A Lifetime Sentence of Missing Her

Chapter 2 The Firework

Something snapped in Willa's head. She screamed at Julian, her vocal cords tearing with the force of it, "Julian! Without that machine, she has zero chance of living! What kind of sick miracle are you talking about? You know Serena is just spewing absolute bullshit! Are you seriously willing to sacrifice my mother's life just to impress her?"

Julian's brow furrowed tightly, his face darkening into a thunderstorm. He snapped his fingers at the bodyguards.

"Restrain my wife and take her down to the basement. Do not let her interfere with Serena's decisions."

The massive men moved instantly, pinning Willa's arms behind her back. She fought them with every ounce of strength she had, but even when she collapsed violently to the floor, Julian didn't even blink.

Seeing the nurses step closer to the machine, Willa threw away every last ounce of her dignity. She crawled on her knees to Julian, desperately grabbing his pant leg and sobbing hysterically.

"Julian, please! I have nothing left in this world except her. I am begging you! As long as you don't kill her, I will do absolutely anything you want!"

Julian hesitated for a fraction of a second.

Seeing this, Serena slowly stepped out of his embrace.

"Don't forget what you promised me."

Julian closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were completely void of emotion.

He kicked Willa's hands away and glared at the guards, demanding coldly, "Tie her up!"

Thick ropes bit into Willa's wrists and torso, leaving her completely immobilized.

She could only watch in absolute horror as Julian walked toward the life support machine.

"No... Julian, no..."

Her shattered screams were answered only by his ruthless movements.

The exact second the plug was pulled, her mother's chest began to heave erratically, gasping for air.

Willa tried to scream again, but not a single sound could scrape its way out of her throat.

She had completely lost her voice. Only a trail of tears, mixed with blood, slid down her cheeks.

"Willa, she has held on for far too long. This is the only true release for her. Besides, I gave Serena my word. From now on, I will listen to whatever she says. It's the only way she agreed to keep my child."

The world shattered around Willa, leaving her body cold and stiff with horror. She was nothing but a broken doll as the guards seized her, dragging her across the floor against her will.

It wasn't until the heavy steel door of the basement slammed shut that an agonizing, guttural wail finally ripped from her throat.

She hammered her bleeding fists against the door, screaming until she tasted blood, but no one answered.

She slid helplessly to the cold concrete floor, blood-tinged tears blurring her entire world.

It wasn't until nightfall that the door finally opened.

Stumbling blindly, she tried to sprint back to the hospital, only to be stopped by the sudden explosions of fireworks lighting up the night sky.

Standing in the courtyard, Julian had his arm wrapped securely around Serena, both of them admiring the extravagant global fireworks display.

Gritting her teeth, Willa looked at Julian with the absolute last shred of dying hope.

"How... how is my mother?"

A flash of guilt crossed Julian's eyes, but as the fireworks crackled above, his expression smoothed into a chilling calm.

"Willa, she is never going to be in pain again."

Willa's entire body went rigid. Every single fragment of hope shattered into dust.

Through the ringing in her ears, Serena's sickeningly sweet voice floated over.

"Mrs. Kennedy, did you enjoy the show? Julian knew how much I love fireworks, so he specifically had your mother's ashes packed into the shells. Seeing her bloom so beautifully across the sky, a devoted daughter like you must be thrilled, right?"

An apocalyptic wave of grief violently consumed Willa's soul. She lunged at Serena like a rabid animal. "Serena! You murdered her! I'm going to f*****g kill you!"

Before Willa could even touch Serena, Julian's massive hand clamped around Willa's wrist like a vice.

"Willa, are you out of your goddamn mind? Your mom should have died a year ago! Dragging it out was pure torture! You should be thanking Serena on your knees for finally giving her peace!"

"You..."

The sheer rage hit Willa's heart so hard that before she could finish her sentence, she violently coughed up a mouthful of dark blood. The world faded to black, and she collapsed.