When Love Turns to Ash

By the third year of Waylon Ratliff's affair, I had completely lost my mind. I leaked private photos of his assistant, Jenna Gilmore, all over the internet. Then, I poured gasoline over myself and threatened to drag everyone down with me. Jenna was so terrified that she fled the city that very night. I thought I'd won. Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. To cover my legal fees and compensation claims, my brother sold his house. When that still wasn't enough, he turned to loan sharks. Eventually, the debt became too much for him to bear, and he jumped from the roof of a high-rise. The last thing he left behind was a voice recording. His voice was hoarse and exhausted. "Sydney, please stop. There's nothing left. Mom and Dad have already lost everything. They've aged overnight. I can't do this anymore..." My mom clutched his belongings to her chest and cried until she passed out. Meanwhile, my dad seized my throat with his trembling, slim hands, yelling until his voice broke. "How many more people do you need to ruin before you're satisfied?" Tears slipped silently down my cheeks, and that was when I finally came to my senses. After that, I stopped obsessively investigating every woman who got close to Waylon. I stopped demanding an explanation every time I found a lipstick stain on his collar. One night, I even caught him staring at an old photo of Jenna. The longing in his eyes was obvious, but instead of making a scene, I told him to bring her back. Then, Jenna's birthday came around. As she blew out the candles, she made a wish. She wanted to be Mrs. Ratliff for real, even if it was only once. So I printed out the divorce papers, signed every page, and placed them in front of her. Waylon snatched them away before she could touch them and ripped them in half. Then, he seized my chin and forced me to look at him, his gaze piercing. "What happened to you, Sydney? You used to swear you'd rather die than divorce me. So where did all that stubbornness go?" Chapter 1 My Dead Brother Came Back I looked into Waylon's bloodshot eyes and kept my voice calm. "Is there something you don't like about the agreement? I can walk away with nothing if that's what it takes to give Jenna what she wants." He shoved me back, his voice tinged with anger. "Where was all this generosity when you plastered those pictures all over the internet? Where was it when you threatened to kill yourself and take everyone down with you?" His eyes burned into mine. "Now, you want to play the selfless wife?" My chest tightened, but I forced myself to stay calm. "You're right. I was insane back then, but I'm not anymore. I'm letting you go. Isn't that what you wanted?" Waylon fell silent. His chest rose and fell heavily, as though he were a trapped animal with nowhere left to turn. Jenna began tearing up. "I'm sorry, Waylon. I never should've made that wish. Please don't fight because of me." Before either of us could respond, she slapped herself across the face twice. Waylon immediately caught her wrist. "Hey, stop. This isn't your fault. I lost my temper." His voice softened at once. "I have a surprise waiting for you by the beach. Come on, let's go celebrate your birthday." He took her hand and headed for the door. As he passed me, he stopped. "Sydney, I don't want to fight with you. When I get back, we'll sit down and have a proper talk." He left with Jenna, and the front door closed behind them. I stood there for a long moment before picking up the birthday cake and dropping it into the trash. After that, I grabbed the paycheck I'd just cashed and drove to my parents' place. Just as I expected, the door to their old apartment was locked. I drew in a slow breath and knocked. Nothing. The apartment was deathly quiet. I swallowed the ache rising in my throat and forced my voice to remain steady. "Mom? Dad?" Silence. "It's been three years." My voice cracked despite my best efforts. "You haven't spoken to me in three years. Please, just talk to me." Still nothing. A tear fell onto the hallway floor, followed by another. Three years ago, my parents disowned me publicly at my brother's funeral. Since that day, no matter how many times I came back, cried outside their door, or begged for forgiveness, they never opened it. I crouched down and slid the envelope of cash beneath the door before walking away. I didn't know where I was going. I just kept walking until the streets eventually gave way to the waterfront. It was the same beach where my brother and I had spent entire summer afternoons as kids, chasing each other through the sand. I pulled out my phone, figuring I'd take one picture and