Updated 6/27/19
+538
It is with great trepidation that I post this chapter...
Thank you everyone for the reviews! Although, when you only review the angsty chapters, it makes me feel like that's all I should write. lol kinda that positive reinforcement thing?
The day before the wedding was filled with even more last minute preparations - the air buzzing with hectic energy as final decisions were made, and mistakes were corrected. The sheer number of details that needed to be attended to was so overwhelming that Weiss again found herself thankful that her mother had taken charge of the responsibilities.
Except for one - the cake.
They left the house early to begin their errands, driven along streets drenched in black slush as the snow was trampled beneath the tires of an endless parade of vehicles.
Their very first stop was the bakery, as Weiss' mother wanted to see and sign off on the final product before it was transported to the reception hall for safekeeping. Of course, for Weiss, the small bakery only served as another painful memory of the time she and Ruby had shared together - trying the different flavors of cakes while Ruby came up with unconventional rating systems.
The baker had been expecting their arrival and brought out the final product the second they stepped through the door. Freshly-baked and decorated to perfection, it was...gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. Made in five tiers, it was draped in the most intricate silver snowflakes Weiss had ever seen, and studded with real diamonds in a classy but thankfully not outrageous manner.
The real surprise was the spark of color provided by several blood-red rubies sprinkled throughout the layers.
If she'd still had a heart, it would've been torn out again when she remembered how much Ruby enjoyed this particular cake - and how she gave Weiss a wink instead of an actual rating.
Ruby would've loved it. To Weiss, it was just another painful memory, but she smiled and said "It looks wonderful" while her mother praised the baker for a job well done.
Once they finished at the bakery, she was dragged to the hair salon for a last minute trim and style, manicure, and pedicure. Next, they breezed through a dress rehearsal at the church - which would've gone even faster if Cardin's groomsmen weren't imbeciles - then had lunch with some important business owner from Atlas, and still made it home with plenty of time to dress for the rehearsal dinner.
The entire day, Weiss' phone remained by her side, never out of arm's reach. By now, its continued presence was less out of hope that Ruby would call and more out of comfort from the connection they used to share.
In a way, the device was the last thing Weiss had of Ruby - the last tiny shred of their bond that she could hold on to. Without it, she might be convinced that it never even happened - that Ruby was merely a figment of her imagination, a deeply-buried desire coming to life. A dream whose sole purpose was to be taken away from her when she'd started to believe it was reality.
But within her phone lived proof - tangible evidence of how things had been, how she and Ruby had been.
If Weiss had nothing else, she could hold onto their last text messages - like Ruby's photo of the snow, just like the painting they'd seen at the art museum. It was a tiny thread she clung to for dear life at this moment, as she stood in the sprawling hotel ballroom where the rehearsal dinner was being held.
Her parents were here, along with Cardin, his parents, and the rest of the wedding party. As was customary the night before the wedding, they would share a meal and spend some 'quality time' together before the big day. It was an opportunity to relax after the demands of wedding planning had all been satisfied.
At least, that's what Weiss' understanding of a traditional rehearsal dinner was. But in this case, dinner was an opportunity to get in one last round of flattery before their family names were tied together for eternity. And for the rest of the wedding party - specifically, Cardin's friends - it was an opportunity to have an exorbitantly-expensive meal and get drunk on Fredrick Schnee's dime.
After vetoing the red dress at the last second, Weiss' mother selected a silver ball gown for her to wear instead. Silver was even worse than red - the color torturing to her soul every time she caught a glimpse of it. With a pair of silver heels, she might look nice on the outside, but inside she felt torn open and raw.
Just make it through tomorrow, she told herself, training her eyes upon the long dining table so as not to catch sight of her dress. You just need to make it through tomorrow.
But...then what? What relief was there for her after the wedding?
She knew the answer before the question even disappeared from her mind.
There was none. This was the way it would be, from here on out. There was no light at the end of the tunnel, no sunrise after the night - her light, her sun, had been taken from her. There would be only darkness.
"Weiss."
Her eyes snapped towards the sound of her mother's voice, drawing her back from the edge of the void within her chest.
The woman walked over to her with purpose, trailed by another girl Weiss vaguely remembered from the wedding rehearsal that afternoon - not that she'd paid much attention to what was happening inside that church. She'd listened to the minister long enough to understand what she was expected to do, then allowed her thoughts to drift back to Ruby's painful absence - trying to prevent herself from flinching as the man repeated the words 'vows,' 'matrimony,' and 'kiss' over and over again.
