Her Vengeance Rises From The Asylum

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arm pulsed with a dull ache, a constant reminder of the physical cost of my return. I leaned back against the plush leather seats, my mind

rd, slamming against the headrest. A sharp pain shot through my neck. The seatbelt, designed for

e door handle. Locked. I tried the window. It wouldn't budge. The child-lock w

em. "Enjoying your ride, Kylie? You shouldn't have come back. And you certainly shouldn't have touched Alivia's dog." His voice w

cting a punishment. This wasn't a sudden breakdown; it was premeditated. The cold rage I ha

letproof. The car was a fortress, impenetrable from the inside. I tried my

t to freezing, bit at my skin. My breath plumed in the cold air. The wound on my arm throbbed, a fresh wave of pain washing ov

seeped into my bones. My body, already bruised and battered from the asylum, from Duke's at

rter and I, driving through the city on a crisp autumn night. We had just started dating, a whirlwind romance after his "rescue" by Alivia. He had been so

hen offered only gaslighting and betrayal. My mind replayed his face as he' d held Alivia, as he' d rushed to the choking child. He had l

, was long dead. This Carter, this cold, calculating, power-hungry man, was a stranger. There was no going back, no rekindling, no hope for what we onc

, fought the blackness creeping in at the edges of my vision, but my body was failing me. The last thought before the darkness co

onvulsing in a violent shiver. My head throbbed, my arm screamed in

through the haze. He stood over me, his face grim, a bucket in his hand. Alivia

g cold, kneeling on the hard, frozen ground. My body ached, e

od ran

idst a scattering of ancient, winter-bare trees. This was where the Fletcher dead slept. This was where my son' s ashes were lock

ance, a garish insult against the somber stone. On its roof, a small, silver-framed picture of Duke, Alivia's dead Doberman, was propped

your breath and paralyzes your soul. They had done this. They had taken every piece of my life, every

. I tried to push myself up, tried to rush towards the mausoleum,

guards, grabbed my arms, holding me firmly in plac

glittering with malice. "Still clinging to that fantasy, Kylie? There's nothing in there for you. Just... ashes." She shrugged, a dismissive gestu

demanded, the words ripped f

l. Or at least, he would have been, if you hadn't been so... careless." She turned to Carter, a dramatic sigh escaping her

a nearby pedestal, a beautiful, porcelain vessel. My heart leapt. Was it...?

ur lives. A public apology. A video for social media. Just admit you were wrong, and we can move on. For the sake of the Fletcher name. For the sake of the compa

. He wanted me to grovel, to publicly humiliate myself, to confess to his lies, all to protect his image, his company, his new life with

of white-hot rage that threatened to consume me. Thi

t of this new outrage. "Apologize for defending myself? Apologize for remembering the truth? Never." My eyes, bu

"You want me to grovel for your precious company stock, for your family's name? For her dog?" I gestured wildly at Alivia, who watched with a triumphant smi

. But know this." My eyes, bloodshot and desperate, met his. "You will regret this more than anything you have ever done. I swear it. On my son's gr

at I was broken. But something in my eyes, in the sheer force of my de

ing to manipulate you! She's always been crazy! Remember the drugs? The hallucinations?" She

e gaudy doghouse. His internal conflict, however brief, was clear.

nitive. He turned back to me, his face devoid of mercy. "You will say what I

ury. "I understand, Carter," I whispered, the words carryi

nt. Carter watched me, his expression unyielding. Alivia hovered beside him, a preda

. This was just