Fade with the Wind

When Ivy Yarley learned that Jason Hough had been in an accident due to speeding and lost a massive amount of blood, she rushed to the hospital without hesitation and donated a full liter of blood for him. His friends all urged her to go home and get some rest. Reluctantly, she agreed, but the moment she reached the exit, worry hung heavily in her heart, so she turned back. That was when she saw the nurse dumping all five full bags of blood that had just been drawn from her into the trash can. Before she could even process what was happening, a burst of laughter erupted from a nearby room. "Hahaha! That idiot Ivy Yarley fell for it again!" Chapter 1 Ivy Yarley stood frozen, staring at the half-opened door. At one glance, she immediately spotted the man in the patient's gown among the group. Jason Hough was lazily leaning against the head of the bed, playing with his phone. Someone was partially blocking his face, but Ivy still noticed his sharp nose bridge and deep-set brows. He clearly did not look injured! Ivy blinked. She thought that her overwhelming grief must have made her hallucinate. "Guys, let me count. Which round of revenge is this now?" "The first time, we lied that Jason lost the necklace that he was going to give her. She searched all night for it in the snow and ended up with a high fever and still refused to rest." "The second time, we tricked her by saying that Jason was unconscious. She knelt and crawled up nine hundred ninety-nine steps just to get him a blessed cross, only for Jason to give the cross to a dog." "The third time, we framed her for cheating and ruined her graduation. The way she desperately tried to prove her innocence… Honestly, it still cracks me up!" "This time, we lied to her and made her give up five bags of blood. This must be the ninety-sixth lie? Three more lies, and our game of revenge is up. It hasn't been an easy journey. Jason must've sacrificed a lot all these years." "Well, she brought it to herself. Who told her to be so blind back then to win over Felicity Shaw at the dance championship? Felicity cried the entire night. She's Jason's sweetheart. He wouldn't let anyone off the hook for making her cry. "This was why he 'dated' Ivy in the first place–to exact revenge ninety-nine times. What a pity. Once all this is over, Jason is going to dump her. We won't be able to have any fun anymore." … A deafening buzz filled Ivy's ears, as if she had just been struck by lightning. Her heart felt as if it were being carved apart. She pressed a hand against her chest, bending over as she gasped for air, the pain nearly suffocating her. She could not believe what she had just heard. She could not believe that Jason dated her just to take revenge! He clearly knew how much she liked him. Jason Hough–the most sought-after bachelor in King City. Outstanding grades, powerful family, devastatingly handsome. There was once a saying that any girl who had seen him would inevitably fall for him. She, Ivy, was the girl he picked out of a million. She had thrown away her pride and pursued him for three years, yet he would not budge. That was, of course, until he agreed to be with her one random day. Ivy thought that she was getting what she dreamed of. Little did she know that it was just a cruel game of revenge. He did not agree to be with her because he always had someone else in his heart. He only agreed to 'date' her because she won the dance championships over Felicity, which made her cry. To exact revenge, he pretended to be with her and lied to her 99 times just to avenge Felicity. Ivy's tears were free-falling. It felt as if something was stuck in her throat, and she could barely breathe. She looked at the group inside the room, laughing raucously. Then, she looked at Jason's icy face. She suddenly felt like the biggest joke of all. She had given him her heart, only for him to ruthlessly step on it and throw it into the trash can. Her heart was dirt-cheap. Right at that moment, the people in the room seemed to sense something and looked over at the door. Ivy quickly turned and left. She walked as fast as she could, then broke into a run. She did not know where she was going. All she knew was that she wanted to run away from this place. Away from Jason. Away from this absurd nightmare. She ran until she could no longer run. Then, she bent over, and the floodgates of tears broke. She covered her face and let out a muffled sob, pouring all of her grievances out. How pathetic, she thought. She had been a fool all this time. A long time later, her phone rang. She answered with trembling hands. Her mother, Mary, said rather gently, "Ivy, your father and I are about to move abroad permanently. Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Not long ago, her parents had been transferred abroad for work. They had planned to relocate the entire family, but Ivy could not bear to part ways with Jason, so she had been putting it off. She even thought of staying in King City just for him. At that moment, it all felt like a bitter joke. "No." She wiped away her tears and took a deep breath. Her voice was hoarse yet determined. "Mom, Dad, I'm coming with you." Chapter 2 "That's great to hear, Ivy!" chirped Mary, happy. "We'll start the paperwork, then. Once it's finalized, there's no going back." Ivy held her phone tightly. Her fingers trembled a little, but she replied firmly, "I won't regret this." Mary was just about to hang up when she hesitated. "Oh, by the way... What about your boyfriend? Didn't you pursue him for years? You liked him so much." 'Boyfriend' The word felt like a knife stab right to Ivy's heart. The memory of the raucous laughter in the hospital ward flashed across her mind: Jason leaning back lazily against the bed, playing with his phone, the group of people openly mocking her. The cruelty of his wasting three years of her life, all to avenge Felicity. Her chest tightened as if someone was squeezing her heart. It hurt her so much she could barely catch her breath. "I don't like him anymore," Ivy replied, hoarsely yet calmly. "I'm not hung up on him." After hanging up, Ivy stood by the side of the road, letting the cold breeze tangle her hair. She looked up at the grey skies and took a deep breath. Then, she headed back to her so-called home. When she pushed the door open, a familiar scent rushed toward her. She stood by the door, staring at the living room she knew so well. Her thoughts drifted. This was Jason's place. He gave her a set of keys after he accepted her confession and agreed to be with her. That day, he leaned against the door and said casually, "Move in with me." Back then, she was shy yet elated. She thought that it would be the start of their everlasting love. She even secretly fantasized about the day that they would get married, have a family, and spend the rest of their lives there. At that moment, it only felt ironic. Living together? It probably made it easier for him to exact revenge. She wondered how much Jason must have liked Felicity that he would spend three years using her, living with her. He even slept with her so many times, just to make her believe that he liked her. For the next three days, Ivy did not visit Jason once at the hospital. She shut herself inside the apartment and began packing away everything that had to do with Jason. She found the diary she had written when she had a secret crush on him. It was thick, every page filled with her private thoughts. [I met him in the library again today, dressed in a white shirt. How dashing.] [He spoke to me today. Even though he was just politely asking me to pass him something, it made my day.] [He agreed to be with me. Is this a dream?] Ivy flipped through the pages as tears fell silently. She threw the diary into the trash can as if trying to throw away the love she once held for him. Next, it was the gifts she gave him: a necklace, a watch, then a coat… Every item carried her joy, her hope, her anticipation. Finally, the photos she had secretly taken of him, including Jason giving a speech on stage or playing basketball. Every photo had once brought her immense joy and hope. She threw everything into the trash bin as if bidding goodbye to her past self. By the third evening, Ivy finally cleared the final item. She stood in the middle of the living room, looking around at the empty place. She felt some relief unexpectedly. At that moment, Jason entered. He looked around at the empty place and furrowed his brows. "What did you throw away?" Ivy looked up at him calmly and replied, "Nothing much. Just things I don't need anymore." Jason went in closer and asked with a hint of displeasure, "I was seriously injured. Why didn't you come and see me?" Ivy curled her lips faintly. She replied with an icy tone, "Well, you're discharged now, right? How could you return home so quickly if you're seriously injured?" Jason was a little stunned. Then, he explained, "I heard you donated a lot of blood for me. I was worried, so I came home to check up on you." He looked at her arm and softened his voice, which rarely happened. "Did it hurt?" Ivy retracted her arm and said indifferently, "No, it doesn't." Jason could sense her aloofness. He furrowed his brows tightly. "Did something happen? I was in the hospital for a few days, and you've suddenly changed." Ivy smiled faintly. "Changed? In what way?" Jason did not reply, but they both knew well. In the past, Ivy always had love for him in her eyes whenever she looked at him. If he even caught a cold, she would panic and hover by his side every minute. He had been hospitalized for three days, and she had not even called once. His gaze lingered on her face, as if trying to read something from her expression. Then, he