Chapter 5

The sharp, metallic tang of disinfectant assaulted my nose, dragging me from the comforting abyss of unconsciousness. My body screamed in protest, every nerve ending ablaze with agony. My head throbbed. My legs felt like lead weights, throbbing with a persistent, dull ache. I slowly opened my eyes, the stark white ceiling of the hospital room blurring into view.

A nurse, her face a hard, unyielding mask, was roughly changing the dressing on my leg. Her movements were careless, causing a fresh wave of pain to lance through me. I winced, biting back a cry.

"Could you please be more gentle?" I whispered, my voice raspy.

She paused, her eyes, devoid of sympathy, fixed on mine. "Gentle? Ms. Blair, Mr. Brewer specifically instructed us to prioritize efficiency. Said you heal faster when you' re not coddled. You' re a strong woman, he said." A cold, humorless laugh escaped her lips. "And besides, we' re busy. We don' t have time for dramatics."

My heart constricted, a familiar, painful squeeze. Collin. Again. Even now, even here, in my most vulnerable state, he continued his subtle torture. He twisted everything, reframing his cruelty as concern, his indifference as a means to make me 'stronger.' He had used those exact words so many times before, each one a poisoned arrow. My mind flashed back to a time when a simple paper cut on my finger would elicit a frantic search for bandages and soothing words from him. Now, with my body ravaged and my soul obliterated, I was merely a task to be efficiently dispatched. He used to care. The thought was a bitter echo in the empty chambers of my mind. He used to love me.

The nurse, finished with her brutal task, adjusted my IV drip, the needle digging deeper into my vein, then scoffed and walked out, leaving me alone in the sterile silence. My arm pulsed with pain. I reached over, my fingers trembling, and carefully adjusted the flow of the intravenous liquid, slowing it down. The simple act felt like a monumental effort.

Physical pain, I realized, was a secondary concern now. The true agony resided deeper, a gnawing, suffocating ache in my soul. It was the pain of utter betrayal, of having my love, my trust, my very being, utterly desecrated.

Days bled into weeks. My hospital stay became a blur of routine neglect and dismissive medical staff. My injuries festered, a grim testament to Collin' s invisible hand. I developed a severe allergic reaction to one of the medications they were forcing me to take, my skin breaking out in angry red welts. One afternoon, the room spun, my throat closed up, and I collapsed into anaphylactic shock. I barely survived.

Later that week, feeling a desperate need for air, I slowly pulled myself out of bed, ripping out the IV drip in my arm. The room was stifling, suffocating. I needed to escape, even if it was just to the bathroom. My legs protested with every agonizing step, but I pushed through the pain, leaning heavily on the wall. As I shuffled down the corridor, I saw him. Collin. His back was to me, his broad shoulders easily identifiable, even from a distance. A knot of dread twisted in my stomach. What was he doing here?

Driven by an inexplicable, morbid curiosity, I followed him, my soft hospital gown barely making a sound. He turned a corner, and I peeked around the frame, my heart hammering against my ribs. He walked straight into the maternity ward. The maternity ward. My breath hitched.

A sickening giggle echoed from within one of the rooms. Haylee. My blood ran cold. I heard her voice, high-pitched and cloying. "Collin-woo, my tummy feels all fluttery! Is our little sprout okay?"

Collin' s voice, soft and tender, answered, "Everything's perfect, my love. Our baby is strong, just like you."

My stomach churned. I pressed my ear against the cold door, my body trembling. More sickeningly sweet words, more cooing, more kissing sounds. Then, Haylee' s voice, a little louder, a little more insistent. "Are you sure Kira won't cause any problems for our little sprout, Collin-woo? You know, with her always wanting babies and everything."

Collin chuckled. "Don't worry your pretty little head, baby. Kira can't have children. Not anymore."

My world shattered. My mind reeled. Not anymore?

"Remember when she had that 'accident'?" Collin continued, his voice chillingly calm. "The doctors had to do an emergency hysterectomy. Extensive damage. She can never conceive again. It' s for the best, really. Now our baby will be my sole heir. No competition."

Haylee giggled, a sound of pure, unadulterated triumph. "Oh, Collin! You're so clever! And so thoughtful! My precious sprout will have everything!"

The words echoed in the sterile hallway, each one a death knell. Hysterectomy. Our baby. My sole heir. It wasn't just physical damage. It was a cold, calculated act. He had sterilized me. During the surgery, after Haylee had crashed into me, after I had lost our child, he had ensured I would never have another. To secure an inheritance for Haylee's unborn child. A child conceived out of his obsession, a child that replaced the one he had so carelessly allowed to be destroyed.

