Chapter 10
668 Words
Jayden pulled his mother aside, his voice a low, urgent hiss. "Mom, today is Evelyn's birthday. Let's not defile her memory."
"What are you still standing there for? Get the hell out!" Jayden growled through gritted teeth, his eyes flashing with fury. "Wait—give me back that bracelet! Spencer family heirloom is wasted on a wicked woman like you!" Grace glared at Liora and lunged for the jade bracelet clasped around her swollen wrist.
It was the same bracelet Grace had fastened around Liora's wrist when Jayden first brought her home, a symbol of acceptance and hope.
"Liora, I knew from the first glance—you're the only one fit to carry our Spencer family's legacy," Grace had said then, her voice warm with laughter.
The warmth and laughter of that day still felt fresh in Liora's mind, a stark contrast to the cold reality surrounding her now. Now, everything lay shattered beyond recognition.
Liora felt as though a boulder was crushing her, grinding her into dust particle by particle. The agony was so unbearable she wished for death to claim her swiftly.
"Jayden! Get this bracelet off her now!" Grace snapped, her face twisted in fury, her voice cutting through the tense air.
With her artificial organs failing, Liora's swollen limbs made the once-perfect bracelet impossible to remove without causing further harm.
"That thing's cursed by her touch now. It's worthless," Jayden stated, his voice devoid of emotion as he stared at Liora's blood-streaked face. His heart felt as though it were drowning, gasping for air in a sea of conflicting emotions.
A mother knows her son best—Grace saw his lingering attachment clearer than anyone. But she would never accept her daughter's murderer as a daughter-in-law!
"No! This bracelet belongs to Isabella! She'll be our Spencer family's rightful wife—not your sister's killer! If you don't remove it today, how can your sister's soul find peace?" Grace declared, her words striking Jayden like thunder.
The weight of her words settled heavily upon him. He realized he had no choice.
Stepping forward, he gripped the bracelet with one hand and wrenched Liora's wrist with the other. As Liora screamed in pain, the bracelet came free—her arm dislocating with a sickening pop that echoed in the silent room.
When the last thread between them snapped, Liora stood hollow as a discarded shell, too broken even for tears. Yet, Jayden's chest burned with a churning, nameless agitation.
He dragged her to the cemetery gates and flung her out like refuse. "Isabella and I will be engaged in two days," he announced coldly. "To keep this unpleasantness out of everyone's sight, don't ever come back—disappear as far as you can!"
"Don't worry, I won't have the chance to trouble you again," Liora replied weakly, her voice barely a whisper.
Watching Liora stagger away, Jayden felt his heart wrench painfully, as if he were about to lose her forever.
After returning home, Liora began coughing up blood uncontrollably, her body too weak to even support her walking. Yet, she mustered her last strength to pack her things—the love letters Jayden had written her, the high heels Jianing had gifted her, and countless group photos of the three of them together.
She wanted to carry these memories away with her, so that in the next life, they wouldn't have to meet again.
As she finished packing the cardboard box, dawn was breaking outside her window. Gathering the dregs of her strength, she carried the box to the riverside and set it on fire.
Amid the roaring flames, she made one final call to the funeral staff who would handle her remains. At last, she collapsed, unable to hold on any longer, her blood spreading in a pool beneath her.
Before closing her eyes, she saw the live broadcast of Jayden and Isabella's engagement ceremony on a billboard across the river. With a weak, wry smile, she murmured, "Farewell, Jayden. Never to meet again."
- Writer
