Chapter 2

Octavia's POV

The harsh fluorescent lights in the hospital corridor stung my eyes. I sat on a plastic chair outside the emergency room, clutching my phone with white knuckles.

Three hours had passed.

The red light above the ER was still on, and I could hear the urgent footsteps of medical staff inside. I kept refreshing my phone, hoping for any sign of concern from my family.

But there was nothing. Not a single message.

With trembling hands, I dialed Zephyr's number again.

"Beep... beep... The number you have dialed is currently unavailable..."

I hung up and tried again.

Still unavailable.

I called Cassius instead. This time, he actually picked up.

"What is it?" My father's voice dripped with irritation.

"Dad, Wren's still in surgery. Could you come keep me company? I—"

"Octavia, enough!" Cassius cut me off harshly. "You've made a complete mess of tonight! The guests kept asking what happened! Delphine cried all evening!"

"Why is Delphine crying?!" My voice turned shrill. "Wren's the one on the operating table!"

"What does that girl have to do with our family?!"

The line went dead.

I stared at my phone screen, my heart feeling like it was being sliced with a knife.

"Family member?" A nurse approached. "Are you...?"

"I'm her friend."

"Where's her family?"

I opened my mouth but couldn't speak. Wren's parents had died years ago. In this world, besides me, she truly had no one.

And soon, neither would I.

"Doctor, how is she?" I grabbed the nurse's arm.

"She's still in surgery. Please wait."

I sank back into the chair, experiencing true despair for the first time.

When I needed support most, I was completely alone.

Another hour passed before the ER light finally went out.

The doctor emerged, removing his surgical cap with a grave expression.

"I'm very sorry..."

Those four words shattered my world completely.

"No! That's impossible!" I rushed toward the doctor. "She only had some wine! How could she..."

"According to the test results, the patient died from acute poisoning. The toxins had already attacked multiple organs..." The doctor sighed. "If she'd been brought in thirty minutes earlier, there might have been a chance."

I pictured my family's cold faces at the banquet. If they had been willing to help, if they hadn't been so selfish...

Wren would still be alive.

"Can I see her?" I choked out.

The doctor nodded.

In the ER, Wren lay quietly on the bed, her face pale as paper. I held her cold hand as tears streamed down my cheeks.

"Wren, I'm sorry... this is all my fault..."

Just then, her eyelids fluttered slightly.

"Doctor! Doctor! She's still alive!" I shouted excitedly.

The doctor quickly examined her. "This is her final moments. She still has a bit of consciousness..."

Wren slowly opened her eyes, struggling to look at me. Her lips parted slightly, trying to say something.

I leaned in close. "Wren, what do you want to say?"

"Still... couldn't escape..." Her voice was light as a feather. "I'm... going ahead..."

Then her eyes lost focus, and her hand slipped from mine.

My best friend was dead.

I cried in the hospital all night. I didn't drag myself home until noon the next day.

The moment I opened the door, I was met with a chorus of accusations.

"You have the nerve to come back?" Cassius sat on the living room sofa, his face dark with rage.

I stood frozen in the doorway. "I—"

"Shut up!" He shot to his feet. "Do you know what you did last night? You completely ruined Delphine's graduation celebration! The guests are all talking about our family's lack of proper upbringing!"

"Wren is dead." My voice was hoarse.

"So what?" Lysander came downstairs, his tone cutting. "You embarrassed our entire family over some outsider. You always blow things out of proportion."

"Blow things out of proportion?!" I exploded. "My best friend is dead! She was poisoned! And you call that blowing things out of proportion?!"

"Octavia, you're being too emotional." Zephyr emerged from his study, looking at me like I was a stranger. "Your behavior last night made everyone uncomfortable."

I stared at him in disbelief. "I'm being emotional? My friend died—shouldn't I be upset?"

"But you shouldn't have ruined Delphine's celebration."

Just then, Delphine gracefully descended the stairs, her eyes red and puffy as if she'd been crying.

"Dad, don't blame Octavia." Her voice was as gentle as an angel's. "She's grieving too... though it is rather unfortunate..."

Unfortunate?

I glared at her. "Unfortunate? My best friend is dead, and you call it unfortunate?"

"That's not what I meant..." Tears immediately welled up in Delphine's eyes. "I just think if we could have handled it better..."

"Better?" I laughed bitterly. "You mean I should have let Wren die at your party? Would that have been better?"

"Octavia!" Cassius roared. "How dare you speak to Delphine like that? She was worried about Wren too!"

I watched Delphine's tearful performance and suddenly felt something was wrong.

"I'm truly sorry." Delphine approached me, reaching out to comfort me. "Octavia, I know you're in pain, but we all need to be strong..."

The moment her hand touched my shoulder, I instinctively looked up into her eyes.

In that split second, I saw it.

In her eyes, there was no sympathy, no sadness, no concern.

There was only a fleeting look of satisfaction.

The satisfaction of someone whose plan had succeeded.

My blood turned to ice.

"You..." I stumbled backward, trembling.

"What's wrong?" Delphine immediately resumed her concerned expression. "You look terrible. Maybe you should rest?"

I stared at her intently, Wren's final words echoing in my mind: "Still couldn't escape..."

Could it be... could it possibly be...

"Octavia, what are you spacing out for?" Zephyr frowned. "Delphine's showing concern for you. You should at least say thank you."

I nodded mechanically, but suspicion grew like wildfire in my mind.

Wren's death was definitely not an accident.

I watched Delphine's perfect performance, saw how my family protected her, and suddenly understood.

In this house, I wasn't just the overlooked one—I might be the next target.