The realization hit me with the force of a tidal wave. I slid down the wall, my legs giving out beneath me, my body shaking uncontrollably. I covered my mouth, stifling a scream that threatened to tear my throat apart. My world, already in ruins, now lay completely demolished. I had been carrying his child. And she, that ditzy, manipulative monster, had driven into me, killing it. And he, the man I loved, had compounded the horror by taking away my ability to ever be a mother.

Tears streamed down my face, hot and silent. But they weren't tears of sadness. They were tears of pure, unadulterated agony and rage. My throat was dry, raw, incapable of making a sound, yet the tears flowed, an endless river of pain. I had been foolish. Blind. I had been loved by a monster. And now, there was nothing left. No child, no mother, no future. Just a hollow, empty shell.

I don' t know how long I stayed there, curled on the cold hospital floor. Eventually, the tears stopped, leaving a dry, burning ache in my eyes. I pushed myself up, my movements slow, deliberate. My mind, usually sharp and logical, felt numb, disconnected. I stumbled back to my room, collapsing into the bed, utterly drained. Sleep claimed me, a black void, a temporary escape from the waking nightmare.

When I woke again, it was to the low murmur of voices outside my room. Collin' s voice. And another, a deeper, resonant male voice. "Master Feng believes Kira's volatile emotions are affecting Haylee's pregnancy," Collin was saying. "He says she needs a powerful cleansing."

"Indeed, Mr. Brewer," the other voice replied, smooth and oily. "The negative energies must be purged. For that, we need her heart's blood. And the elusive Snow Lotus, found only at the highest peaks. A journey she must undertake alone, for true spiritual purification."

My blood ran cold. Heart' s blood? Snow Lotus? I heard Haylee's simpering whine. "Oh, Collin-woo, is it really necessary? She might get hurt. But… if it' s for our sprout' s good, then… tell her to hurry, okay? My tummy feels so delicate."

Chapter 6

"It must be done." Collin's voice, firm and resolute, cut through the thin wall, silencing Haylee's simpering. "For the baby. For Haylee. Master Feng is never wrong."

The words were a hammer blow, one after another. My heart' s blood. The Snow Lotus. A journey alone. It was a death sentence, disguised as a spiritual quest. My body, already a patchwork of pain and stitches, convulsed with a silent sob. I had no strength left. No fight left.

Suddenly, the door burst open with a violent crash. The impact sent a fresh wave of agony through my skull, my vision blurring. I saw Collin standing there, his face a mask of shock, then anger. He hadn't expected me to be conscious, to overhear their monstrous plan.

Behind him, Haylee emerged, clutching a small, gleaming dagger in her hand. Her face was twisted into a grotesque parody of concern, her eyes gleaming with a sick excitement. "Oh, Kira-boo! You're awake! Master Feng says we need to get started right away!"

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, a dry, rattling sound. I looked at Collin, my eyes burning with a cold, dead fury. "So, this is it?" I rasped, my voice barely a whisper. "You're going to sacrifice me for that pathetic little creature? My heart's blood? Are you going to murder me yourself, Collin?"

He flinched, his eyes darting away from mine, a flicker of something that resembled shame crossing his face. "Kira, you heard... you shouldn't have been listening!" He stammered, like a child caught in a lie. He still couldn't look me in the eye. "It's not... it's for Haylee. For the baby. You can't have children anyway, Kira. It's for the greater good."

The casual dismissal of my existence, the casual cruelty, was too much. With a surge of adrenaline, I pushed myself forward, my hand connecting with his cheek with a resounding slap. The sound cracked through the tense silence. His head snapped back, a red mark blooming on his pale skin.

He stared at me, his eyes wide, then slowly raised a hand to his face. "You... you hit me." A strange, almost bewildered expression crossed his features. "I deserve that, don't I, Kira? I know you're angry. But come on, baby, Haylee needs this. She's delicate. Just cooperate. It'll be over quickly."

Before I could respond, he grabbed my arm, his grip like iron, effectively pinning me. "Haylee," he commanded, his voice suddenly hard. "Do it."

Haylee' s face lit up with a terrifying glee. She approached me, the dagger glinting in her hand. Her eyes, usually so vacuous, now held a chilling glint of pure, unadulterated malice. She raised the blade.

I closed my eyes, bracing for the inevitable. The sharp sting of the blade. But it wasn' t my heart. It was my arm. A quick, searing pain. Haylee shrieked again, not in pain, but in feigned horror. "Oh, no! I pricked her! I'm so clumsy!" she wailed, immediately looking at Collin for reassurance.

Collin, his face grim, stroked her hair. "It's okay, baby. You're doing great. Just a little more. You need a full vial."

