My Love, My Ruin

ann

my face, mascara streaking down my cheeks like war paint. The chill cut through me, but it was nothing compared to the icy despair that gripped my heart. Cars zoomed past, their headlights briefly i

, my teeth chatter

tacular financial scandal. She had invested heavily in a shady real estate venture, leveraging clients' funds and our family assets, all in a desperate attempt t

ns. A major investor, an older man who had poured his life savings into her firm, suffered a massive heart attack a

ews articles resurfaced. The story went viral again. The relentless cyberbullying pushed her to the brink.

locker: "Like mother, like daughter." Others would "accidentally" spill drinks on me, then mock my wet clothe

over and dismantled their arguments with calm, logical words. "Her mother's actions are not her own," he said. "Do you truly believe a chil

me asking. He made me feel seen-not as the daughter of a scandal, but as Brianna. My heart, bruised and guarded, unfurled for him

tor. How the man who swore to protect me had weaponized my deepest wound. The incongruity was

filled the air. My arm felt heavy, a cool IV dripping into my vein. The sheets were cr

You're stable now, dear. Just need rest

ou," I m

Ashton's name lit the screen

hing. Kiley left her favorite emerald brooch at the apartment. She needs it for the g

ner, a grand gesture. I also remembered a silver locket he had given me years ago, engraved with ou

" I stated flatly. "I

, Brianna. You're fine. I need that brooch. If Kiley doesn't have it, she

d ever feel toward him. I owed him for pulling me out of the darkness all tho

said. "I

ove the IV. She frowned,

b, retrieved the brooch from my empty apartment, and arrived at the glittering gala

, a vision in a shimmering emerald gown that perfectly matche

led-a thin, cruel line.

me hard in the chest. I stumbled, losing my balance. The emerald brooch flew fro

what she's done! She ruined it! My beautiful brooch!" She pointed a trembling finger at th

r, my mind ree

s swung open. Ashton emer

ed pieces, then at me. "She

face. He didn't ask what happened. He didn't even pause. His

Brianna?" he hissed. "A

bbled up from my throat. "Did

e was being so aggressive, so threatening. I just reacted. My temper-you know

ration that sickened me. "It's alright, my dragon lily. You did nothing w

eneath the despair, a tiny spark ignited-defiance, resilience

I forced out. The wo

blicly. Say you're Ashton's discarded lover. Say your mother's past made yo

und my voice. "No," I said, gaining strength. "I a

amond, once a symbol of everything I had hoped for, felt heavy.

my grasp, bouncing once and rolling

?" She pulled me into full view of arriving guests. "Look at her! Ashton's sc

The daughter of that Eleanor Moore?" "What's

rianna and I are no longer together," he announ

herself for sympathy earlier! But Ashton, bl

uice-hurled by the growing crowd. Someone emptied a bowl of punch over my head. Stick

th a triumphant smile. Ashton's face remain

I curled into a fetal position, shielding my head. This was what my mother had endured. The public shamin

would not succumb. I scrambled to my feet, m

essed the button for the highest floor. Ashton's voice, laced with pa

lashed my face. The helipad was illuminated. A sleek, black helicopter waited, its blade

nd started to climb. Each rung was a step awa