"Weiss, this is Cinder Fall," her mother said as the two of them stopped in front of her. "She'll be your maid of honor for the wedding."
"Nice to meet you," Weiss replied, dipping her chin a fraction of an inch in acknowledgment of the position the girl had earned.
Because Weiss didn't have any influential friends who could be invited to be bridesmaids, her mother had selected the most attractive and wealthiest girls amongst her age group. It was probably a coveted position for any of the more attention-seeking families.
"Likewise," Cinder responded to the polite greeting, her lips curling into a smug smile.
Cinder could be two years older than Weiss, or ten - it was that difficult to tell. Her thick, black hair fell in perfectly-styled layers just past her shoulders, which were left bare as her flaming red dress fell off them completely. Coupled with shining amber eyes, Cinder was an attractive woman, but her demeanor was cold, calculating, and incredibly off-putting.
And no matter how attractive Cinder thought she was, she didn't hold a candle to Ruby.
In a habit learned long ago to better preserve her sanity, Weiss immediately wrote Cinder off as someone she didn't want to be associated with. Something about the aura she gave off...it was nothing Weiss wanted to be near for very long.
"Excuse me," one of the waiters said, ducking his head in apology for the interruption. "Dinner is about to be served."
Luckily, Cinder seemed to have no interest in being Weiss' friend either. Without another word, they headed in opposite directions - Weiss walking towards the head of the table while Cinder joined the rest of the bridesmaids.
As Weiss approached the seat next to her husband-to-be, her eyes swept over a familiar boy - one she hadn't seen in years. The smirk he wore earned her ire as she took her seat and sent him a scowl. Sky Lark...she had quite a few nasty words she'd love to say to him later.
For now, she would focus on making it through this dinner alive. And if she heard one more person make a joke about how they 'don't usually rehearse their meals before eating them,' that likely wasn't going to happen. An original joke would be nice to hear every once in awhile - of course, the chances of that in this stuffy crowd were slim to none.
After each seat at the long table was occupied by one of their important guests, the first course was placed neatly in front of her - the waiters timed perfectly to set everyone's plates down at the same moment.
Their meal began with a steaming bowl of leek soup, topped with some quickly-melting shreds of cheese and a small leaf of parsley.
Weiss managed only a few spoonfuls before the bowls were removed and replaced by the main course - a piece of lamb placed on top of a bed of potatoes and various vegetables on the side. While everyone around her continued talking and eating their meals, she spent most of her time meticulously cutting the lamb into bite-sized pieces - taking as much time as possible accomplishing the mindless task so as to avoid doing anything else.
"You should eat more, dear," her mother's voice instructed from across the table - the woman pausing her conversation with Mrs. Winchester for a few seconds. "You don't need to worry about fitting into the dress any longer."
"Yes, and you'll need all your strength for tomorrow," Mrs. Winchester added with a smile.
Smiling weakly in return, Weiss obligingly stuck a forkful of food in her mouth and chewed. The flavor was too harsh for her taste - and she wasn't hungry in the slightest - but she knew she'd better force down some food to maintain the appearance that everything was fine, especially with her mother watching.
But she didn't even like lamb...not that anyone had bothered to ask her opinion.
Halfway through the pile of food, the plate was mercifully taken away from her - this time replaced with their dessert course. Fortunately, Weiss knew that her mother would have no qualms with her not touching this dish, so she didn't even bother picking up her dessert fork while the rest of the guests continued eating. Her mother also pushed away the chocolate monstrosity - neither of them desiring to flood their systems with that much sugar this evening.
The soft chime of a spoon tapping against the side of a wine glass caught Weiss' attention, as well as the rest of the table's, and drew their eyes towards the seat at the very end. In accordance with wedding custom, Mr. Winchester stood from his chair, glass in hand as he prepared to give a toast.
"Good evening. Thank you for being here with us tonight," the man began in a low tone, his voice warmer and far more welcoming than his piercing eyes suggested. "Tomorrow marks the beginning of an important journey for both of our families - one we've been waiting for for quite some time now."
