Waiting for a Heart Long Dead

"Nate said he never did it with you despite you wearing those outfits. Plus, you still had the nerve to come back?" Lily sneered. "Don't tell me you actually plan on coming to our wedding."

As she spoke, she grabbed the photo of me and my mother and tore it to pieces. "Jessica was just as cheap as you," Lily said. "She burned herself alive just to marry you into a rich family. She really was just trash."

I was stunned by how well she had faked her kindness at the hospital, but my fury was quickly drowned out from the shock of it all.

I slapped her hard across the face.

I don't remember how much I'd used to love Nathan, but I knew my mother had no selfish intentions when she saved him.

Lily refused to back down too and yanked my hair.

In the struggle, we knocked over the scented candle on the table, and the room went up in flames.

The fire alarms blared, and Nathan burst through the door. His gaze fell on me, but he quickly looked away.

"Nate, Willow said she would kill me and take my place as your wife!" Lily lied.

I clutched the shredded photo of me and my mother and screamed, "Shut up! Both of you make me sick! I used to be stupid, but I don't care about marrying you now!"

Nathan frowned deeply, and a wave of fury flashed in his eyes. He said through gritted teeth, "Are you that disgusted to be my wife?" There wasn't a trace of love for him in my eyes.

At that moment, I just wanted to escape. However, Nathan grabbed my arm and shoved me right into the fire.

"If Jessica knew you used fire to hurt someone, she would regret ever having you!" Nathan roared.

Gradually, smoke filled my lungs. From the floor, I used the last of my strength to grab Nathan's leg. I screamed, "After all these years, don't you know fires are my biggest fear?"

Then, everything went black, and I passed out completely.

…

When I opened my eyes again, only Sabrina was at my hospital bedside.

"Nathan went to handle your discharge. I've never seen him this worried about you," she said. "He even placed the rosary around your wrist, saying it would protect you for life."

I looked down to see a rosary around my wrist, its medallion only half of a whole.

Last month, Nathan had brought it back from a spiritual retreat and kept it in the prayer room like it was a sacred keepsake.

But now, all I could think about was getting away before he tried to discipline me again.

When I went out to the hallway, I saw Nathan holding Lily in his arms as he went over her condition with the doctor again and again. On the cuff of her hospital gown hung the rosary Nathan had kept on him for the past ten years.

I quietly laughed. It was fortunate that I didn't remember how much I used to love him.

Just then, Sabrina texted me. She had already arranged the wedding gift she planned to give Nathan for me.

…

This time, I felt no hesitation as I made my way to my mother's resting place.

I had hoped to retrieve some of her belongings the day before, but everything had been destroyed in the fire.

All I could do now was to move her ashes to Hasson. After marrying Luke, I would be able to visit her more often.

As I was coming down the hill with the urn in my arms, I unexpectedly ran into Lily.