The world swam. I slumped against Collin, my strength draining with my blood. I bit down hard on my lip, refusing to give them the satisfaction of a scream. Haylee, emboldened by Collin's approval, plunged the dagger into my arm again, and again, and again, until a small, ornate vial she held was filled with my lifeblood. Each stab was a fresh torment, each drop of blood a further testament to their depravity. My vision flickered at the edges, my body growing cold.

Finally, she pulled the dagger free, holding up the full vial with a triumphant grin. Master Feng, who had emerged from behind Collin, snatched the vial, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Excellent! Now, the Snow Lotus. She must go to the peaks. Alone. For her own purification, and for the child's blessings."

I looked at Collin, my eyes empty, devoid of all emotion. He finally met my gaze, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. I closed mine. There was nothing left. No pity. No love. No hope. Nothing.

Collin' s heart clenched. He saw the blankness in my eyes, the utter defeat. No, Kira. Don't look at me like that. He wanted to reach out, to shake me, to demand a reaction. To demand the fire, the anger, the defiance he knew so well. But I was just... empty. She's always been so strong, so stubborn, he thought, a familiar irritation rising. She never gives up. She won't break for me.

"Nurse!" Collin barked, his voice sharp. "Get her bandaged up. Send her to the mountains. Alone, as Master Feng instructed. Make sure she has only the bare necessities. This is for her own good, for her spiritual journey."

They wrapped my bleeding arm, roughly. Then, they bundled me into a car, still clad in the flimsy hospital gown, a thin blanket around my shoulders. No warm clothes, no provisions. It was a clear message. This wasn' t a spiritual journey. This was a slow, agonizing death sentence. Haylee wanted me to suffer. And Collin was her willing accomplice.

The car drove for hours, the landscape slowly changing from urban sprawl to rolling hills, then to towering, snow-capped mountains. The air grew thin, cold, biting. My body, already weak, shivered uncontrollably. They threw me out at the base of a treacherous, icy path, pointing vaguely towards the distant peaks. "The Snow Lotus is up there. You know what to do." They left me there, a solitary figure against the vast, unforgiving wilderness.

I started to climb. Each step was a battle against the pain, the cold, the sheer exhaustion. But my mind was numb. I felt nothing but a dull throb. Haylee just wants to torment me. And Collin allowed it. The realization was a heavy weight, pressing me down. He was no longer the man I knew. He was a stranger, an enemy.

Suddenly, the ground beneath my feet trembled. A low rumble echoed through the mountains, growing louder, more ominous. The sky darkened. A chilling roar ripped through the air. Avalanche.

I tried to run, my broken legs screaming. I stumbled, falling hard onto the icy ground. Snow and rocks rained down, crushing me, burying me. I lay there, pinned, unable to move, the freezing snow quickly covering me. My body went numb. My eyes, open and unseeing, stared at the swirling white.

Ten years. A decade of my life, poured into him, into us. My love, my partner, my future. All crushed, destroyed, by his monstrous ego and her insidious malice. Why had I loved him? Why had I given him everything? I had been a fool. A naive, trusting fool.

The cold seeped into my bones, stealing my warmth, my life. I felt myself fading, the edges of my consciousness blurring. This is it, I thought, a strange sense of peace settling over me. It's finally over.

But then, a fierce, primal spark ignited deep within me. No. I wouldn't die here, not like this. Not at their hands. Not without making them pay. A single, burning thought pushed through the encroaching darkness. I would not love him anymore. Never again. And with that thought, a new kind of cold, a terrifying resolve, enveloped me, just as the snow covered me completely.

Chapter 7

The acrid smell of smoke clawed at my throat, dragging me back from the brink. My lungs burned, demanding air. My eyes, still heavy, fluttered open. The room was dark, filled with a thick, choking haze. I was back. Not in the freezing mountains, not buried under snow, but in a familiar room. My room. But something was wrong. The air was heavy, hot, and the crackling sound of fire was terrifyingly close.

Panic seized me. I tried to move, but my body, still weak and broken, screamed in protest. I heard footsteps outside the door, frantic and familiar. Collin.

"Collin!" I croaked, my voice raw and desperate. "Help me! The door's locked!" I pounded weakly on the wood, a futile gesture.

"Kira?" His voice was muffled, laced with a strange mix of confusion and irritation. "What are you doing? I'm trying to find the key!"

Then, Haylee's voice, shrill and whiny. "Collin-woo! My head hurts! It's too hot! Let's just go! I'm scared!"

A chilling realization washed over me. He wasn't trying to find the key. He was pretending. He was debating. And Haylee, the manipulative little demon, was pushing him towards desertion.

"Go, Collin! Leave her!" she wailed, her voice growing distant. "She's probably setting fire to everything again, she's crazy!"

My heart plummeted. No. Not again. He wouldn't. But the footsteps faded. Faster and faster. My blood ran cold as I heard a car engine roar to life, then recede into the night. He was gone. He had left me. Again. To burn.