"Through these two young souls dining with us tonight," he continued, waving his hand towards Weiss and Cardin. "We build upon legacies constructed over generations and strengthen lineages for generations to come. Though we know not what the future may hold, we do know that - from here on out - there will be no name more powerful than Winchester-Schnee."
When Mr. Winchester raised his glass into the air, everyone followed suit with mumbled 'here-here's before taking a sip from their drinks.
Winchester-Schnee...how long had the man waited for the opportunity to tie his name with her own - and to list Winchester first, no less. It could be brushed off as a slip of the tongue, but Weiss knew he was too calculating and driven to make a mistake like that.
Slipping a glance at her father out of the corner of her eye, Weiss knew that he'd made the same assumption - his jaw clenched in expertly-concealed anger.
As soon as Mr. Winchester returned to his seat, Cardin stood - the boy picking up his glass to give a toast of his own. The conversations that had started back up died off immediately as all eyes trained on Cardin in polite deference.
"Good evening ladies - dudes," he began, raising his glass towards his raucous group of groomsmen and missing his mother's flinch at the word. "Like my dad said, Weiss and I have been waiting for this day for a long time now. We're both excited for what comes next, and we're excited for this next chapter in our lives. We're eternally grateful to our parents, for all the guidance they've provided us so far in life. We hope to make all of you proud. Cheers."
With a murmur of cheers in return, everyone drank to the toasts before turning back to their own conversations.
"Well said," Weiss whispered towards Cardin as he returned to his seat. "Maybe you have a career in public speaking, after all."
He chuckled at her comment, most likely believing it was sarcastic. Surprisingly, she wasn't being sarcastic. It hadn't been that bad of a toast, minus the horribly unprofessional beginning.
With the main portion of the meal officially over, people began to stand from the table - either to make their exits for the evening or to head to the restrooms. Unfortunately, Weiss wouldn't be able to leave yet, not when her parents would have to speak to every person on the way out.
"Dude," Cardin said in a loud whisper, leaning towards one of the groomsmen - whose name Weiss could never remember. "Which one is hottest?"
Weiss immediately sighed at the question, while both boys turned towards the group of bridesmaids walking away from the table.
"The redhead," Cardin's friend replied, his eyes glued to the girl as she walked away. "Definitely the redhead. Right?"
"I dunno…"
Weiss shook her head and clenched her jaw at Cardin's response, which was more contemplative than any other comments he'd made that evening. Apparently, this was what all his brain cells were used for.
"I mean, don't get me wrong - she's hot," he elaborated, much to Weiss' chagrin. "But the blonde has a rack on her - oh! That reminds me of this blonde we saw out at lunch." Turning towards her, Cardin lightly tapped her arm - as if they were best buds. "You were there - remember that girl? Now she had a nice -"
Deciding she'd rather be anywhere else at the moment, Weiss abruptly stood and walked away without a word. Freed from the conversation, she made her way to the restroom. She didn't need to use the bathroom, but it was her only legitimate excuse for leaving the table.
Unfortunately for her, the aforementioned bridesmaids were congregated outside the ladies' room door - forcing her to walk by them. Determined not to let their presence sway her from her original plan, she continued walking towards them, and quickly realized they hadn't noticed her approach.
"She can suck any ounce of fun out of a room, can't she?" one of the girls said.
"Yeah, she just sits there like she's made of stone or something."
"She's a cold-hearted bitch."
The last comment was immediately recognizable as Cinder's voice - the smooth tone earning a laugh from the two cronies.
It certainly wasn't the first time Weiss had been spoken about in such a way, but she wasn't in the mood for it today.
"Excuse me," she said when she reached them, opting to brush through the center of their group instead of stepping around.
They took a step back as she passed, with varying degrees of shock or horror written on their faces at what she'd just overheard. But she bit her tongue as she moved through them, knowing there was no point in retaliation. She knew how to put someone in their place if she needed to, but it just felt so...
"Hey, is it true you've never been kissed?"
The velvety question drew a chorus of stifled giggles as Weiss' feet froze in place, her pulse beginning to race with rapidly-building animosity.
There were so many things Cinder could've said...so many insults that could've been hurled Weiss' way…but she managed to touch upon the one subject that brought back searing memories of the girl Weiss hadn't spoken to in several days.
Memories of the girl she so badly wanted to see - to be with - to hear.
To kiss.
