Chapter 5

I had no money to buy my son a burial plot in the city, so I returned home only to grab his documents and bring his ashes back to my hometown for burial.

I gathered the paperwork and turned to leave, only to find Kieran standing in my path.

With Nyla nowhere in sight, he dropped his whole innocent act, a cruel smirk plastered across his face. "You really are pathetic. You could never measure up to her dead ex, and now you can't even hold a candle to a replacement like me.

"Now that your son is dead, you've lost the absolute last leverage you had to beg for her love.

"And you know what? I ruined your kid's face on purpose during the postmortem examination. He looked way too much like you, and I despise you."

My hands clenched into tight, trembling fists, my breath ragged.

Right as the sound of approaching footsteps echoed down the hallway, Kieran suddenly reached out and slapped the urn straight out of my hands.

The last thread of my sanity snapped. I lashed out with a vicious kick, sending him tumbling straight down the porch stairs.

Nyla rounded the corner just in time to see him hit the ground, screaming in pain.

It was only two shallow steps. Anyone could have cleared them in a single stride.

However, Kieran acted as if he had been pushed off a ten-story building, rolling dramatically on the ground until his head slammed into the iron banister, blood seeping from his scalp.

Nyla gasped, rushing forward to scoop him into her arms.

Kieran grabbed her hand, immediately putting on a tearful performance. "It's my fault for exposing his lies over and over again. Mr. Zane just lost his temper and pushed me down the stairs. It's fine, Nyla, I don't blame him."

Nyla cradled Kieran's bleeding face, her eyes flashing with pure fury. "I let so much of your garbage slide without punishing you!

"And now you're resorting to physical violence?!" she screamed, "Don't you know pushing someone down the stairs can kill them?!"

I dropped to the ground, carefully gathering the remains bit by bit, and glared at her through bloodshot eyes. "Do you have any idea what Kieran did? He killed Asher! He butchered his body, and now he just knocked his ashes all over the floor!"

Nyla lost her temper completely. "Asher is alive and fine! Stop dragging our son into this over and over to cover up your own twisted crimes!

"I don't care who begs for you today, you’re getting the punishment you deserve!"

She turned to her security team. "Harness him up to the bottom of the helicopter! Since you're brave enough to commit murder, let's see if you're actually brave enough to face death!"

I had already been diagnosed with terminal cancer. I wasn't afraid of dying. I just stared at her with cold, unwavering hatred.

My silence only infuriated Nyla further. She raised her boot and kicked the pile of ashes I had painstakingly gathered, scattering them everywhere.

A raw, primal roar tore from my throat, but the bodyguards held me in an iron grip.

Nyla wrapped an industrial harness around my torso, securing me to the belly of the helicopter.

She tightened the harness slightly, her harsh tone softening into a sigh. "Learn your lesson this time, okay? Stop throwing these dramatic tantrums, and let's just live our lives normally.

"You should bring our son back home later too," she added, "It's not good for him to keep staying over at his classmate's house like a leech."

She brushed a stray lock of hair from my forehead, then gave the pilot the sign to lift off.

With a deafening roar, the helicopter took off into the sky.

As my body was whipped around in the freezing high-altitude air, violent retching racked my chest, and mouthfuls of dark blood spewed from my lips.

Nyla couldn't see that I was vomiting blood from up there. Thinking I was just motion sick, she let out another dramatic sigh and turned to her assistant. "Go pick Asher up early and bring him home. Let me give him a surprise."

The assistant visibly trembled, his voice shaking uncontrollably. "Ma'am... Asher passed away from his illness days ago. You literally authorized Dr. Sullivan to perform the postmortem examination on his body. His ashes were in that urn, and they just got kicked across the driveway... Do you want me to sweep them up?"

Nyla's eyes dilated in sheer horror, a scream catching in her throat.

High above, the tether holding me snapped.

Feeling myself plummeting toward the ground at terminal velocity, I felt no terror at all. A laugh actually broke past my cracked lips.

Asher, Daddy's coming to be with you.

In our next life, and the life after that, let's never cross paths with Nyla again.

A sickening, thunderous crash echoed across the estate.

My body slammed onto the pavement, mere feet away from where Nyla stood.

Fresh, crimson blood splattered across her frozen, horror-stricken face.