He knelt on the ground, his palms marked with the crescents of his own nails.

I knew—from the moment his parents died.

Our love had curdled into nothing but endless hatred.

A war that would only end when one of us stopped breathing.

I kept my head bowed as Mason walked past me, Rebecca cradled in his arms.

Clatter.

A small box landed at my feet.

Allergy medication.

I'd been born with hypersensitive skin—my list of triggers could fill a medical textbook. When Mason first learned about it, he'd started carrying these pills everywhere.

I picked up the box, popped it open, and placed a white tablet on my tongue.

Bitterness flooded my mouth instantly.

Just like my wretched life.

The red welts on my skin began to fade. I struggled to my feet and made my way to the kitchen.

Once the congee was ready, I carried it up to the second floor. I was about to enter when I heard voices drifting through the door—low, intimate.

"Mason, why do you keep that woman around? The one who killed your whole family?" Rebecca's voice dripped with false concern. "Don't tell me you still have feelings for her."

I heard the soft pop of a button being undone.

"I keep her close for a reason." Mason's voice was flat, unreadable. "To torment her. Day and night. So she can never live, never die—only remember the debt her family owes me. Forever."

A sharp pain lanced through my chest.

My grip on the door handle tightened until my knuckles went white.

I know.

This hatred will only end when I'm dead.

Good thing I'll be gone soon.

That night, I was heading back to my room when a sound split the sky.

Fireworks.

Brilliant cascades of light bloomed across the darkness. I stood there, transfixed by the fleeting glow.

Then a voice slithered up behind me—familiar and razor-edged.

"Beautiful, aren't they? The fireworks made from your family's ashes?"

I spun around.

Rebecca's eyes gleamed with triumph.

My pupils contracted. "What did you just say?"

She sauntered closer, lifting one manicured finger toward the bursting colors overhead.

"A monk told me your family's vengeful spirits were haunting my baby. That's why I've been so unwell." She smiled, serene as a saint. "He said the only way to protect my child was to deal with your family properly."

She paused, savoring the moment.

"So I had your parents' ashes—and your baby's—made into fireworks. To bless my child." Her smile widened. "And to make sure their souls never find peace. Not in this life. Not in the next."

I lurched forward, a scream tearing from my throat.

"Why? Why would you do this to them? My parents—whatever their sins—they helped you once! Why couldn't you let them rest in death? Why scatter their bones to the wind?"

My hand hadn't even touched her when she crumpled backward.

The next second, a crushing force slammed into me.

Mason caught Rebecca in his arms, his gaze slicing into me like a blade.

"Chloe." His voice was ice. "I warned you. Touch her again, and I will end you."

I stared at him—at the hatred carved into every line of his face—and something inside me finally shattered.

I fell to my knees before him.

"Mason." My voice cracked. "I'll do anything you want. Anything. Just—please—let my family keep one shred of dignity. That's all I'm asking."

He went still.

Rebecca immediately wound her arm through his.

"Mason, when I was hospitalized for the baby, I visited the chapel. The monk said vengeful spirits were latched onto us—that the only way to protect our child was to grind their bones to dust and scatter them so they'd never reincarnate." She pressed closer to him. "That's why I had her family's ashes made into fireworks."

I bowed my head to the floor. Once. Twice. Again and again, until my forehead burned.

"Mason. Every sin is mine. Mine. They're already dead—let the debt die with them." My voice broke into a sob. "I'll bear all your hatred. Every last drop. Just... please... leave their remains in peace?"

Mason's face turned ashen. He grabbed my collar and yanked me toward him, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

"Let them go?" His voice was raw. "Who let my family go?"

"My sister never even got to see this world."

My throat had gone hoarse from crying. Blood kept streaming from my forehead, warm and relentless.

"But our baby never got to see this world either!" I choked out.

Mason froze. Something fractured behind his eyes—pain and hatred colliding, neither winning.

Before he could respond, Rebecca rushed forward and grabbed his arm.

"Mason, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have brought up your parents." She pressed closer to him, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "If your sister had survived, maybe she could've walked our children to school together someday..."

I watched his gaze darken, sinking into that familiar abyss. Desperate, I grabbed the fabric of his trousers.

"Mason." My voice cracked. "You hate my entire family, don't you? Then take my life. Take it."

"Once I'm dead, your vendetta ends. That's all I'm asking—just let my parents and my child rest in peace."

Something snapped in him. He hauled me to my feet like a man possessed, forcing my face toward the sky where the fireworks still bloomed, one after another.

