Chapter 10%
Jewelry and designer gowns flowed into Sienna’s hands like water, delivered in endless streams from luxury boutiques eager to please the future Mrs. Miller. Every day, she was intoxicated by the sheer indulgence, basking in the kind of happiness she had dreamed of for years.
Three days later, under the bright scrutiny of the media’s live broadcast, Sienna stood radiant in her wedding gown, the very picture of a fairy–tale bride. Cameras flashed as she stepped gracefully into Hugh’s car, her heart racing with excitement.”
But the car didn’t head toward the grand wedding venue. Instead, Hugh drove her somewhere else entirely–back to the rusted skeleton of the bloodstained drop tower.
As the familiar structure loomed into view, all color drained from Sienna’s face. The cheerful bride was gone, replaced by a trembling woman frozen in growing panic. Her fingers dug into the seat, but before she could protest, Hugh’s hand covered hers, his grip unnervingly firm–part coaxing, part force. Without giving her room to refuse, he guided her toward the towering ride.
“Hugh, isn’t today our wedding day?” Her voice quivered, struggling to mask her unease. “Why are we here?“}]
“Ava died because of us,” Hugh said calmly, his tone too even, too detached. “So, we owe her an apology, don’t you think?“}
Sienna’s smile stiffened as fear prickled at the edges of her perfect façade. Her hand tightened around the massive diamond ring glittering on her finger, as though its brilliance could anchor her.
It wasn’t until the ride slowly ascended, climbing toward the sky with its ominous mechanical groans, that Sienna realized something was terribly wrong. Her safety restraints had unlatched on their own, leaving her dangling–completely unsecured–over a hundred yards above the ground.
The bitter wind tore at her gown, whipping her hair in every direction. Terror clawed its way up her throat and a scream ripped from her lips.
Below her, Hugh’s face was no longer that of the gentle, accommodating man she had seduced. His features were twisted with something far darker–a madness born from guilt, grief and hatred all tangled together.”
“Sienna, isn’t this what you wanted?” His voice was low, but it rang out clearly, even through the roaring wind. “You deceived me over and over, just to frame Ava. But did you ever stop to think about how desperate she was? How terrified she must’ve been before she died?”
“Ava was the one who saved me back then–not you!” His voice cracked, rage and remorse breaking through the mask of calm. “Why did you lie? Why did you say it was you? If it hadn’t been for your lies, I never would’ve turned on her. She wouldn’t have died!“}
*For every ounce of pain Ava endured, I want you to pay it back a hundred… no, a thousand times over!”
It was only then, dangling helplessly in the air, that Sienna understood the full extent of her situation. He knew. He knew everything.” Her screams turned to frantic pleas, begging him for mercy, for forgiveness–but her words dissolved into the howling wind. A foul stench drifted through the air as a stream of liquid trickled down the metal frame of the ride. She had lost control of her bladder in sheer terror.%
But Hugh’s expression didn’t change. There was no trace of the man who had once adored her. Only cold, quiet indifference. He watched without blinking, until her voice gave out, leaving only choked whimpers and the sound of the wind.
By the time the ride came to a halt, her eyes were frozen wide open in horror. Her fingers, once clutching the safety bar in blind desperation, were snapped and bloodied, nails torn clean off from the strain.
Hugh stood silently beside her lifeless body. His gaze lingered, then his knees buckled and he collapsed onto the ground, clutching his head as sobs wracked his frame.
“Ava… I truly know my mistakes now,” he whispered hoarsely. “Please… come back. Won’t you come back?“N
The only reply was the horrified murmurs of the gathering crowd, the whispers growing louder as the media’s cameras captured every gruesome detail.
Later, Hugh built a tombstone for me. As for my baby, there was no body left to bury. So, instead, he placed the half–knitted sock beside me.E
He knelt before our shared grave, his head bowed in endless repentance. He swore, again and again, that if there was such a thing as a next life, he would protect me and our child with everything he had. Then, with no hesitation, he turned himself in to the police.
As time passed and everything settled, my spirit grew fainter, unraveling thread by thread until the final cord snapped–the moment Hugh was sentenced to death.
At last, I was free No longer bound to him.
In the distance, I saw them–my parents, their faces gentle and warm and a tiny baby waving his chubby hands.
Tears spilled down my cheeks as I ran to them, wrapping my arms around them, holding on as tightly as I could.
Before I left, I glanced back one last time. Hugh stood there, little more than a hollow shell, his soul long since emptied.” “Hugh, I whispered, “I don’t want your apology. I only want us to never, ever meet again.”
(The End)
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