spoke, his voice low and gentle. "Have you been tired lately? They're throwing me a welcome-back party. Why don't you come with me?" Chapter 3 Before Ivy even had the chance to refuse, Jason grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into the car. They stopped in front of a luxury private club. Jason got out of the car and went over to her side to help her open the car door. Ivy looked at him but said nothing, quietly getting out of the car. The moment they entered the club, Ivy instantly spotted a familiar figure. Felicity Shaw. She was in a long white dress, her hair cascading down to her shoulders. A gentle smile curved her lips as she stood at the center of a small crowd, laughing lightly with friends. Felicity was Jason's childhood sweetheart. Although they grew up together, they had not been much in contact for the past few years. This was why Ivy had never suspected that Jason liked Felicity. When Felicity saw Jason and Ivy entering hand in hand, her eyes curled, almost amused. It seemed she also knew about the 99 rounds of revenge. Ivy suddenly found it hard to breathe. Jason also seemed to have noticed Felicity's presence. His hands stiffened a little, then he immediately let go of Ivy's hand. He turned to Ivy and said softly, "I have to make a call. Go have fun. I'll be back." Ivy stood in the same spot as she saw Jason leaving her. Her heart turned cold. Before she could say anything, Felicity elegantly walked over, following Jason. They vanished into a different part of the club. Ivy did not have the time to follow them to check up on what they were up to, because she was soon surrounded by a few of Jason's friends. "Ivy, come and drink with us!" They grinned while shoving a glass toward her. Ivy shook her head. "I can't drink." "Oh, come on, don't be such a party-pooper! It's just one glass! Nothing will happen!" They pushed the drink into her hand and nudged her forward. Ivy wanted to break free from the group when one of them shoved her harshly. "Ah!" Ivy yelped. She lost her balance and fell straight into the pool next to her. The icy water swallowed her instantly. She could not swim, so she thrashed around frantically, only for her to sink deeper. Water rushed into her nose and mouth, choking and suffocating her. Her vision blurred as she slowly started to see black. She fell into unconsciousness. … When she came around, she noticed she was in her room. Her head was heavy, and her entire body was burning as if it were on fire. She groggily opened her eyes and saw Jason sitting by the side of the bed with a glass of water and a few pills. "You're having a fever. Take some medicine," Jason said with concern. Ivy groggily accepted the pills and gulped them down with water. She thought nothing much of it. Her throat was extremely parched. She seemed to have been sucked of all her energy. She closed her eyes, trying to go back to sleep, but her body got even hotter, as if something was burning inside her. A while later, she opened her eyes with difficulty only to see that Jason was no longer in the room. She forced herself to sit up and touched her forehead. It was burning badly. She knew she could no longer drag it out. She had to head to the hospital. Dragging her heavy body, she finally arrived at the hospital. The doctor put her on drips only then did her fever begin to subside. After doing a thorough checkup, the doctor said to Ivy with furrowed brows, "You're lucky you came here in time. If you were to delay coming here any longer, this could have turned into pneumonia." Ivy leaned against the head of the bed weakly. She hoarsely asked, "Doctor, I did take some medicine, but why did it get worse?" The doctor was stunned. He asked, "What medicine did you take?" Ivy took a small pill bottle from her pocket and handed it to him. "Some anti-inflammatory. My boyfriend gave it to me." The doctor accepted the bottle, popped it open to have a look. He suddenly said sternly, "This isn't anti-inflammatory at all. The bottle might be labeled that way, but inside is just sugar tablets. They have no medicinal effect at all. In fact, they could've delayed your treatment." Ivy's heart dropped. Her fingers trembled a little. Suddenly, her phone vibrated violently. With difficulty, she lifted her phone up to have a look at the flood of messages. It was sent by Jason's friends in a chat group. [Hahaha! The 97th round of revenge is a success!] [Whoever came up with this plan is a genius! We first 'accidentally' shove her into the pool, then Jason would swap her medicine. I'm guessing she must be suffering like hell right now.] Someone soon anxiously replied, [Damn it! You sent it to the wrong group! Ivy is in this group!] Chapter 4 The messages were soon deleted, as if nothing had ever happened. Ivy held her phone tightly, her hand trembling slightly. Her heart completely sank. She