"Chloe." His breath was hot against my ear. "What your family owes me can never be repaid. Not in this lifetime. Not in a thousand."

"Don't think I can't see through you. You want to use death as an escape from your sins."

His grip tightened until my bones ached.

"I won't allow it. You'll live. You'll stay by my side and atone for every single day of your miserable existence. You'll drown in guilt until your last breath—and even that won't be enough."

He forced me to my knees, pinning my wrists behind my back. I had no choice but to watch each firework burst across the darkness.

"Your family will never find peace, Chloe. They don't deserve to. They weren't even human."

The last firework faded. The sky went dark.

So did the last flicker of hope inside me.

I looked up at him, tears and blood blurring my vision, and spoke slowly—each word a nail in our shared coffin.

"Your mother was innocent. But so was my father. So was my child."

"Mason... the knot between us will never come undone."

"As long as I'm alive, we'll both stay trapped in the past."

"Let me go." My voice broke. "Let yourself go."

The moment the words left my mouth, the cancer cells I'd been fighting surged through me like wildfire. Pain consumed every nerve. My vision blurred, consciousness slipping away like water through fingers.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the cramped storage room.

Sunlight streamed through the small window. I reached out, trying to catch it in my palm.

My hand closed on nothing.

The door creaked open. Mason stood in the doorway, exhaustion carved into every line of his face. For a split second, something flickered in his eyes when he saw me awake—something almost human.

He buried it instantly.

A dress landed on my bed.

"There's a charity gala tonight." His tone was flat, businesslike. "Rebecca specifically requested you accompany her."

I picked up the dress with trembling hands, but my gaze drifted to the clock on the wall.

Today was the last day of the week.

The last day of my life.

Mason watched me—my stillness, my lack of reaction. Something about it made him step closer. His hand shot out, fingers closing around my wrist like a vice.

"Chloe." His voice was low, dangerous. "If the knot between us can't be undone, then I won't let you go. Even if we're both trapped in this hatred forever, I will never release you. Don't ever think about escaping me."

I looked into those eyes—so familiar, yet belonging to a stranger.

Slowly, I nodded.

"This time," I whispered, "I won't run."

Because I'll be dead before the night is over.

That evening, I accompanied Mason to the gala.

The banquet hall was warm—heated to perfection—but cold seeped into my bones anyway, settling deep where no warmth could reach.

Mason glanced at me once, then turned and walked toward a server.

The pain churning inside me nearly made me black out. I forced myself toward the balcony, each step a small war.

"Chloe Harding, how much longer are you going to cling to Mason? Have you no dignity? No shame?"

Rebecca's voice cut through the noise. I'd barely turned when she shoved me—hard.

"As long as you're alive, I'll never be Mrs. Blackwell."

My foot slipped. Instinct took over—I grabbed for her, and we both tumbled over the railing.

My hands caught the guardrail. I held on.

A scream tore through the night. Mason appeared moments later, a scarf clutched in his hand.

Rebecca twisted to look at me, a mocking smile curling her lips.

"Chloe. Who do you think he'll save first?"

I watched Mason stride toward her without a heartbeat's hesitation.

Good, I thought. The relief that washed through me was almost sweet. He doesn't love me anymore.

Rebecca turned wide, wounded eyes up at him. "Mason, please—save me and our baby."

Her voice trembled. "I don't know what I did to offend her. She just... she tried to push me off."

Mason grabbed Rebecca's hand instantly, but his gaze stayed locked on me.

"Chloe. You're just as vicious as your mother."

The words sank into my chest like a blade.

Within seconds, Rebecca was safe on solid ground. She moved to throw herself into his arms—but he pushed her aside and stretched his hand toward me.

"Chloe. Give me your hand."

"You don't get to die without my permission."

I stared at that hand. At those long, elegant fingers I'd once memorized.

I laughed.

And then the tears came, sliding down my cheeks even as I kept laughing.

When I didn't reach for him, something flickered in Mason's eyes—panic, raw and real. His voice turned urgent.

"Chloe. Give me your hand. Don't make me say it again."

But I just looked at him. Quietly. Calmly.

"Mason. You said my family owes you a debt we could never repay in this lifetime."

I smiled.

"Then take my life. Consider it settled."

His pupils dilated. Horror flooded his face.

"And in the next life," I whispered, "I pray we never meet."

I let go.

The wind rushed past me. In that single suspended moment, I raised my hand and waved at him.

Mason. The knot between us—it's finally undone.