Chapter 5

Georgina felt as if she'd been dropped into a frozen pit. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Zachary paused, then spoke coldly, "Mikey might turn out just like you—always eager for fights, caught up in violence and sin."

Georgina wavered, unable to stand upright, and collapsed to the ground.

With Georgina no longer blocking his way, Zachary put his arm around Shelby and strode off without so much as another look at her.

Georgina was left all alone, painfully dragging her dislocated arms as she painstakingly gathered the ashes.

"Mikey, don't be scared. Mommy's here. Let's go home," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Mommy will never, ever leave you."

Georgina couldn't remember how long she'd stayed in that room, or how much time it took to gather the ashes, forcing herself through waves of pain.

All she recalled was that when she finally stepped out of the church, cradling the sandalwood box of Mikey's ashes, the moon was high in the sky.

Her tears had long dried, and her heart was so numb it barely registered pain anymore.

She stumbled along the mountain path, dazed and half-aware.

Thunder rolled loud and heavy overhead.

Lightning forked across the dark sky, and before long, a torrent of rain poured down, soaking her completely.

The downpour battered Georgina, but she barely noticed the cold—she just wanted to hold Mikey's ashes close and hurry home.

The mountain path was plunged in darkness, not a single streetlight in sight. With both her arms dislocated, Georgina lost her balance and went crashing down hard onto the ground.

The sandalwood box slipped from her grasp, the ashes bursting out onto the wet earth, quickly carried off by the rainwater.

"No!" Georgina screamed, her voice raw with despair.

"Mikey, don't go! Please. This is all I have of you now," she sobbed.

Georgina scrambled desperately on all fours, frantically reaching for the ashes before they could be swept away forever.

But she was too badly hurt. She could only watch in agony as the ashes were washed away by the rain.

Georgina did her best, and could only save a tiny palmful of ashes.

Georgina had no idea how she even made it back to the villa.

The maid was startled when she saw Georgina, soaked through and pale.

"Mrs. Kane, how did you end up like this in the rain?" the maid blurted out.

Georgina tried to speak, but no sound came out.

Blackness swallowed her vision—she dropped to the floor, unconsciousness.

Her fever came on suddenly and fiercely.

Georgina had no idea how long she'd been out—just a hazy sense of someone fussing over her, swapping out the dressings on her battered hands, coaxing her to drink water.

Georgina struggled to open her eyes—and to her shock, the first thing she saw was Zachary.

"The doctor said your arms were both dislocated, and after being caught in the rain, the inflammation got worse—that's why your fever hit so hard," Zachary said.

Then he took out a beautifully crafted necklace. "I crafted this necklace with Mikey's remaining ashes. Wherever you go, he'll always be right by your side."

Georgina opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Her eyes, red with grief, stayed locked on him.

"Shelby didn't mean for it to happen. This matter ends here," Zachary said.

"Let me say this one last time: when I get tired of her, I'll come back to you. You'd better not mess with her again," he added.

Georgina gave a soundless, bitter laugh and decisively turned away from Zachary.

Zachary stopped in his tracks, taken aback as he saw her like that.

Just then, his phone started ringing again.

Shelby's voice came through. "Mr. Kane, where are you? I thought we agreed—we're tearing down the church so it can be replaced with another. Why are you not here yet?"

"Got it. I'm on my way," Zachary replied.

He hung up, anxious to leave.

Zachary set the medicine down. "Make sure you take it on time," he told Georgina.

"Shelby just had a miscarriage—she's still recovering. Her immune system is weak, so I won't be coming around for the next few days," Zachary added.

Then, Zachary left and the door slammed shut.

Just as quickly, there was a sharp click—he had locked the door.

Georgina started laughing, louder and louder, the sound almost manic.

How ridiculous Zachary was.

He was so terrified she'd go after Shelby, he didn't even hesitate to lock her up in here.

*****

Days passed. Maybe someone gave the order, or maybe the staff just completely forgot.

For the next three days, there was not a single drop of water nor a scrap of food for Georgina. No one even bothered to check if she was dead or alive.

Her hands hurt so bad she kept blacking out, and the fever had her knocked out on the bed, drifting in and out, losing all sense of time.

It wasn't until her fever finally broke and some clarity returned that she checked her phone and saw the latest news.

The church that had once been devoted to Mikey had already been demolished, and reconstruction was underway.

Before Georgina could even process what was happening, a sharp, acrid stench of burning filled the air.

Thick smoke billowed into the room. Her room was suddenly ablaze.

Georgina panicked, frantically scrambling to get out of bed.

She stumbled to the door, pounding on it with all her strength. "Open up! Let me out."

Her voice was raw and hoarse from screaming, but it was all for nothing—no one came.

"Is anyone there? I'm still in here. The room's on fire," she choked out. "Open the door. Let me out. I'm still trapped in here!"

The whole room was ablaze, and when a support beam crashed down, it blocked Georgina's only way out.

Suffocating smoke billowed everywhere. Her eyes stung, her chest burned, and she could barely catch her breath.