In The End, All Ties Are Severed

Her arms, shoulders, and back were covered in densely carved words.

When she first arrived at the psychiatric hospital, she had prayed that Jason would come to rescue her. Every time she was tortured, the only thing that kept her going was using her fingernails to slowly carve his and her names into her skin.

One year. Three years. Five years… Eventually, her name faded. All that remained was ‘Jason. Jason. Jason.’

She no longer dared to dream of them reuniting. Jason had simply become her only anchor to keep living.

But… that faith had crumbled. She no longer had the strength to piece herself back together.

Yvonne finally broke down, sobbing beneath the stream of water.

That night, before her body had even recovered, she was forced to attend a banquet and drink lots of wine. Mockery and laughter surrounded her as she could only down glass after glass in silence.

Meanwhile, Cindy was cradled in Jason’s arms, pampered and doted on with gentle care.

Jason kept ordering Yvonne around to fetch drinks and other things. Her steps were unsteady, but she could only grit her teeth and keep going.

At the end of the night, after sending off all the guests, she collapsed over the flowerbed and vomited so violently that her vision spun. Jason stood off to the side and looked disgusted. Without a hint of concern, he tossed a wad of cash at her feet.

“Pick it up and clean it yourself.”

Yvonne clutched her spasming hand and gathered her earnings from the dirt, one bill at a time. She did not say a word.

She could not afford to be sent back to that place. It was too filthy. She wanted to disappear utterly and completely. She did not even intend to leave a trace of bone behind.

Jason and Cindy’s engagement banquet was approaching fast, and he had left all the early preparations in her hands.

“Cindy liked the necklace from the auction. Get it, no matter the cost.”

“The venue decorations do not suit her tastes. Redo it. She wants the banquet on a luxury cruise.”

“Her favorite roses are Juliet Roses. Fly in the freshest ones and fill every corner with them. The food and wine must be exactly to her liking.”

Every day, Yvonne was pushed to exhaustion. By day, she had to fulfill Jason and Cindy’s endless demands. By night, she was nothing but an outlet for Jason’s desires. Every morning, it took her a long while just to gather the strength to get out of bed.

She had planned every detail of the engagement banquet. But when the spotlight hit the stage, she was not the one standing there.

It was Cindy, arm in arm with Jason, bathed in attention and admiration from every direction.

Compliments rang endlessly in Yvonne’s ears. She stood in a corner, where not a single ray of light reached her. She was so utterly drained that she did not realize when her eyes had closed.

She had often dreamed of getting engaged to Jason.

In her dream, he had looked at her with eyes full of deep affection, as though he wanted to pull her into his soul. He had gently slipped a ring onto her finger.

“You are mine now. Unless I die, we will never be apart. Not in this lifetime. Not in the next.”

Guests around showered them with blessings, wishing them a long and happy life together.

In the dream, she was supposed to be smiling. But in reality, her face was covered in tears.

How could humans possibly compete with fate? She was going to die. They would never again stand side by side.

When Yvonne woke up, Cindy was sitting right across from her.

“Well, well. Yvonne. It has been a while,” Cindy said as she held a wine glass with perfect poise. Her gaze dropped with cold disdain. “I truly do not understand. If you were going to sit here crying now, why did you do what you did back then?”

Yvonne hurriedly wiped away the tears that had escaped her dreams.

Cindy’s stare made her hands tremble again. The trauma of past bullying had never truly faded.

“Hard to believe, right?” Cindy said coldly, “Back then, Jason stood up for you. And now, he is in love with me. How could a man like him fall for someone as weak and boring as you? Fortunately, you ruined yourself.”

Yvonne lowered her head and pressed her left hand tightly over her right. She said with her hoarse voice, “I will not… get in your way.”

“Oh? If you are not hoping to win him back, why did you come back at all?”

As Cindy spoke, she tipped the glass of red wine and poured it over her own gown.

Her expression shifted at once. Shock and panic flashed across her face as she cried out, “Yvonne!”