leave. By chance, I glanced through the windows of an upscale restaurant across the street and froze. Several familiar faces were sitting inside. Waylon sat beside Jenna, who wore a ridiculous little birthday tiara. Her eyes were closed, and a smile played on her lips as she made a wish over the cake. My parents sat across from her. My mom was smiling—not the strained, broken smile I remembered, but a warm, genuine one—the kind she hadn't given me in years. Without thinking, I moved closer. Through the restaurant window, I watched my mom push a plate of truffle pasta toward Jenna. "Happy birthday, sweetheart. I ordered your favorite." Jenna leaned affectionately against her shoulder. "Thanks, Carol." Later, my dad slid an envelope across the table. "I'm too old to know what girls your age like anymore. Here is $10,000. Buy yourself something nice." Jenna's face lit up. "Thanks, Charles! If I get another life after this one, I'm definitely reincarnating as your real daughter." Waylon chuckled and tapped the tip of her nose. "Don't celebrate just yet. There's one more surprise." He clapped his hands, and soft piano music began playing through the restaurant. A moment later, someone stepped out from the back, carrying another birthday cake to the table. At first, I saw only a silhouette. As he moved into the light, the distant face slowly became clearer. My eyes widened, and every drop of blood in my body seemed to freeze. That was impossible. Then, I heard his voice—a voice I had replayed in my head for the past three years, a voice that was supposed to belong to a dead man. My brother smiled at Jenna. "Happy birthday, Jenna." Chapter 2 The Debt Was Never Real Jenna's face lit up the second she saw him. "Reuben! What are you doing here?" My brother, Reuben Wall, flicked her lightly on the forehead. "I promised I'd be here for your twenty-fifth birthday. You really thought I'd miss it?" Waylon clapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks, Reuben. You've had a rough three years." Then, he let out a bitter laugh. "If you hadn't faked your death back then, Sydney never would've left Jenna alone." Reuben sighed. "I wouldn't have done it if Sydney hadn't pushed things so far." His expression dimmed. "Every year, I see her spending hours at my grave. I know what all of this has done to her." He paused, then added, "Give it another two years. Once she's truly accepted Jenna being around, I'll tell her the truth. By then, perhaps she can finally let go of the past." A deafening buzz filled my head as cold seeped into my bones. For three years, the recording Reuben had left behind had haunted me. Each year on the anniversary of his death, I spent hours at his grave, pleading with him to appear in my dreams. He never did. I had always believed he still hated me, that even in death he couldn't forgive me enough to see me. Now, I realized he never died. The guilt I had carried for three years suddenly felt meaningless. So did the sleepless nights, the endless self-blame, my dad's look of disgust at me, and my mom's repeated reminders that I had killed her son. Every bit of it had been built on a lie. "Sydney's been behaving herself lately," my mom remarked gently. "Maybe we can give her a break this month. Stop sending people after her for the debt." My dad frowned immediately. "No." His tone was firm. "You know how calculating she can be, and how far she'll go when she wants something. "If Waylon hadn't hired people every month to pretend they were loan sharks and pressure her for payment, she wouldn't be spending all her time working. Meanwhile, Jenna wouldn't have had a single peaceful day." Reuben nodded. "Dad's right. We can't let up now." His voice remained calm, as though they were discussing something perfectly reasonable. "As long as Sydney stays broke, she can't cause trouble." My fingers dug into the edge of the window frame until my nails bent painfully backward. After Reuben's supposed death, his mountain of loan-shark debt had fallen on me. I sold everything I owned, but it barely made a dent. As such, I worked myself to the bone. I took the clients no one else wanted, accepted impossible deadlines, and handled the nightmare projects everyone else avoided. I worked until sunrise, slept for an hour, then got up and did it all over again. More than once, I drank so much at business dinners that I ended up in the ER with internal bleeding. I thought I was clearing the debt that had contributed to my brother's death, thinking each dollar was a form of punishment. In fact, none of it was genuine. It was all a carefully crafted deception meant to drain me, leaving me exhausted, broke, and