Chapter 16 - Ashes of the Past
When the gala ended, Claire returned to her new home—a beautiful, sunlit house with a large backyard and a stone fireplace.
She walked into the garage and found the heavy cardboard box she had kept sealed since moving.
Inside was her wedding dress.
And a stack of apology letters Ethan had forced her to keep over the years—letters he wrote after every violent outburst, promising he would change.
Claire carried the box to the fireplace.
She struck a match.
She didn't burn the dress out of hatred. She burned it because she no longer needed physical reminders of her pain. She watched the expensive white silk catch fire, curling and turning into black ash. She threw the letters in next, watching Ethan's elegant, manipulative handwriting dissolve into smoke.
May you like
The fire crackled, warming her skin.
She sat on the rug, wrapping her arms around her knees, and watched the past turn into nothingness.
