A Journey from Bitterness to Truth

Glancing upward, the sight that met his gaze was a stark and jarring one: Matilda’s right hand was marred by the absence of a part of her little finger – a shocking imperfection laid bare

before his eyes,

In that instant, the strikingly handsome man could no longer contain his voice, which erupted in an anguished cry. “What the hell happened?”

Matilda’s laughter was wild and unrestrained, as if she had been possessed by madness, her eyes reflecting Yvan’s stunned expression.

“Isn’t this the very gift you gave to me? Yvan, I’ve had my fill of the bitterness you’ve doled out in my life. Please, just let me gol” she begged.

Yvan stumbled backward, his grip on her hand slackening as disbelief lifted his gaze to meet hers.

In her fractured eyes, there was no love left, only a deep–seated loathing that seemed to burn within her very marrow.

Pain spread through him unguarded, like reaching out to grasp something fiercely only to find it. shattering into pieces the next moment. The unexpected sting began to prickle and spread throughout his body.

He had wanted to lock her away, to make her rue her life choices, but how had it come to this?

Who had violated her in prison, who had stripped her of her dignity?

As Yvan looked at Matilda, a sudden intense fear gripped him; he was terrified that he could no longer understand the woman before him.

Despite five years of marriage, why did she feel like such a stranger?

Of course, Yvan couldn’t comprehend the madness, the idiocy, and the loss of reason that Matilda had endured for over five years. That despair had killed her countless times, turning her into a complete and utter joke.

When she looked up again, her eyes were filled with nothing but vehement hatred.

Yvan fled Matilda’s place as if escaping, slamming the door behind him. He stood outside, hunched over, clutching at his collar as if suffocating.

Why had Matilda changed so? What had happened to her in those five years…

This was something he should have been pleased to witness, but why…

On the other side of the door, Matilda’s body slid down, collapsing against Logan in silent

agony.

After a long while, a suppressed roar escaped her as if trying to pierce through her very soul. Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

12:05

All the turmoil hidden beneath a seemingly calm surface was now rushing at her with greater fury. The days shrouded in darkness seemed to be clamoring to drag her back down.

Matilda trembled, but Logan, whom she leaned on, kept his back rigidly straight.

“Mummy… do you want some milk?” he offered gently.

Matilda closed her eyes as tears fell.

After a night of turmoil, Matilda had thought that Yvan would no longer intrude upon their lives.

But the very next afternoon, something wholly unexpected happened.