too preoccupied to disrupt Jenna's carefree life. I slowly looked up. My reflection stared back at me from the restaurant window—hollow cheeks, dull skin, and exhaustion carved into every feature. Then, my gaze shifted past the glass. Jenna sat beneath the warm lights, glowing from head to toe. Her clothes were perfect, her makeup flawless, and even her hair seemed to shine. Every dollar I had handed over during the past three years suddenly felt like a knife twisting deeper into my chest. I couldn't breathe. My body swayed, and my elbow struck the decorative vase beside me. It crashed to the ground and shattered. Every head inside the restaurant turned, and the smiles vanished the moment they saw me. Waylon was the first one outside. He rushed toward me and grabbed my wrist, panic flashing across his face. "Sydney? What are you doing here?" I ripped my hand free and pushed past him into the restaurant. My mom immediately stood and moved in front of Jenna, shielding her from me. "What are you doing?" I barely heard her as my gaze remained locked on the man I had mourned for three years—my brother—who was alive and only a few feet away. I walked toward him. When I finally reached him, I couldn't speak. A tear slid down my cheek and touched the back of my hand. "Why?" I stared at Reuben. "Why did you lie to me?" His expression fell. "I'm sorry." He hesitated before continuing, "Jenna saved my life once, and I owe her a favor. I couldn't just stand there and watch you destroy hers, so I—" I cut him off. "What about me? What about my life? Did I deserve to be destroyed for three years?" My mom grabbed my arm. "Sydney, Reuben did this for your own good. Besides, you and Jenna have been getting along just fine these past couple of years, haven't you?" My dad sighed. "Your mom and I are getting old. We can't keep dealing with all this drama." His voice softened, almost pleading. "Just let it slide. Look the other way once in a while. Life would be easier for everyone." I studied them properly. Waylon had already stepped in front of Jenna, while my parents stood between Reuben and me. Every one of them had instinctively moved to protect someone else from me, as though I were the threat. As though I were some kind of monster they needed to keep under control. Something inside me finally snapped. Whatever warmth I still had for them vanished in that moment. My tears dried, my breathing steadied, and the hurt that had been tearing through me slowly faded into numbness. When I spoke again, there was nothing left in my voice. "Okay. I won't cause any more trouble." Chapter 3 Even Her Dog Took My Daughter's Place As if everyone was afraid I might suddenly lose control, Jenna's birthday dinner ended early. On the way out, Jenna slipped her arm through my mom's. "Carol, I've been craving that rice pudding you make. Can we stop by your place for a little while?" My mom instinctively glanced at me. After a brief hesitation, she nodded. "Sure. Everyone can come over." I stood there, a tight feeling in my throat. For three years, I begged outside that door until my knees hurt. I had cried, apologized, and practically humiliated myself just to get my parents to let me inside. Jenna only had to ask once. We drove back to the old apartment. The second the door opened, I noticed a pair of pink bunny slippers sitting neatly by the entryway. They were obviously Jenna's size. She tossed her coat onto the bench and changed her shoes without a second thought, moving around as comfortably as if she lived there. Meanwhile, as their biological daughter, I hesitated by the door, uncertain if I was even invited to sit. My gaze slowly drifted around the apartment. The family portrait on the wall had been replaced, and Jenna now stood where I used to. The plant I had cared for on the windowsill for eight years was gone, leaving only an empty pot. More than half the balcony was crowded with Jenna's paint, canvases, and easels, while my awards and certificates had vanished from the bookshelf, replaced by her art books. I finally realized something. My parents hadn't kept the door shut for three years because they were too angry to see me. They had kept me out because they didn't want me to see how completely Jenna had taken my place. … By the time I came back to my senses, my mom had already finished making the rice pudding. The five of them sat together so naturally that, for a moment, they looked like a real family. I couldn't bear to watch any longer and was about to make an excuse to leave when my mom suddenly held out a small dish of rice pudding. "Here you go, Sydney." She gave me a faint smile. "I know you don't like almonds, so