"Drip." Water splashed onto my face.
I trembled as I opened my eyes.
Before me was still the pitch-black cave.
I'd been sick for three days and nights. In this primitive tribe's backward conditions, even a minor illness could be fatal.
Looking at the unchanging cave walls and hearing the cheerful laughter outside, I could confirm that during my three days of unconsciousness, not a single person had come to check on me.
Not my devoted husband, not the son I nearly died birthing—neither had come to see me or care for me.
If not for the system I possessed, I'd probably be dead by now.
Hearing the joyful voices outside and Lena's flirtatious laughter, my heart grew colder than ice.
Eight years ago, I arrived in this beast world. Ryan, the wolf tribe leader, found me lost in the wilderness.
He brought me back to the tribe and cared for me tenderly, attentive to my every need.
As we spent time together, I gradually fell for him. After his persistent pursuit, I agreed to be with him.
Two years into our relationship, I became pregnant.
My ordinary human frame made bearing a beast-child incredibly difficult. The baby was large, and I walked through death's door, only surviving childbirth with my system's help.
I thought we'd live happily as a family forever.
But everything changed when Lena returned.
Ryan, who had been so attentive, suddenly became cold to me. Even the son I'd carried for nine months and nearly died delivering turned cruel.
That's when I learned Lena had always been Ryan's first love.
Ryan had chosen me as his mate only because I resembled Lena.
I felt so terrible that I couldn't help coughing twice.
The next moment, the playful sounds outside ceased.
Then a tall, familiar figure appeared in my dim cave.
Ryan's impatient voice rang out:
"Since you're awake, get up and work. Who are you putting on this dying act for?"
Hearing this, I couldn't hold back—a breath caught in my chest and I began coughing violently.
Hearing my distress, Ryan covered his nose and mouth with disgust, afraid I'd infect him.
A woman's voice soon came from outside:
"Ryan, you should come out quickly. I'm afraid this woman will infect you."
Then another voice, childish and young:
"Yes, Father, you can't afford to get sick. After all, you're the wolf tribe leader. This woman won't die."
Though this had happened countless times before, hearing these words still made my heart ache with dull pain.
This was my husband of eight years, and the son I'd nearly died bringing into the world.
Only after Ryan's figure disappeared from my cave did I violently cough up blood.
