After My Husband's Cruelty Destroyed Our Love

I drifted toward Maximiliano Reyes.

He was in an opulently decorated mansion, standing tall and imposing by the window. His sharp features were directed toward the horizon before shifting back to the silent phone beside him. After a moment, impatience got the better of him. He dialed a number, only for the call to be instantly disconnected. His brow furrowed, and the tension in the room thickened.

Crash!

In a fit of rage, he hurled the phone to the floor, shattering it into pieces.

"Elisabeth Turner, what game are you playing now? Ignoring my calls, have you grown a backbone?"

Maximiliano let out a derisive laugh.

"Playing hard to get, or is this some other trick? Do you really think I'd come back for this? Pathetic. Even if you kicked the bucket, I wouldn't bother with your remains."

Is that so? Does Maximiliano truly despise me this much? Even though I had known for some time, hearing it straight from his lips still made my heart tighten involuntarily.

I couldn't help but give a bitter smile, whispering softly into his ear.

"As you wish, I'm really gone now. Right there at home, so you won't have to deal with my remains..."

Maximiliano couldn't hear me, yet he suddenly stepped forward, crushing a dark shape under his foot.

My heart sank, a deep sense of dread engulfing me.

That was...

Grasping my collar tightly, my breath caught.

Maximiliano's voice, as cold as ice, echoed:

"Useless creature, died so quickly. Serves her right, now I've lost my leverage over her."

"Snowball!"

I screamed, throwing myself onto that “thing” with overwhelming grief consuming me.

Snowball. My Snowball. The ragdoll cat that had been my companion for years, pure white and incredibly perceptive. Its blue glassy eyes were its most endearing feature.

But now it lay discarded here. Its fur matted and stained with blood, turning dark and stiff. Its belly caved in, the body twisted grotesquely.

Snowball, who once would flee at the mere sight of Maximiliano, was now lifeless despite his repeated kicks.

"Stop! Enough!"

I remembered. I remembered everything.

Snowball was gone. It died because of me. Because I shared a bond of suffering with Snowball, and Maximiliano, wanting to control me, didn’t hesitate to torment Snowball into this state.

Whip marks, burns, organs removed, bones shattered… All inflicted on Snowball, then transferred to me.

Yes, I should have known better. I’m already gone—how could Snowball still be living?

But my soul lingers here.

And what about Snowball?