Chapter 98
Evelyn collapsed like a marionette with its strings severed, consciousness slipping away in an instant.
Darkness swallowed her world whole. The excruciating pain—like her skin was being flayed—consumed her entirely.
"No!"
She lunged desperately toward the ashes being washed away by the relentless sleet.
Her anguished sobs tore through the air as her trembling hands scraped against the rough ground, frantically trying to gather what remained.
But the ashes darkened, stained crimson by the blood seeping from her torn palms, dissolving into the icy rain.
Just like that, her last flicker of hope was snuffed out.
She laughed bitterly through her tears, her red-rimmed eyes locking onto Alexander.
She didn’t recognize him anymore.
No—she had never truly known him.
Her jaw clenched as she glared at the man standing cold and unmoved, her gaze sharp as shattered glass.
"Alexander, you will regret this."
At her venomous words, his lips curled into a mocking smirk.
"Regret doesn’t exist in my world."
He signaled to the bodyguard, gesturing toward the urn holding her grandfather’s ashes.
"Bring it here."
Evelyn moved like lightning. She snatched the urn and clutched it to her chest, shielding it with her body.
The bodyguard hadn’t expected her sudden defiance. With a snarl, he lashed out, his boot slamming into her abdomen.
Crack.
The urn hit the ground. The metallic tang of blood flooded her mouth.
But she barely noticed. She scrambled forward, curling over the urn like a wounded animal, teeth gritted.
"Nobody touches my grandfather’s ashes! Alexander, if you want to be this cruel, then grind me to dust too!"
Her scream was raw, her lips smeared with blood, her body trembling violently.
The bodyguard raised his fist—but before it could strike, Alexander caught his wrist in a vice-like grip.
"Back off! Who gave you permission to lay a hand on her?"
His sudden fury was terrifying. With a brutal kick, he sent the bodyguard sprawling.
The storm worsened, sleet turning into a downpour. Alexander crouched beside her, his expression unreadable.
Evelyn was a wreck—her short dark hair matted with snow, her body wracked with shivers, her lips bloodied. Yet she clung to the urn like it was her lifeline.
Something twisted in Alexander’s chest. The woman before him was almost unrecognizable—except for her eyes. Still clear. Still defiant.
Evelyn wasn’t crying anymore. She smiled at him, hollow and broken.
"Alexander, just kill me. I never want to see you again."
He stilled. Then, softly, "Do you finally admit your mistakes?"
Her bloody lips curved. "I do."
Tears shimmered in her eyes as she stared at the man she had once loved with every fiber of her being.
"My greatest mistake was believing your lies… and wasting years of my life loving you."