"Cinder...Fall, was it?" Weiss replied, feeling ice in her veins as she spun back to the three girls. "You know, I thought the name sounded familiar. Your father was arrested for...soliciting a male prostitute, wasn't it?"
Cinder's eyes widened at the statement, while the other bridesmaids' jaws dropped in disbelief at the gossip they'd just learned. Cinder quickly regained some of her swagger, but her eyes flashed uncertainly towards the two girls standing beside her.
"Those charges were dropped."
"They were dropped because my family said they should be," Weiss hissed in reply, taking a step closer - not caring that she had to look up to meet Cinder's eyes. "And we only did that because we knew he'd have far greater use to us here than rotting in prison."
Stepping away, she could feel the sneer on her lips while Cinder stared in a mixture of astonishment and worry.
"Don't forget who allowed you to continue this pathetic life of yours," Weiss spit out before shoving her way past the girls and stalking back to the dining table while seething in anger.
Anger and...disappointment. She was disappointed in herself - for the words she'd said, and for how she'd reacted to that situation. Cinder had asked for it by intentionally antagonizing her. If Weiss hadn't responded, Cinder would continue to believe that comments like that could be made without repercussions.
But, no matter how justified her reaction was in this social setting, Weiss couldn't shake an overwhelming feeling of...shame. What would Ruby think, if she'd seen what Weiss just did?
Ruby was kind to everyone, even those who sought to hurt her. If Cinder had said the same thing to Ruby, Ruby would've just laughed and walked away. She would never reveal a stranger's deeply-kept secret as a means of humiliation.
What would Ruby think, if she saw the type of person Weiss was capable of being?
What would Ruby think if she saw the malice brewing in Weiss' blood? The darkness lingering at the edge of her mind, threatening to overthrow the sense of self she'd so desperately clung to?
Not that it mattered...she'd never see Ruby again. Their time together would become nothing more than fond memories - every conversation, every laugh, every smile, every hug, every kiss…she would treasure every second they'd spent together for the rest of her life. But that was all she would have...she would only see Ruby in her memories. So what did it matter? What did it matter the type of person she became now?
Sinking back into her seat at the table, she raised one hand to her temple, feeling a headache growing behind her eyes.
She didn't want to be here anymore.
"Mother," she directed towards the woman after waiting for the perfect moment to cut into the conversation. "May I head home now? I'm beginning to get a headache."
When her mother frowned, she knew that a 'no' was on the tip of the woman's tongue - until Cardin stood from the table.
"I can take her home, Mrs. Schnee. Don't want a headache to carry over into tomorrow, after all."
And, just like that, the 'no' became a nod of approval as the rest of the women at the table 'aww'd at Cardin's words - like he was some gallant knight coming to Weiss' rescue. Nevermind that Weiss was perfectly capable of getting herself home without an escort.
Well, as long as she got to leave this place, she didn't care if she had to spend a few minutes stuck in a car with him.
"Thank you, Cardin," she replied as she stood from the table as well, both of them bidding polite farewells to the remaining guests before heading towards the exit.
She let him lead the way out of the hotel where the dinner had been hosted - the most expensive hotel in Vale - before stopping at the valet just inside the front entrance.
"Hey man," Cardin said, handing a ticket over to the young boy tending the valet. "Put a rush on it."
With a nod, the boy grabbed a set of keys and set off through the front doors at a fast jog. The moment the automatic doors slid open, a gust of cold wind swept into the lobby, raising goosebumps along Weiss' arms as she crossed them to keep warm.
"You cold?"
Her instinct was to be biting and sarcastic, but she halted the response and gave a small nod instead. He hadn't done anything to earn her annoyance tonight - outside of the usual behavior.
"A bit," she answered quietly, turning to the side when she saw him shrug out of his jacket.
"Here."
When she stared at him in surprise, he gestured with the jacket again - silently urging her to take it. A part of her didn't want to accept the offer, knowing it was an act of ingrained politeness rather than kindness. But where would she be if she continually turned down his attempts at decency?
"Thank you," she murmured, taking the jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders.
It was warm and smelled like him. Not that he smelled overtly bad, but...he smelled like a bit too much cologne while she was used to smelling roses.
The sound of an obnoxiously-loud engine drew her gaze out the lobby doors, where a lime green sports car parked seconds later. Knowing that was her ride home, she walked outside and waited for Cardin to open the door for her before slipping into the passenger seat, making sure to pull the bottom of her dress inside before he closed the door.