found it hard to breathe once more. All of this–pushing her into water, fever, the swapping of medicine–was all part of their revenge plan. Jason fed her that so-called medicine was just so that she could suffer even more. Not long after, Jason called her. "Where are you? Why are you not at home?" Jason said in a low voice, with a faint hint of panic. Ivy took a deep breath to try to sound calm. "My fever got too high. I'm at the hospital." There was a brief pause before Jason said, "I'll come right over." "There's no need," Ivy interjected right away. "I just need to be on drips for one more day, and I can be discharged. I realized you've been really busy recently. You don't have to worry." There was a silence on the other end of the phone, then Jason asked, "Did you look at your phone?" So that was why he was calling her. He was worried she had seen those messages. Ivy lied, "No. The doctor said that my fever was so high that I was almost dead. I didn't have the time to look at my phone." Silence came once more. Jason then said, sounding ambiguous at that, "I'm here with you. Everything will be fine." Ivy tightened her grip on her phone. Her heart turned ice cold. He said that he was with her, yet he was the sole cause of her misery! Ivy got discharged from the hospital. She had just exited the hospital, about to call a taxi, when a group of men rushed up from behind her and covered her mouth. Before she could resist, she lost consciousness. When he came around once more, Ivy realized that she was lying in a dimly lit hotel room. Her limbs were tied. A few thugs were around her, smiling at her lewdly. "You're up. Don't worry. We'll properly spoil you." One of the thugs reached out to try to take her clothes off. "Who are you? Let go! Let me go!" Ivy resisted with all her might, but she was weak from her recovery. She was not their match. She tried throwing things, kicking them, and yelling loudly, but it was all in vain. The men had almost stripped her completely. She was in despair, and tears kept falling uncontrollably. Right at that moment, the door was kicked open. "Get back, you thugs!" Jason snarled with fury. The thugs were frightened by Jason's air of authority, and they quickly fled the scene. Ivy curled up in bed, shivering with trauma. She looked up at Jason. For the first time, she saw panic and concern in his eyes. "Ivy…" Jason quickly walked over to her. He reached out, rather shakily, to hold her, yet. However, Ivy, like a traumatized little animal, retreated and cowered frantically. Her eyes filled with fear. Jason's hand froze mid-air. His eyes gleamed with pain. Before Ivy could say something, she saw black and passed out once more. Some time later, Ivy came around, feeling groggy. She heard people talking in the hospital room. Their voices were in whispers, but she could hear the anger in them. "Why didn't you tell me about this revenge plan?" said Jason. "I thought you wanted to quickly finish the ninety-nine rounds of revenge so you could finally be with Felicity? We noticed that you were busy, so we didn't want to trouble you. We decided to help you do it," said one of his friends nonchalantly. "I didn't ask you to find people to assault her!" Jason raised his voice, his anger nearly overflowing. His friends jumped. They said in disbelief, "Hold up. So, what if she was? I thought we had decided from the beginning that the plan would be ruthless? Why are you getting so worked up?" Jason said nothing. Instead, he kicked the coffee table over with a violent crash. Why was he so worked up? Even he himself did not know the answer to that. All these years, Ivy had been pursuing him like a beam of sunlight–bright and relentless. He remembered the day he agreed to be with her. She had stood there in disbelief before breaking into tears of joy. He had never seen anyone look that happy. It was a sharp contrast to how she lay there like a withered rose at this moment, drained of all life. He did not understand why it bothered him so much. He did not want to see her like that. When she looked at him so helplessly, his heart ached a little. Seeing him remain silent, the group slowly pieced something together. One of them spoke cautiously, disbelief creeping into his voice, "Jason, don't tell me that after all these years, you've fallen for her?" Chapter 5 Silence hung thickly in the hospital room. Jason, who was rebuking the culprits a moment ago, stiffened. His mind replayed the last sentence. "Don't tell me that after all these years, you've fallen for her?" Fallen for Ivy? Impossible! He rejected the thought instantly, almost violently, like denying it hard enough would erase the strange flicker in his chest. He had always liked Felicity. Who the hell was Ivy? He just needed her for one thing, and that was to rain his vengeance upon. That being said… Why would he be so furious when