Chapter 10
645words
Dad, drained and beaten, tried to stop her with what little strength he had left, but the bodyguards shoved him to the ground and pinned him down. Tears welled up in his eyes as he cried out helplessly, "Please, Susanna. Don't do this. Let Matthew rest in peace." His voice cracked with his pleas, but they fell on deaf ears.
Inside, I felt nothing. Not surprise, not anger. I had seen how far Susanna had gone—this was just another step in her brutal revenge. If she could do this to my family, there was nothing she would not do.
As the grave was unearthed, the foul stench of decay hit the air. My body was far gone, decomposed beyond recognition.
Susanna, covering her nose, took one look and froze.
Even after all those years, my bones lay broken, but there was still enough of me left to make out my face. On my finger, barely holding its shape, was the simple ring we had bought together. It was not flashy, not like the one she wore now. It was a small promise, paid for with the first sum of money I ever earned—a future we would never have.
York glanced at my remains with a sneer, then snatched a hammer from one of his bodyguards. "Well, look at that, he really is dead as a doornail. What now, Susanna? Want to take a swing at him, maybe let off some steam? That's about all he's good for now."
I seethed, my fists clenched so tightly it felt like they would explode. York! He was behind all of this. He rigged the crash. After I died, I discovered the truth—he paid off the driver's family to keep quiet. He wanted me out of the picture so that he could swoop in as the hero without anyone ever finding out.
Susanna picked up the hammer, and my heart skipped a beat. Was she really going to destroy my grave? To erase me, even in death?
However, instead of smashing my grave, she slammed the hammer into the earth beside it. Over and over again, she swung, fury pouring out of her with each hit. Then, suddenly, she threw the hammer aside. Her breathing had become ragged.
What came next blindsided me. She pried off her engagement ring and flung it into the grave. "Bury it."
York's expression darkened, stormy with anger. "Susanna, what the hell are you doing?! That's your engagement ring. We're getting married in a few days! Are you still hung up on Matthew?"
"It's just a ring, York." Her voice was sharp, dismissive. "You can buy another, can't you? He's wearing the twin to the one I once wore, the one that you tossed. I want him to know he was never worth my time. I want him to see for himself that the ring he gave me is a joke compared to this."
Then, turning her gaze toward my grave, she said again in a voice that dripped with venom, "Dead or not, you'd better show up to my wedding. That ring is your invitation—to watch how amazing I'm doing without you."
York's mood shifted instantly. He grinned like he had hit the jackpot. "That's more like it. Don't worry, I'll get you something way better. Pricier, shinier—something worthy of you."
He reached out to wrap his arm around Susanna. She stiffened, just for a moment, but did not push him away.
"Susanna, you've had your fill. Our big day is just around the corner. Tonight…" he trailed off with a sly, leering smile. "Tonight, we can finally have some fun."
His hand tightened around her waist as he led her toward a hotel, his grin sleazy and full of satisfaction.
