Sophia stood triumphantly in the doorway, dangling a delicate ceramic figurine between her fingers like bait.]
“Give it back, now!” Aria lunged desperately, hands outstretched []
Too late.
With deliberate cruelty, Sophia released the figurine, watching it shatters against the marble steps.[]
Aria froze as if she herself had been broken.[]
Her eyes widened in horror, tears immediately spilling over.[]
She dropped to her knees beside the fragments, carefully gathering each tiny piece.[]
The jagged edges sliced into her palms, but she seemed oblivious to the pain, clutching the blood–smeared ceramic shards like precious gems.]
This final blow was too much to bear.
The figurine had been the last physical connection to her time with Marcus.]
When they forced her into marriage, her parents had systematically destroyed every memento–photos, letters, gifts–anything that linked her to him. She’d risked everything to hide this one keepsake, and now it too was gone forever.
She could still picture Marcus staying up for nights on end, painstakingly crafting the sculpture, then rushing over with boyish excitement to present it to her:
“Look, Aria! I made this ceramic mini–you–even fired and glazed it myself. What do you think? Captured your essence, right?“]
The memory unleashed something primal within her.[]
Seeing Sophia’s smug satisfaction, Aria finally snapped. She launched herself forward, her open palm connecting with Sophia’s cheek in a resounding slap.]
“Have you completely lost your mind?” Ryan came sprinting from the house, roughly shoving Aria to the ground, his face contorted with rage.]
“It’s just a worthless piece of junk! What gives you the right to hit Sophia? Besides, we’re divorced, remember? Your old room is Sophia’s closet now. What’s the big deal about tossing your crap?“]
Aria remained silent, her ice–cold glare fixed on the smirking couple.[]
The naked hatred in her eyes made Ryan step back involuntarily.[]
This was a side of her he’d never witnessed–like a different person had emerged from behind her usually composed façade.]
Suddenly uncomfortable, he glanced at the scattered belongings and muttered:[]
“Since you just got out of the hospital, I’ll let this slide. Just this once.”
But Aria didn’t utter another word. She simply gathered the ceramic fragments into her pocket and walked away without looking back.]
Watching her slender yet determined figure disappear down the driveway, Ryan felt an unexpected twist of frustration knot his stomach.[]
He viciously kicked a nearby box, surprising himself with the surge of jealousy that followed.[]
“Some loser who’s been six feet under for years–what’s the big fucking deal? Treating a cheap trinket like the Holy Grail. Ridiculous,” he muttered through clenched teeth.
“Ryan, seriously, why do you keep zoning out?” Sophia whined, tugging at his sleeve.[]
Only then did Ryan snap back to reality, pushing away thoughts he had no business entertaining.]
He barked orders at two nearby housekeepers: “Clean up this mess and trash everything. It’s an eyesore.“[]
With that, he stormed back inside, locking himself in his study.]
My Ex Planned His Wedding On My Death Day?1
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The confused staff exchanged bewildered glances as they whispered:[]
“Didn’t Mr. Morgan specifically tell us yesterday to pack everything carefully and store it all in the guest house?”
They looked at each other, shrugged, and began gathering her belongings into trash bags.]
Two months later, the court’s divorce judgment finally came out a week later. Aria got up very early and even put on makeup, which she hadn’t done for a long
time.
These years of living without dignity had caused unbearable suffering. Now that freedom was finally coming, her heart felt an unprecedented calm.]
She even felt a trace of barely containable joy bubbling up inside her. Før the first time in years, she had something to look forward to–a life of her own
choosing.
Out of the blue, a message popped up on her phone:]
[I’ve got the divorce judgment document. Come pick it up yourself.]]]
Aria remembered she’d chosen the personal delivery option, but it seemed Ryan couldn’t wait for someone to fetch it from the courthouse. He seemed desperately eager to distance himself from Aria.[]
she didn’t give it much thought.[]
After all, this would be her last trip back to that nightmare–haunted place. One final visit, and then she could close this
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