Fading Memories, New Beginnings

Chapter 6

Rivka stood frozen outside the chapel. Jayden's prayer struck her, and she stopped cold, her mind going blank with shock.

Her heart slammed hard against her ribs.

He had come here on their wedding anniversary, not for her, but to pray for Willow.

Her hands curled into fists at her sides, her nails digging so deeply into her palms that they nearly broke the skin. Even that pain was nothing compared to what was tearing through her chest...

She turned and went back to the wish tree where she and Jayden had once made their promises. Now, every ribbon hanging from its branches felt like a cruel mockery.

Without hesitating, Rivka reached up and tore down every ribbon they had tied there together.

With each one she ripped free, it felt as though she were tearing another memory of Jayden out of her life.

When her hands were full, she shredded the ribbons and hurled the pieces into the air. The wind caught them at once and scattered them in every direction.

A marriage this broken deserved to be scattered to the wind.

Rivka walked down the steps one at a time, never looking back.

*****

When she returned to Nebula Villa, she went straight upstairs.

She had just reached her bedroom when Willow, who had supposedly been too weak to leave her bed, stepped into the hallway.

Willow smiled at her with open triumph. "So, Rivka? Did you enjoy your little trip to the chapel? I made sure Jayden went there to pray for me."

Rivka stared at her. Her shock quickly gave way to confusion. "How did you know I went to the chapel?"

Willow moved closer, her eyes glittering with satisfaction. "Jayden slept beside me last night, so of course I know what he's doing. I knew about your anniversary plans too."

Rivka looked at her properly then. Willow's complexion was rosy. Her eyes were bright. There was nothing about her that looked sick.

"You were never poisoned, were you?"

"No." Willow smiled.

Then she leaned close enough for her breath to brush Rivka's ear. "I wanted to take him from you one piece at a time, until there was nothing left between the two of you."

Rage and despair crashed together inside Rivka.

For once, she refused to swallow it. She shoved Willow away and raised her hand, finally ready to strike back.

But before she could hit her, Willow threw herself to the floor and cried out in pain.

Alarm shot through Rivka. She spun around just as Jayden came up the stairs, still dressed in the formal clothes he had worn to the chapel. He had seen enough.

"Willow, are you hurt?"

"Rivka, how can you be this vicious?"

The moment he finished comforting Willow, his gaze landed on Rivka like a blade, ferocious enough to rip her to pieces.

Rivka felt something twist painfully inside her.

"I..."

She never got to finish. Jayden was already helping Willow to her feet, his full attention fixed on her, as though the slightest touch might break her.

She stood there watching, pain slicing through her chest.

Rivka wanted to defend herself, but the smug satisfaction in Willow's eyes drained the strength from her before she could force out another word.

In the end, she turned and walked slowly back to her room. Each step felt heavier than the last.

Behind her, Jayden's warning cut through the hallway. "Rivka, if you ever hurt Willow again, don't expect me to go easy on you. Hurt her again, and you're out of this house!"

'This house? Whose home is this supposed to be, Willow's or mine?'

The question screamed through Rivka's mind, but she did not say it aloud. Her eyes burned, but she refused to let the tears fall until she was safely behind her bedroom door.

The moment she closed it, she sagged against the wood and finally let herself cry, soaking the front of her dress.

Everything that had just happened replayed over and over in her head.

In a few days, she would forget all of it. But the way Jayden had looked at her made one thing painfully clear. Before that day came, she wanted to end this completely.

After standing there for a few moments, something occurred to her.

She straightened, crossed to the dresser, and yanked open the drawers. One by one, she pulled out everything that connected her to Jayden—souvenirs from the trips they had taken together, stacks of photographs, and the expensive watches he had once bought her.

Every item she pulled from the box brought back another wave of pain, as though the past had never really healed.

When she had gathered everything, Rivka carried it to the fireplace, piled it inside, and struck her lighter.