Chapter 3
A familiar dampness spread across my lap, making me feel sticky and incredibly uncomfortable.
The cab driver peered at me in the rearview mirror, his lips twisting into an unsettling smirk.
“Looks like you’re in a hurry, sweetheart. Rushing to see your boyfriend, are we?”
The moment he said that, my heart lurched, and I almost stopped breathing.
All those nasty rumors from my past life echoed in my ears.
More than the inexplicable empathic link, it was the slut-shaming rumors—the baseless accusations—that truly broke me.
Even the man I loved most had questioned me, his face twisted in rage, demanding if I’d betrayed him.
How could I describe the feeling of being abandoned by the entire world?
The moment I stepped out of the cab, the dampness suddenly vanished.
Before I could even sigh in relief, my stomach clenched violently, and a sharp pain ripped through me.
It felt like someone was twisting my intestines, wringing them out in agonizing waves.
Gritting my teeth, I staggered to Jake’s front door and pounded on it.
Luna opened it, her head bowed, clutching a rag doll tightly.
She was twisting the doll’s head and feet in opposite directions, like wringing out a wet towel.
Sweat beaded on my forehead from the pain. I lunged forward, snatched the doll, and forced its limbs back into place.
My body instantly relaxed, and the pain slowly receded.
“What are you doing?!”
Jake suddenly appeared from the corner, his face grim.
He glared at me fiercely, then quickly pulled the distraught Luna into his arms, comforting her.
“There, there, Luna, don’t be scared. Big brother will get your doll back.”
He reached out to grab the doll from my hands. When I wouldn’t let go, he suddenly raised his hand and slapped me across the face.
My cheek stung, but I ignored it. Clutching the doll tightly, my voice trembled. “Jake, please… make Luna stop. Please, let her stop hurting me…”
“If she keeps doing this, I’m really going to die…”
“I can’t take it anymore…”
I cried out, but he remained completely unmoved.
Jake first frowned at the trembling Luna in his arms, then chuckled.
“Chloe, how long are you going to keep this up?”
“I get it, you don’t like me looking after Luna. But she’s my own sister!”
“I can find another girlfriend, but I only have one sister!”
He finished speaking, roughly pried my fingers open, took the doll, and gently placed it back in Luna’s arms.
“Don’t worry, Luna. Your big brother won’t believe a crazy woman like her.”
I clearly saw Luna’s lips subtly curl upwards, a cold, sinister smile flickering across her face.
She stared at me, then suddenly lifted the doll high and slammed it hard onto the floor.
My body instantly felt like it had plummeted from a great height, my internal organs jarring out of place.
An agonizing crushing pain shot through my limbs, yet my skin remained perfectly intact.
I forced my eyes open and saw her forcefully stomping on the doll’s arms and legs.
“Luna… stop… please…”
The pain was so intense I couldn’t speak a full sentence, only managing disjointed pleas.
But hearing me, she seemed to grow even more excited.
Perhaps tired of playing, she picked up the doll and dangled it in front of me, swaying it back and forth.
“What’s my dear future sister-in-law mumbling about? I can’t quite catch that, sweetie.”
“Could it be… you’re jealous of how good my brother is to me?”
She stared at my pained expression like a predator fixated on its prey.
“Sometimes, I actually envy you. You suffer so much, and yet you’re still alive.”
She leaned in close to my ear, whispering. I shivered, almost blacking out.
She… she knew everything!
I scrambled backward in terror, accidentally bumping my backpack.
The fruit knife inside clattered onto the floor.
Luna and I both froze, our eyes simultaneously fixed on the blade.
I reached for it—
But she was faster. She bit down hard on the doll’s arm.
A sharp pain flared in my right arm, and I flinched.
In that split second, she snatched the knife.