he saw those thugs trying to press themselves on her, if that were truly the case? He had never been so angry and impulsive before, not even when other men tried to flirt with Felicity. The room was in pin-drop silence once more. Jason's friends looked at each other as if they were reassured. One of them patted Jason's shoulder, saying in relief, "You should've told us sooner. You scared us, man. We really thought you caught feelings and ruined the whole revenge game for yourself. That wouldn’t be worth it! If Felicity found out, she'd cry her eyes out." Jason suppressed the strange emotions bubbling in him. He said icily, "I'll never fall for Ivy. Not in this lifetime." His friends fell into ease with that, saying with a smile, "Alright, alright. She's probably coming around soon. We should go." Once everyone left, Jason slowly walked over to the bed to look at Ivy in her sleep. Her face was pale, her brows a little furrowed. She did not look like she was sleeping well. His finger subconsciously touched her on the face. The moment he touched her, he instantly pulled back as if his fingers were burned. He turned to head to the window. He lit a cigarette and took a huge puff, trying to use nicotine to calm his buzzing mind. When Ivy woke up, Jason was the only one in the room. He sat down next to her with a glass of water in his hand. When he saw her coming around, he asked softly, "How are you feeling? Do you still feel unwell?" Ivy did not answer. She merely looked away, avoiding his gaze. For the next few days, Jason stayed in the hospital to look after Ivy. He would occasionally head out to answer a call, but whenever he returned, there would always be a subtle hint of tenderness on his face. Ivy knew he was probably comforting Felicity. Ivy came to the realization that Jason had always been this way, even when they were together. He would often head out to answer a call, always saying that it was something important. Ivy had never once thought much about it. It was not until this moment that she realized that Felicity had always been at the other end of the line. The doctor came to change her wound dressing. Ivy looked up to see a young, handsome doctor and was taken aback. She asked, "You weren't my previous doctor, were you?" The doctor smiled and replied gently, "That was my teacher. I'm just an intern under his wing. He has to make the rounds today, so I'll be helping you change your dressing." Ivy nodded and said nothing else. The young doctor was gentle, yet he was always blushing a little. Before he left, he hesitated for a while before asking, "Can I… ask for your contact?" That caught Ivy by sheer surprise. Before she could answer, Jason entered. He swept the young doctor an icy look and said warningly, "She has a boyfriend. Can't you see? Flirting with the patients–are you trying to get fired?" Chapter 6 Utterly terrified by Jason's presence, the young doctor nervously apologized and left the room. Jason walked over to Ivy and grunted, sounding somewhat unhappily, "If you ever meet people like him again in the future, just say that you have a boyfriend. How hard is it to say that?" Ivy looked at him, finding his words ironic. He said that he would never fall for her in this lifetime, so why was he being so possessive?" … A few days after she got discharged, Jason suddenly suggested that they attend a class reunion party together. Ivy knew that Jason never bothered with such events, yet he was the one who suggested it. Clearly, something was up. Sure enough, when they arrived at the venue, Ivy immediately spotted Felicity. Jason pretended to keep a distance from Felicity, as if he did not wish to have any contact with her. However, one could not truly hide their true feelings. Halfway through, Ivy excused herself to the ladies' room. When she returned, she noticed that the group was in a game of truth or dare. Felicity had lost, so she was asked to answer a private question. Felicity, feeling flustered, was about to open her mouth when Jason snatched the car from her and said icily, "I'll take the punishment on her behalf." The question on the card was, [Who is your sexual fantasy? Say the initials of their names.] Everyone started chiming in. "Even though this question is rather private, it's nothing to Jason! He has a girlfriend! He'll surely mention his girlfriend!" Jason was silent for a while before calmly saying, "F. S." Ivy's heart sank. Her fingers trembled. F, S. Felicity Shaw. She could no longer bear to watch. She left the venue and texted Jason, [I'm unwell. I'll head back home.] Ivy was standing by the side of the road, about to hail a taxi, when a familiar voice rang out from behind her. "Ivy!" Startled, Ivy turned around and saw Jason quickly approaching her. "Why are you here?" Ivy asked. Jason's brows were furrowed. Worry gleamed in his eyes. "You said you were