Chapter 4

As I knelt in the mud, all ten fingers were torn bloody and raw by shards of porcelain and gravel, down to the point where I could even see the white of bone beneath.

When I realized that no matter how hard I tried, the ashes had already merged completely with the mud and could never be separated from it, I suddenly stopped.

I didn't cry anymore, I didn't scream anymore, and even my breathing faded to near silence. I just knelt there in the muck, staring at my bloodied hands covered in mud.

Slowly, I rose to my feet like a a numb, lifeless puppet. I dragged my mud-and-blood-stained body back into the living room, one step at a time. My bleeding fingers left a trail of crimson streaks across the carpet.

Serena stared at the ghastly state I was in and frowned deeply, instinctively taking half a step back. Convinced that I was about to have another outburst, she was ready to call the bodyguards in to restrain me.

However, I simply walked straight to the coffee table. On it was a divorce agreement she had already had drawn up.

She had prepared it during my time in the institution, filling it with extremely harsh terms that demanded that I leave with nothing. She had intended to use it to frighten me into giving in and apologizing to Adrian.

Without reading a single clause and without a moment's hesitation, I picked up the pen on the table. Then, I wrapped my bloodied fingers around the pen and signed my name calmly and decisively at the bottom of the agreement.

I slid the agreement toward Serena, my voice so faint it seemed it might dissipate at any moment. "As you wish, Serena."

Looking at the glaring bloodstains on the paper and my dead, hollow eyes, Serena felt an inexplicable pang in her heart. She had only meant to use the divorce to frighten me, to force me to back down and apologize to Adrian. She had never expected me to sign so readily.

For a fleeting moment, a flicker of panic crossed her eyes. She instinctively parted her lips, as though she wanted to say something to make me stay.

But I gave her no chance. I turned and walked straight upstairs.

Back in the master bedroom that had once been filled with laughter and warmth, I didn't take any clothes or valuables with me. I didn't even take my identification documents. I only pulled a clean white handkerchief from the drawer.

I walked to the window and looked down at the patch of garden I had torn apart while searching through the mud. I quietly made my way downstairs.

Gently, I gathered a small handful of the mud stained with my blood, wrapped it carefully in the handkerchief, and tucked it inside my coat against my chest, as close to my heart as possible.

That night, while Serena was in the study handling work and Adrian was resting in the guest room, I put on my battered old coat, pushed open the heavy front door, and vanished into the vast darkness.

…

The next morning, Serena sat at the dining table, staring at the empty staircase as her brows drew tighter and tighter.

Her assistant, Naomi Reed, approached cautiously and reported, "Ms. Seacrest, Mr. Vale left last night. He didn't take anything with him. He even left his phone and wallet in his room..."