After the Last Tear: Rising from the Ashes of a Broken Marriage By Cassila K

Chapter 106

As those words hung in the air, Nolan suddenly appeared beside them.

He grabbed Aurelia's arm furiously, his eyes blazing.

"Aurelia, can't you behave yourself for one moment? What right do you have to throw away the ring I gave Evangeline?"

Aurelia looked directly into his eyes and noticed something unexpected amid his anger-a glimmer of hope.

Could it be that he wished she had thrown away Evangeline's ring out of jealousy?

A wave of bitterness washed over her heart, but she forced herself to smile.

"Why would I throw away a meaningless ring? To me, it's worth less than the cash you throw at me."

Nolan's eyes instantly turned cold and merciless. He shoved her violently into the lake with a loud splash, followed by her startled cry, but he had already turned away without a second glance.

"I don't care how you do it just bring that ring back!

With that, he took Evangeline's hand and hurried away without hesitation.It was the dead of winter, shortly after a snowfall, and brutally cold.

Ice floes dotted the lake's surface—the mere sight of them was enough to send shivers down one's spine.

Submerged in the water, Aurelia felt her body nearly seize up from the bone- chilling cold. The muddy bottom concealed sharp fragments that sliced into her feet, drawing blood.

of the water's surface. Finally, she found the ring at the bottom of the lake. When she appeared before Nolan, wounded and bedraggled, he furrowed his brow, coldly pulled out a stack of bills from his pocket, and tossed them at her feet without

she took the money and left in

days that followed, Nolan surprisingly

of her car to see the entire

had barely registered

the household staff only came to clean

meant he was

she quickly found Nolan unconscious in his bedroom. The fire had spread with alarming speed. He must have taken

weight onto

fire grew more intense, virtually cutting off their escape

crashed down from above. With no time to

her back, nearly causing her to black

him slumped against her shoulder, brow furrowed, she felt a determination unlike any she had known before. She had to save

she somehow managed to drag his six-foot-tall frame out of the

where she gasped desperately for

saw Evangeline running frantically toward them, she summoned her

tell him

out to Aurelia as she tried to

truth-did you deliberately

unsteadily, freezing at the question. After a long silence, she finally

hurried away without looking