unwell, right? Where do you feel unwell? I'll take you to the hospital." Ivy looked at him as mixed emotions bubbled up in her. She shook her head, saying calmly, "I'm fine. I'm just a little light-headed. Are you not playing with them?" "You're my girlfriend. If you say that you're not feeling well and you're leaving, why should I still stay there?" Jason reached out to touch her forehead as if checking if she was having a fever. Ivy looked at him, a little confused. Was the whole reason he wanted to come out tonight not just to see Felicity? Why did he run out of the party just because of her message? Ivy did not bother to pester; there was no reason to. A moment ago, her parents had just sent her a message saying that the paperwork was more or less done. She would leave in two days, away from everything. Jason was relieved to find that she was not having a fever. He no longer pursued the matter further, merely saying, "Let's go. We'll go home." … In the middle of the night, Ivy stirred in her sleep. She could hear voices coming from the balcony. She opened her eyes and gently walked over to the balcony. She realized that Jason was smoking on the balcony. His phone was on loudspeaker mode, placed on the railings. Although the volume was soft, going in closer, Ivy could hear the other end of the line. "Jason, we've come up with a ruthless one for the ninety-ninth round of revenge! Two days later will be your anniversary, right? Just tell Ivy that you're preparing a surprise for her. Then, you'll blindfold her and lead her to my abandoned mansion. "After that, you'll find an excuse to leave. Once you leave, we'll set the outside on fire and lock the door! We'll trap her in the fire! How does that sound?" "She'll surely be in despair and try to break down the door!" "Yes! Let her have the taste of despair!" A burst of laughter came from the other end of the line. Everyone seemed to think that it was a great idea. Just the thought of that scenario made Jason's veins pop. He said with a hint of anger, "No. I don't agree with this." Chapter 7 "You're shooting this idea down, again? Jason, don't you want to just end this game quickly? We promise that no one's going to get killed! We'll wait until the very last moment when she can no longer hold it anymore, then we'll open the door." Jason's tone remained icy. "No. It's risky. Nothing can happen to her." Someone said, "Wait a second, Jason. I heard that you abandoned Felicity and ran after Ivy today! Felicity cried for an entire night, and you took a long time to console her. "Then, to appease her, you told us to come up with the ninety-ninth round of revenge. Why are you being so picky now? Do you still remember who your true love is? "Quickly break up with Ivy and return to Felicity. Didn't you always want that?" Jason's breathing staggered. He wanted to retort when Felicity's voice came from the other end of the line. "Jason, I heard what you all said. I'm asking you right now: I want you to do what they said on Ivy, as revenge. Do you agree or not?" Jason was silent. Felicity said with a catch in her throat, "You promised me you'd do anything for me!" Jason finally said with a hoarse voice, "Alright, I'll agree. I'll do whatever you say." Felicity chuckled in delight. His friends also said excitedly, "Alright! We can't wait for that day!" Jason reminded them once more, "Make sure nothing serious will happen." Ivy stood in the shadows. It felt as if some invisible hand was squeezing her heart tightly. It was so painful that she could not breathe. She quietly returned to bed, picked up her phone, and sent a text. … On the day of their anniversary, Jason went according to plan and said to Ivy, "Ivy, I've prepared a surprise for you tonight. Close your eyes. I'll take you to a place." Ivy quietly looked at him, holding her gaze for a long while before she eventually closed her eyes. Jason smiled and blindfolded her with a piece of silk. Then, he led her to the car. When they arrived, Jason led her inside the mansion and said softly, "Wait here for me. I'll go and get the gifts. I'll be back soon." Ivy stood in the same spot, listening to Jason's footsteps getting further away. Just as he was about to shut the door, Ivy suddenly called out to him, "You know, Jason, I really like you." Jason stopped in his tracks, listening to Ivy. "I've liked you for a very long time. When you agreed to be with me, I was over the moon and thought all my dreams had finally come true. That night, I couldn't even sleep. I was so excited I cried on my pillows the entire night. Pretty silly of me, huh?" Jason said nothing, but his breathing quickened ever so slightly. Ivy continued, "Today is our third anniversary. This is also the first time you prepared something for me. I'm really looking forward to it." Jason's throat felt a little dry. A moment later, he said, "I'll be