Unlike her, Cardin was allowed to drive himself around - which he did in the most ridiculously-overpriced vehicles imaginable. Every time she saw him, he drove something new - each car painted in some neon color designed to draw attention, both good and bad.
After he hopped into the driver's seat, they pulled out of the hotel's drive and were on their way. Now, Weiss knew for a fact that Cardin drove like a reckless idiot when on his own or with friends, but, thankfully, he was polite enough to drive like a normal human being with her in the vehicle. Well, almost like a normal human being. He did tend to air on the 'excessively fast' side when there were few other vehicles around.
Thankfully, the ride passed in a comfortable silence, and her headache disappeared the further they became from that stuffy room filled with insufferable people. Before she knew it, they were driving past the front gate of her home and pulling up the circular drive to the front door.
After Cardin put the vehicle in park, she patiently waited for him to jog around the car and open the door for her - this car having those doors that opened upwards instead of out. Extending a hand towards her, she graciously took it while stepping from the vehicle onto the pavement below.
Whoever designed this vehicle had certainly not done so with a woman in a dress and high heels in mind...
Removing his jacket from around her shoulders, she handed it back to him and expected him to drive off to whatever plans he had for the evening - over dinner, she'd heard mention of some 'killer' bachelor party his buddies had planned. Instead, he walked with her to the front door - the gesture unusual and raising alarm as potential trouble.
"So, you miss your girlfriend?"
The word, the question, the tone it was spoken in...everything about it set her skin on fire, drawing forward emotions she'd thought she'd locked away. It wiped away every polite gesture he'd made tonight, making it abundantly clear that those were only used to get him to this moment.
But she refused to play his game and ignored the question entirely as she walked up the steps - nearly to the front door now. Just a few more steps and she could leave him behind -
"You know, I expected her to put up more fight than this."
The comment felt like a knife through her chest - threatening to reopen all of her wounds. She didn't know why he was suddenly pressing the topic so much, but she needed to escape from this conversation as fast as possible.
Reaching for the door handle, she was instead forcefully turned around and pushed back against it - the unforgiving metal digging into her lower back while Cardin placed both hands on either side of her head, effectively pinning her in place. Alarm bells were now ringing loudly as he moved closer to her - close enough that she got a good whiff of the cologne he'd put on before dinner.
"It's not fair - you let her kiss you while I still get the cold shoulder?"
Weiss tried to squirm away, but he refused to move his hands, making it impossible for her to do much more than return his gaze with an icy one of her own.
"Life's not fair, Cardin," she snapped. "Go sleep with one of the bridesmaids. That should make you feel better."
"I don't want to sleep with the bridesmaids," he growled before leaning forward and kissing her roughly, trying to force his tongue into her mouth.
Even though she was caught off guard, she still managed to lock her jaw shut. Turning her head to the side to separate their lips, she planted both hands on his shoulders and shoved him away as hard as she could - sending him back a step only for him to immediately come back, this time slamming both hands against the door with a loud bang.
"What else did you let her do to you, huh?" he asked - the look of greed and anger in his eyes finally releasing fear into her veins. Again, she tried to move away, but he blocked any means of escape.
"Did you let her do this?" he breathed as he leaned in and kissed her neck, locking his hands around her wrists while she struggled to push him away - biting her lip to keep from screaming.
"Or did you let her do this…" he asked again, placing both of her wrists within one of his giant hands while he traced his other hand down her neck to cup her breast over her dress.
"Or maybe…"
As his hand moved lower, she brought her knee up as hard as she could, forcefully connecting with his crotch. Letting out a loud yelp of pain, he instantly released her hands as he dropped to his knees, clutching his hopefully-broken manhood. She stared at him for a second - surprised at what she'd just done - but that shock quickly disappeared, making way for rage.
"Fucking...bitch…" he spit out, pounding one hand on the ground as he hunched over, unable to retake his feet.
"Don't you ever touch me like that again!" she screamed at him while he clenched and unclenched his fists in anger and agony. "You can have all the sluts and whores you want, but never think about touching me again. Ever!"
She shook as anger coursed through her body, every bit of her wanting to kick him again while he was still down - to drive home her point in the form of infertility.
With a loud groan, Cardin finally dragged himself back to his feet, although now standing slightly hunched over.
