Chapter 130
No.1
Elisa stepped over the blue velvet box.
She walked past August, ignoring his presence completely, and moved straight toward the edge of the terrace where the massive wedding portrait lay in the dirty water.
She bent down. Her bare, blistered hands gripped the thick, splintered wood of the heavy frame.Her knuckles turned stark white from the strain.
A violent, tearing agony erupted in her lower back -a brutal reminder of the old injury from Aspen.Her breath hitched, her vision swimming with white -hot pain. She didn't have the physical strength to lift it entirely, not with her spine screaming in protest.
With a sudden, explosive burst of pure, adrenaline -fueled desperation, Elisa wedged her knee under the edge of the two-meter frame, using her own body weight and the mechanical advantage of leverage to pry it off the ground.
She began to walk backward, dragging the massive painting across the terrace. The broken wood scraped violently against the stone tiles, emitting a horrific,ear-piercing screech that sounded like an animal being slaughtered.
No.2
August's arrogant mask finally shattered. He pulled the cigar from his mouth, his eyes widening in
shock.
"Elisa!" August barked, taking a step toward her."Are you out of your fucking mind? What are you doing?"1
Elisa didn't look at him. She didn't stop. She dragged the heavy canvas straight toward the roaring volcanic rock fireplace.
When she reached the hearth, she planted her feet.She grabbed the heavy iron fire poker from its stand. Grunting with the effort, she wedged the metal tip under the frame, using the stone hearth as a fulcrum. With a final, guttural scream that was equal parts pain and fury, she put her entire body weight onto the poker, levering the massive portrait until it overbalanced and crashed face-first into the inferno.
WHOOSH.
No.3
The dry canvas and old wood ignited instantly. A massive wall of orange fire shot two meters into the air, the sudden heat wave forcing everyone on the terrace to shield their faces.
The flames greedily devoured the painting. The image of Elisa in her white dress melted, blistered,and turned to black ash in seconds.
The terrace was dead silent, save for the violent crackling of the inferno. Tate stopped crying,staring in pure terror. Cyprian lowered his glass,his mouth hanging slightly open.
Elisa stood in front of the roaring fire. The orange
light bathed her pale face. Her knees tremblec uncontrollably, the agonizing spasms in her lowe back nearly dropping her to the floor. But she forced herself to stand tall. She slowly clapped hei hands together, knocking the dirt and ash from hei palms.
She turned around. Her black eyes locked onta August. They were colder than the deepest trench in the ocean.
No.4
"You were right, August," Elisa said. Her voice was crystal clear, cutting through the sound of the rain and the fire. "It is a pile of meaningless trash."
She took a slow step toward him.
"But you need to understand something," Elisa stated, her voice dropping to a lethal, absolute whisper. "My trash, only I get to burn. My people,only I get to throw away."
The words struck August likea physical blow to the face. The absolute, terrifying finality in her voice shattered his illusion of control. He realized, with a sudden,sickening drop in his stomach, that he wasn't dismissing her. She was executing him.
August lunged forward. His large hand reached out to grab her arm, a desperate, violent instinct to force her to stay, to force her to submit.
Elisa reacted with lightning speed. She violently twisted her torso, dodging his hand as if his touch were a flesh-eating virus.
No.5
She stepped back, putting a safe distance between
them. She crouched down and picked up the wet blue velvet box from the floor. She pulled a clean white handkerchief from her pocket and meticulously wiped the dirty rainwater off the velvet, treating it with absolute reverence.
She clutched her mother's locket tightly in her hand.
Elisa looked up at August one last time. A cold,cruel smile touched her lips.1
"I kept the vase. I signed your pathetic contract.I got my locket," Elisa said. "We are completely,legally,and physically done."
She let her eyes sweep over Allena, Tate, and Cyprian.
No.6
"Have a long, miserable life in this house of trash,"Elisa whispered.
She turned her back on them. Her spine was locked straight. She walked across the terrace, pushed through the glass doors, and marched through the penthouse.
She reached the front door, stepped out into the hallway, and slammed the heavy mahogany door shut behind her. The massive BOOM echoed through the building, a final, physical severing of her past.3
Out on the terrace, August stood frozen. He looked at the closed glass doors. The cigar slipped from his fingers, hitting the wet stone. A massive,suffocating void suddenly ripped open in his chest.
Elisa stepped into the elevator. She looked at her reflection in the mirrored doors. The weak,accommodating wife was dead, burned to ash in the fireplace.2
She walked out of the lobby and into the freezing New York rain. She pulled out her phone, opened her contacts, and permanently blocked August Chambers' number.
No.7
She looked east, toward Long Island, toward her daughter.
Faye was back. And she was going to burn his empire to the ground. 3