right back. Wait for me." Then, he shut the door. Ivy immediately took off her blindfold. Soon, she could smell gasoline in the air. She smirked and walked over to the corner of the wall. Then, she dragged a fake body that she had prepared beforehand. After she overheard the phone call, she got a fake body custom-made according to her looks and height. After the fire, everyone would think that it was her. She placed a recorder on the table. She had recorded her voice asking for help. "Well, Jason… Since you've fooled me ninety-eight times, the ninety-ninth will be my turn to fool you," Ivy gently said before playing the recording. Soon, the entire mansion echoed with her voice. "Help! Open the door! Jason, help me!" She turned and left through the back door without ever looking back. She hailed a taxi and headed straight to the airport. In the distance, fire raged against the backdrop of the star-lit skies. Chapter 8 Not far from the mansion, a group of people stood watching the raging flames, screaming in excitement as they snapped photos. "Hahaha! Revenge number ninety-ninth! A success!" "Jason is finally free from that lovesick idiot Ivy Yarley!" "When we go in later, I'm taking a few ugly crying shots of her and posting them online. Let the whole city enjoy the show!" The dark red firelight illuminated their twisted, exhilarated faces with brutal clarity. Standing behind the crowd, Jason felt something unfamiliar for the first time. Discomfort. Somehow, Ivy's expression from earlier resurfaced in his mind. Only then did something click. She had been too calm. Every previous anniversary, she had always been the most excited. From choosing the venue to decorating every tiny detail, she had taken care of everything herself. The entire anniversary had always been her effort alone. He had never once bothered to participate–and he had been perfectly fine with that. After all, he did not love her. In fact, he had even resented her. If she had not stolen Felicity's championship back then, the girl celebrating anniversaries with him would not have been Ivy in the first place. Mere minutes ago, however, Ivy had been too quiet. On the drive to the mansion, she sat silently in the passenger seat. Other than saying a few strange, almost farewell-like confessions, she had not asked a single question about the anniversary plans. She had been like a doll, letting him arrange everything. At that moment, he had been gone for so long. The fire had been burning for so long. Still, she had not called him even once. Nothing. A chill ran down his spine. He fumbled for his phone, refreshing the screen again and again. Call log. Messages. Nothing. No missed calls. No texts. No desperate pleas for help. His heartbeat began pounding violently. A suffocating sense of dread spread through his entire body. Slowly, he lifted his head. His face had gone pale as he stared at the mansion being devoured by flames. Then, he suddenly broke into a run. "Hey, Jason, where are you going?!" The others panicked and rushed to stop him. Just as he was about to say something, a loud explosion split the air. Boom! A massive mushroom cloud burst upward from the mansion. Everyone's faces were drained of color. Before they could react, explosions after explosions blasted in the sky. Thick black smoke billowed into the rain-soaked night. Debris shot outward like deadly arrows. "Ivy!" Jason's mind went blank. All he could think was that Ivy was still inside! He tried to charge into the mansion, but several people held him back. "Jason, calm down! You'll die if you go in!" "We've already called the cops! The rescue teams are on their way!" "She'll be fine!" Jason's eyes were bloodshot, locked on the sea of fire. "Get lost!" He had no idea where that surge of strength came from, but he broke free from the crowd and charged toward the flames. "Jason!" Boom! Another violent explosion. Rain poured down in sheets, extinguishing the fire, but the mansion was still smoking under the storm. Rescue workers and search dogs combed through the debris. They were searching for Ivy's body. Yes, body. After all, no one was surviving that kind of fire and explosion. In the distance, Jason stood in the rain with blood running down his face, ignoring the doctor trying to pull him away. He waited for the verdict. "Over here!" A rescuer’s shout immediately lit up the light in his eyes. He dragged his stiff body and rushed as quickly as he could. He arrived in time just as the rescue team lifted a body from the wreckage. The corpse was barely recognizable. Its face had been destroyed. Blood and soot were caked together across burned flesh. The intense heat and explosions had curled the body inward, twisted grotesquely. The horrifying, ruined face tilted toward him. Unrecognizable to anyone else, but Jason knew. After all, not long ago, he delivered her into the fire.