Ten Thousand Times

If I wasn't mistaken, this was the second time he'd abandoned me.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital room. My throat felt as if someone had pressed a hot iron to it since every breath I took felt painfully raw. The doctor said that I would've spent the rest of my life as a vegetable if I had been brought in for treatment even a second later.

After I took the medication, I drifted back under.

Somewhere in the haze, voices dragged me awake again.

I groggily saw Chloe curled in Elliot's arms, crying her heart out. "Elliot, it was all my fault. You abandoned Natalie to save me. I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to her."

Elliot, who usually couldn't stand a speck of dirt on him, gently wiped her tears away as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

His voice even softened in a way I had never heard before. "Ms. Shelton, don't blame yourself. Even if I had to do it ten thousand times, I would still save you first."

"Really?" Chloe looked up at him, her eyes glassy with tears.

Elliot's gaze burned, the love in his eyes finally too overwhelming to hide. "Of course. Ms. Shelton, I lo—"

'Crash!'

The monitor hit the floor. Both of them jerked in shock.

Elliot spun around, his expression freezing when he saw how pale I was. "Ms. Graf, you're awa—"

"Get lost," I said quietly.

"What?" He stared at me like he couldn't believe what he'd heard.

I met his eyes without the slightest trace of warmth. "I want you and Chloe to get lost."

Chloe flinched, her brows knitting as her tears welled up once more. "Natalie…"

I picked up the vase beside me and smashed it on the ground, letting out a brittle laugh. "What are you waiting for? For me to kill you?"

She froze, her tears falling harder. She shot Elliot a wounded look before dashing down the hall.

He instinctively took a step after her, but stopped himself mid-stride. After a long moment, he let out a quiet sigh. "Ms. Graf, do you feel better now?"

I didn't answer him. I lay back down and shut my eyes.

There were only three days left before I married.

…

The next morning, I signed myself out of the hospital despite the doctor's protests. I was getting married the next day, so I needed to see Chloe's mother's grave moved with my own eyes—just like the year she forced my father to make me kneel to her dead mother's portrait.

My father never showed up when the digging started. He claimed he'd find it too painful. I found that strange because he'd been grinning like the festivities had come early when they dug up my mother's coffin all those years ago.

Chloe came running over halfway through the excavation. For the first time, she tore off her mask of innocence and glared at me with pure hatred. "Natalie Graf, you filthy wretch! Why aren't you dead yet?

"If I'd known you'd turn out this vicious, I wouldn't have stopped at killing your mother—I should've taken you with her!"

My mind exploded. "What did you just say?"

Chloe's smile was sweet and poisonous. "Do you know how stupid your mom was? When I pushed her down the stairs, she actually told me she didn't blame me and asked me to call an ambulance. Guess what I did. I stepped on her stomach and danced a little Swan Lake."

Something in me snapped clean through. I lunged at her like a feral animal, ready to make her pay for my mother and my baby sister, who never had a chance to be born.

Chloe instantly dropped to her knees, tears flowing on command. "Natalie, please, I'm begging you—spare my mom. Hit me, yell at me, do whatever you want. I'm begging you to let my mom rest. She's still your elder."

She cried as if her heart were splitting open, and every tear struck straight at Elliot's.

"Natalie, you witch!" Elliot charged toward me and shoved me hard. My head slammed against the tombstone, and everything went black.

Right before I lost consciousness, I was crazy enough to think I saw horror in his eyes.

The Bracelet in the Ashes

When I woke up, Elliot was standing by the window. His voice was low as he spoke. "Ms. Shelton told me everything. You shouldn't blame her."

I froze as a tear slipped onto my hand. "What did you just say?"

"The person who decided your mother should be removed from the Graf family mausoleum was your father, not Ms. Shelton. She was young back then. What could she have known? And… " Elliot trailed off.

For the first time, he didn't dare look at me. "Last night, Mrs. Graf's grave in the suburbs was dug open. They couldn't find the body. People are saying that the Zellers did it. Mr. Graf tried to stop them, but… he couldn't."

'The Zeller family… He couldn't stop them… Elliot Zeller, that was your fucking family!'

My mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. I hadn't known pain could reach a point where even breathing stole every bit of strength I had. How could I even speak in such circumstances?

Something inside me snapped.

I ripped the IV needle out and lunged at Elliot with everything I had. I wanted to kill him. No, I was going to kill him.

He thought I was simply overwhelmed, so he held me tight. The tender tone he used to soothe me only made it more unbearable. "It's okay. It's okay. Ms. Graf, it's over."

I bit him, but he didn't flinch.

I threw whatever I could grab, but he only looked at me with pity. No, he was looking at me like I was a child throwing a tantrum.

Eventually, I ran out of strength. I shoved him out of the room, locked the door, and pulled open the drawers to gather every trace from the years I had loved him.

I tore apart the very diary I'd used to write about my crush on him. I smashed every treasured birthday present he'd given me. For the finale, I yanked out every piece of clothing he had ever brushed against and piled them all up. Then, I lit a match and burned it all to ash.

After the flames died, I sat on the cold floor in silence and waited for dawn.

Once the sun rose, I showered in freezing water before carefully applying my makeup. I was going to look like the most beautiful version of myself or die trying.

So, I practiced smiling at the mirror until the corners of my lips no longer looked strained. When I was ready, I picked up the photo album my mother left me and got into the car. It was time for me to head to the Hunting Residence.

Elliot was standing in the courtyard just as the car was about to depart. When he saw me, something like surprise flickered in his eyes. "Ms. Graf, where are you going?"

It was the first time he had ever cared where I went. Funnily enough, it was also the first time I had ever lied to him. "Just to clear my head."

He nodded, not suspecting a thing. "Do you need me to go with you?"

"No." I didn't dare look at him, afraid he would see the hatred in my dulled eyes. "Do help me tidy my room once you're available. I made a mess of it last night."

Elliot agreed without hesitation. Before I left, he looked back at me once more. "Ms. Graf, stay safe."

I nodded and didn't say another word. Only when his figure disappeared completely did I turn to the chauffeur. "To the Hunting Residence."

…

At the same time, Elliot discovered the ashes left scattered across my room. In the center of it all, a half-melted crystal bracelet glimmered faintly in the sunlight. "This is… the gift I gave her?"

I got it two years ago when I had to spend another birthday alone.

I had badgered him the whole way home until he finally lost patience, got out of the car, and bought a five-dollar crystal necklace from a roadside stall.

I had treasured it like it was priceless, wearing it every day. However, I had left it behind.

Elliot's mind went blank for a moment. He was so out of it that he even forgot about his obsession with cleanliness as he picked up the broken bracelet and ran out the door.

He ran straight into my father, who stopped him. "Elliot, there you are. I needed to speak with you. Natalie is getting married today. You'll stay by Chloe's side from now on."

The bracelet snapped in Elliot's hand, the cheap crystal beads scattering across the ground. He stared at my father, red creeping through his eyes. "What did you just say?"