Zara emphasized the word “really” with a deep and piercing gaze, causing an inexplicable jolt in Winry’s heart. However, she quickly composed herself and flashed a smile back at Zara
“So what if I know? Of course, I know Soren likes me. But I stay out of his reach on purpose. I let him pine for me and have him wrapped around my finger. It’s much more meaningful to have a powerful man at my beck and call, don’t you think? Who else besides me has this kind of hold on him?”
“But I also know that nothing lasts forever, and Im tired of playing. I’ve decided to accept him now. What do you think will happen if I tell him I’m willing to be with him? He’ll probably divorce you immediately and toss you aside like garbage,” Winry blabbered tauntingly.
“Oh,” Zara replied. She was clearly uninterested.
She heard each and every provocative word Winry had uttered, but they failed to stir even the slightest reaction from her. She simply responded indifferently and prepared to walk past
Winry.
Feeling peeved at being ignored, Winry reached out to grab Zara, who dodged swiftly. In the process, Winry happened to yank the necklace Zara had been wearing off her neck. She frowned at the trinket for a moment before tossing it aside disdainfully.
“What a worthless piece of junk,” she said with a sneer.
A faint crackling sound followed. Zara turned her head just in time to see the necklace fall into an outdoor barbecue pit. Her expression shifted dramatically as her pupils shrank in shock,
and her mind went blank.
Without hesitation, she lunged toward the fire pit. Ignoring the searing heat from the burning charcoal, she reached her hand directly into the flames.
“Mrs. Blight!” The maids shouted in alarm and rushed forward to stop her, but it was too late.
Even Winry lost her composure and yelled disbelievingly, “Are you crazy? It’s just a worthless necklace!”
In the chaos, Zara managed to retrieve the necklace from the fire. However, the pendant had become deformed due to the intense heat. Its once–shiny surface was now covered in a layer of blackened ash. It resembled nothing like its former self.
Large drops of tears rolled down Zara’s cheeks, but she didn’t bother wiping them away. Her heart was consumed by regret and sorrow.
This necklace was the gift Andy had given her for her 18th birthday. And now, it was ruined.
Carefully, she kept the damaged necklace and made her way toward Winry with an icy expression.
Cheut
Before Winry could react, Zara raised her hand and slapped her hard across the face.
The force of the slap stunned Winry, and she looked at Zara in disbelief. As Zara’s anger hadn’t. been quelled yet, she delivered a second slap without so much as a pause.
Dazed and furious, Winry opened her mouth to speak but was immediately met with a third. slap.
The three consecutive slaps left Winry’s head spinning, yet Zara still wasn’t satisfied. Just as she was about to strike again, Soren stormed out and pushed her aside forcefully.
“Have you gone insane?” he shouted angrily, alanned at the situation.
His heart pounded as he rushed to check on Winry. As he was fully focused on Winry, he failed to notice Zara stumbling from his push and falling backward into the deep pond behind her.
“H–Help… Help!” she cried.
The pond was deep, and Zara couldn’t swim. Panic overtook her, and she gulped down water as she struggled to stay afloat. She felt an uncomfortable and stinging sensation in her throat
and nose.
The maids‘ panicked voices reached her ears in fragmented pieces. “Mrs. Blight doesn’t seem to know how to swim! Shouldn’t we help her, Mr. Blight?”
Soren’s expression flickered at their words, but in the end, he hardened his resolve.
Without even glancing back at her, he instructed coldly, “Don’t save her. She can get out when she’s ready to apologize.”
With that, he carefully picked up Winry and walked away without a backward glance.
No one came to help, and Zara’s strength waned with each attempt to get to the surface. Every time she felt herself sinking, her mind became filled with thoughts of Andy.
She couldn’t die yet! She had yet to meet the person who had received Andy’s heart. So, how could she die here?
Summoning every ounce of willpower, Zara managed to drag herself out of the water. But the moment she reached safety, her body gave out, and she passed out.
