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.