"COLLIN!" I screamed, a raw, tormented sound that tore from my throat. But there was no answer. Only the roar of the fire, drawing closer, consuming everything. The smoke was thick now, burning my eyes, filling my lungs. I stumbled towards the window, my body shaking uncontrollably. The glass was hot to the touch.

Through the smoke, I saw it. A flash of pink. Haylee, being carried by Collin, bundled into the back of an ambulance. She was coughing, dramatically, but otherwise perfectly fine. He had saved her. He had abandoned me. Again.

A bitter, hollow laugh escaped my lips. He really wasn't coming back. He had made his choice. Always her. Never me.

The fire was licking at the edges of the room now, the heat unbearable. There was only one way out. I looked down, three stories below. It was a long drop, but it was better than burning alive. Better than dying at their hands. With a desperate surge of adrenaline, I climbed onto the windowsill. I regret loving you, Collin Brewer. I regret every single second. I closed my eyes, and jumped.

The fall was a blur of air and terror. I hit the ground hard, a sickening crunch, then blessed darkness.

Three days later, I woke up. The world was a kaleidoscope of pain and dazzling white light. The familiar scent of antiseptic filled my nostrils. I was in a hospital. Again. My body was a mass of aches, a fresh canvas of bruises and bandages. My legs felt like they' d been run over by a truck, then patched back together with string.

A familiar, irritating voice broke through the haze. "Oh, look! She's awake! What a tough old bird, aren't you, Kira-boo? Thought you'd finally kicked the bucket, but you just keep coming back!"

Haylee. She stood over me, her face glowing with a malicious glee, a small smirk playing on her lips. She wasn't an angel of mercy. She was the ghost of my past.

I sighed, a long, weary exhalation. I didn't have the energy to rage, to scream. I just wanted her to disappear. I turned my head away, feigning sleep, hoping she would leave me alone.

But Haylee wasn't one to be ignored. She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a theatrical whisper. "Oh, are you ignoring me? You poor thing. All alone, still so broken. Such a pity." Suddenly, her hand clamped down on my wrist, forcing my fingers around her throat. "Look, Collin! She's trying to attack me again! She's trying to strangle me!" she shrieked, her voice escalating to a terrified wail. "She's completely insane!"

The door burst open. Collin. His eyes, wild with fury, immediately fixed on my hand at Haylee' s throat. He didn' t hesitate. He lunged, tearing my hand away, pushing me back against the pillows. My head snapped back, the fresh sutures protesting with a searing pain. Stars exploded behind my eyes, and my vision swam.

"Kira!" he roared, his voice thick with disgust. "What is wrong with you? Why are you always so violent? Master Feng was right! You're sick! You're a danger to yourself and to Haylee!"

Master Feng. The charlatan. The man who had demanded my "heart's blood" and sent me to the snowy peaks. A cold dread seeped into my bones.

"She's a witch, Collin! A jealous, evil witch! " Haylee sobbed, clinging to Collin. "Master Feng said her malevolent spirit needs to be cleansed! He said she burns with envy!"

Just then, Master Feng himself glided into the room, his eyes, usually so benign, now held a strange, knowing glint. He looked at me, then at Collin, his face a mask of solemn disapproval. "Mr. Brewer, I warned you. Her spirit is deeply troubled. Her inability to find the Snow Lotus, the fire... these are all manifestations of her inner darkness." He turned to me, his gaze chilling. "You tried to burn the house down, didn't you? To harm the innocent new life?"

My mouth opened, but no words came out. My throat was raw, my mind reeling. Burn the house down? They were pinning that on me too?

Haylee, ever the opportunist, pointed a trembling finger at me. "She even tried to kill me, Master! She was choking me!"

Master Feng nodded sagely. "Her negative energies are powerful, Mr. Brewer. She needs true purification. A full spiritual cleansing. I know a temple, high in the mountains, a seven-day ritual. It will drain her malevolence."

Collin looked at me, his eyes cold and distant. "Do whatever you need to, Master Feng. Just... make sure she's no longer a threat." He turned to Haylee, sweeping her into his arms. "Come, my love. Let's get you away from this negativity." As he walked past me, he paused, his gaze meeting mine. There was no pity, no remorse, only a cold, hard resolve. He left, holding Haylee close, leaving me to the mercy of the "Master."

I watched Collin's retreating back, his silhouette blurring in the haze of my pain. A strange, serene calm settled over me. He had chosen. He had abandoned me to a fate worse than death. But he had also given me precisely what I needed. An exit. A chance to disappear. A chance to be reborn.

Seven days, Collin, I thought, my eyes closing, a new strength blooming in my heart. Seven days, and then I will be truly gone. And you will never see me coming.