Valerie buried herself into Marco’s embrace, sobbing pitifully.
"I... I just wanted to cut the biggest piece of cake for Elaina... but she said I was trying to poison her! She even... even ordered that dog to attack me!"
She lifted her pant leg, revealing the self-inflicted wounds, and let out a heartbreaking wail, as if utterly terrified.
Marco’s expression darkened with rage. He furiously pointed his finger at me and roared, "Elaina, when did you become so vicious?! No wonder you were the only one who got assaulted—this is all your own doing!"
Even Colson looked at me with a coldness I had never seen before.
"Sis, I never thought you would bully Valerie behind our backs. No wonder she always seemed so afraid when we mentioned you. You must’ve tormented her all the time!"
Without uttering a single word, I had already been condemned.
But it no longer mattered. My heart had died long ago.
Then, the next words out of Marco’s mouth shattered me completely.
His gaze locked onto the barely-breathing Max.
"Since you’ve done wrong, you need to be punished. Kill this beast."
I froze in disbelief.
Then, dropping to my knees, I pleaded, "Brother, I was wrong. I won’t do it again. I’ll stay far away from her—I’ll never appear in front of her again."
"Max is innocent! Don’t you remember? Ten years ago, after Mom passed away, you were the one who bought him for me!"
I kowtowed over and over, begging him to spare Max.
But he didn’t listen.
Instead, he ordered the butler to bring him a golf club.
Before he struck, he looked at me and said, "Back then, I nearly died from leukemia. It was Valerie who saved me with her bone marrow. So I won’t allow anyone to harm her."
I was stunned.
Then what about the finger-wide scar on my spine?
What about the countless fevers I suffered every season?
Who saved whom?
But before I could process my thoughts, Marco had already swung the club.
"No—!!"
The blow landed with a sickening crunch.
Max collapsed in front of me, his body mangled beyond recognition.
Satisfied, Marco picked up Valerie and carried her away.
Colson shot me a look full of hatred and sneered. "Since you love this mutt so much, then stay here and keep it company!"
With that, the door slammed shut and locked.
I dragged myself across the floor, cradling Max’s lifeless body in my arms.
At that moment, my world shattered completely.
Mom.
Dad.
Brother.
Younger brother.
Max.
They were all gone...
—
After leaving, Marco went through great lengths to summon the best specialists in the city for Valerie.
In the end, all she needed was a simple bandage and a rabies shot.
Marco sighed in relief, but his brows furrowed as he recalled Elaina's tear-stricken face as they left.
As he took out his phone, preparing to tell the butler to buy an identical dog, the butler suddenly came running in, breathless.
"S-Sir Marco! Something terrible has happened—Miss... Miss Elaina jumped into the sea from the attic, holding the dog! All she left behind was a phone!"