"What do you think is going to happen, Weiss?" he snapped before turning away from her, looking almost emotionally hurt by what she'd just done. "People will expect to see a little Schnee running around eventually."
He'd only taken several hobbling steps towards his car before she turned around, ripped the front door open, and ran side - making sure to lock the deadbolt behind her before racing towards her room. Technically, she wasn't allowed to run in the house, but with her mother still knocking back drinks at the hotel, she ran as fast as her high heels allowed.
Up the stairs, down the hall, through the doorway, slamming the door behind her. It was only then - safely in her room - that she felt the aftereffects of what had just happened. The first being nausea...pure nausea.
Hurrying into the restroom, she immediately emptied her stomach of whatever food she'd forced down over dinner. And even when there was no more to come out, her stomach continued retching up nothing at all - and didn't stop until the muscles in her abdomen were sore from use.
When the episode had finally passed, she collapsed onto the cold, marble floor, and scooted backward until her back was pressed against the wall. Her hands shook uncontrollably - the rest of her body shivering even though she felt herself begin to sweat profusely.
Looking down at her right hand, she found that at some point over the past few seconds she'd pulled out her phone - the device now clutched tightly in one sweaty palm as if she was going to call someone.
As if she had anyone to call.
As anguish overcame her, she threw the phone across the small room and heard it crack when it hit the wall before falling to the floor with a crash.
Hopefully it was broken. It was useless to her anyway.
Sinking her head into her trembling hands, the first sob slipped out - painfully loud in the small room as it ripped from her throat. She had no more energy to fight - no more desire to be strong. So she allowed the heart-wrenching tears to flow freely while she struggled to collect air into her corrupted lungs.
Was this who she was destined to be? Someone cruel and vindictive, with a heart made of ice? Someone who lashed out and humiliated strangers - who sought to destroy anyone who spoke ill of her? Someone whose only understanding of love was that which was forced upon her by her husband?
This wasn't what she wanted. This wasn't what she hoped and dreamed for.
Ruby…
Why wasn't Ruby trying to contact her? Why hadn't Ruby called or emailed or...anything?
Was it really so easy to ignore Weiss after all this time? Was it really so easy to forget her and move on?
Because it wasn't easy - not for her. Every second she spent in agony over what had happened. Everywhere she went, something reminded her of their time together - serving only to remind her of what she no longer had in her life...what she'd never had a chance of holding onto. She couldn't forget and move on. She would never move on. She would always wonder - she would always wish that her life was different.
But her time had run out, and now this foolish life of hers was ending. Tomorrow, she would be married, and her new life would begin. There was nothing to look forward to except new trials and tribulations as happiness slipped further and further away.
How long she sat on the bathroom floor, she didn't know. It was until her tears finally stopped falling, and her sobs finally quieted to soft whimpers of pain. She felt raw...as if the thick skin she'd spent years building had suddenly been ripped away - her exposed flesh feeling every molecule of air brush against her like a blade being drawn across her.
Taking several long, deep breaths, she finally pressed her hands to the cold ground and pushed herself to her feet – leaning against the wall to steady herself. Moving carefully over to the sink, she rinsed the taste of bile from her mouth before splashing cold water on her face.
When she risked a glance into the mirror, she sighed at the person gazing back at her. Red, swollen eyes...tear-stained cheeks...hair a ruffled mess - she was a miserable sight.
Turning away, she walked slowly into her bedroom and mechanically changed into a pair of pajamas before turning out the lights and crawling beneath the covers.
Curling into a ball in the blackness provided by the blankets over her head, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block out the images swarming to the surface of her mind. It would be another night with little to no sleep for her - forced to watch Ruby's heart break over, and over, and over again. Forced to watch silver eyes swimming with unshed tears - tears of immeasurable pain.
This was all her fault.
Ruby had trusted her...trusted that she would do something to prevent this from happening. She was the only one who could have kept them together, yet she'd done nothing. Instead, she'd run from the responsibility, happy to live in their blissfully-ignorant existence while it lasted.
But she wasn't like Yang or Blake or Ruby. Her life had been set at birth - all by the last name attached to her. Being a Schnee meant that she didn't get to make her own choices or follow her own heart.
And now - with no heart left to spare - the tears started flowing again, and the sobs of pain wracked through her as agony chipped away at her soul.
There were fates worse than death...and this was certainly one of them.