Chapter 32
Arman opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He stammered for a moment before finally saying, “Linda… Linda wouldn’t lie. She’s a kind girl.”
His words were weak, barely more than a whisper, as if he himself didn’t even believe what he was saying.
The crowd erupted into murmurs. Was this really his defense?
Only I stood there with calm and a smile on my face because I knew this would happen
In my previous life, I had always been caught in a whirlpool of fear and unrequited love for Arman.. . He was several years older than me, tall and intimidating, and in my young, naive eyes, he was more than just an older cousin–he was an imposing figure who held the power to shape my world.
My parents were often busy with Pack duties, and Ethan, my brother, was studying and training with them. So it was Arman who was left to take care of me.
He was an exceptional werewolf, strong and skilled, but being so close in age to Ethan, he was constantly compared to him.
Unfortunately for Arman, those comparisons never worked in his favor. No matter how hard he tried, he could never match Ethan’s abilities or leadership qualities, and that bitterness began to eat away at him.
Arman didn’t take well to being second–best, and every time he lost a fight or was outdone by Ethan, he turned his frustration and anger on me.
Once I did the slightest thing wrong, I was physically punished by him and punished by not being allowed to eat.
I was just a kid back then, so I thought it was normal. I thought this was just how older brothers.
behaved.
One memory, in particular, is seared into my mind. I had found a curly–haired stray kitten on my way home, a small, scruffy thing that looked like it hadn’t been fed in days. Excited, I brought it home, eager to show Arman my new little friend. But when I arrived at the door, he met me with a cold, unfeeling glare.
“It’s dirty. You’re not welcome in the house with that,” he said sternly, his voice as cold as the wind that whipped through the night air. The door shut in my face before I could even plead.
The Ainba’s Substitute Tuna: & Heart Claimed. A Soul Reborn
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Istood there, frozen in disbelief, clutching the kitten in my arms as I sat down on the doorstep.
The house felt miles away, even though I was just on the other side of the door.
The kitten mewed weakly, shivering in my arms as I tried to keep it warm.
I waited all night, hoping Arman would come back for me, that he would realize how cruel he was being. But he never did.
It wasn’t until the nanny, who had always shown me small acts of kindness, opened the door in the dead of night and quietly let me inside.
The next morning, I found out she had been fired for disobeying Arman’s orders.
Even then, I defended him in my heart, telling myself that he was just tough on me because he was stressed, that deep down he cared about me.
It wasn’t until Linda appeared that I realized how wrong I had been.
He knew how to be gentle, how to be kind. He just chose not to be, at least not with me.
I saw it one day when he sat in his car, handing Linda a cup of hot milk, his expression soft and affectionate. He reached out and ruffled her hair, telling her in a voice so warm it made me sick, Make sure you eat three meals a day, okay? And let me know if you need money for anything.” His voice was full of care, full of affection.
Another time, on a rainy day, Linda found a skinny, half–drenched stray cat.
I watched from a distance as Arman held an umbrella over her head, his expression full of concern. “Do you want to keep it?” he asked her gently. “If there’s no place for it, I can take care of it for you”
His eyes, so tender, so different from the hard, cold look he used to give me when I tried to do the same thing.
It became crystal clear to me then–it wasn’t that Arman didn’t know how to be gentle. He just chose not to be gentle with me.
Linda drunkenly clung to his shirt that same night, babbling nonsense, and he listened with such patience, his gaze full of love. I realized that all the affection I had yearned for from him, all the kindness I had thought I could earn, was freely given to someone else. And it broke me.
In my past life, I was trapped in that cycle, unable to understand why my fiancé didn’t love me and “why Arman, my cousin, never supported me.
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apter 32
was confused, heartbroken, and desperate for approval and affection from people who never truly
cared about me.
But in this new life, I’m no longer that weak, helpless girl.
I finally understand that I am a complete and independent person.
It’s not that I can’t live without the love of Ryan and Arman.
Now it’s time to break down their lies.
I smiled at the thought because I finally realised that I had so many other precious things.