I left them out of yours." Something inside of me softened despite everything, and I started tearing up. "Thanks, Mom." I had barely taken my first spoonful when she spoke again. "Jenna's pregnant. Give her the silver pendant you had made for Sadie." The spoon slipped from my fingers and clinked against the plate. Jenna rested a hand on her stomach, her cheeks flushing pink. "We just found out a few days ago. The doctor says it's still early, so Carol thought the pendant might help protect the baby." The color drained from my face. "That pendant was for Sadie." My mom frowned. "Sadie is dead." Her words tore open a wound I had spent years trying to bury. I had been five months pregnant when I first caught the scent of another woman's perfume on Waylon. I didn't confront him right away. A few days later, I showed up at his office without warning. When I opened the door, I found Jenna pressed against his desk with her arms wrapped around him. Something inside of me snapped. I started throwing and breaking whatever I could reach, then grabbed my phone, determined to expose them both to everyone we knew. Somewhere in the middle of the struggle, Jenna kicked me in the stomach. Pain tore through my abdomen, followed almost immediately by a rush of warmth soaking through my dress. There was blood everywhere, and my whole body went cold. I begged Waylon to take me to the hospital, crying and screaming that our baby was dying. … By the time we got there, it was already too late. Sadie was gone, and losing her shattered something inside me. I cried until I could barely breathe, drowning in a kind of grief I hadn't known a person could survive. Waylon stayed beside my hospital bed, guilt written all over his face. "I'm sorry, Sydney. I swear I'm done with Jenna. I'll never see her again." I believed him. Less than three months later, they were sleeping together again. After that, I didn't know how I was supposed to forgive either of them, let alone how I was supposed to stay sane. "Sadie is gone!" My mom snapped, pulling me back to the present. "What good is that pendant doing sitting around with you?" My hand flew to my collar. Beneath my shirt, the small silver pendant rested against my skin, and I instinctively closed my fist around it. "I had this blessed for Sadie," I whispered, my voice trembling. "I held it while I prayed for her. It was meant for my daughter. I'm not giving it to anyone." My refusal only made her angrier. She reached for the pendant, but I jerked back. Her fingers caught the chain, and for a moment, we struggled over it. Just then, Jenna suddenly cried out behind us. I turned just in time to see her collapse to the floor. At that moment, the front door flew open, and Waylon rushed inside. Jenna curled around her stomach, tears welling in her eyes. "Sydney, I only wanted to borrow the pendant for the baby. If you didn't want me to have it, you could've just said no. You didn't have to push me." Before I could even defend myself, my mom slapped me across the face so hard that my head snapped to the side. "What is wrong with you?" she screamed. "She's pregnant! How could you put your hands on her? How can you be this cruel?" Waylon immediately scooped Jenna into his arms. As he carried her past me, his gaze lingered on my swollen cheek for a brief moment. Then, his expression darkened. "Sydney, I really thought you'd changed." My heart clenched. The truth was already on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it back. There was no point in explaining myself anymore. I remained in the apartment long after they had all rushed out, staring at the empty room in silence. Eventually, I pulled out my phone and called a rideshare to the cemetery outside the city. I had no place in this family anymore. Maybe it was finally time to take Sadie with me and leave everything behind for good. The moment I reached the cemetery, I stopped in my tracks. Sadie's grave was gone. The small headstone I had visited year after year had vanished. In its place stood a brand-new marker. For a moment, I could only stare at the inion. "In Loving Memory of Jenna Gilmore's Beloved Dog." Chapter 4 Mommy's Taking You Away I called Jenna immediately. The second she answered, I asked, "Where are Sadie's ashes?" There was a smile in her voice when she replied, and it was anything but kind. "If you want them, come to the hospital. Take too long, and your precious little girl might end up getting flushed down the toilet." I hung up and rushed straight to the hospital. The moment I pushed open the door to Jenna's room, every head turned toward me. No one looked surprised to see me. They only stared at me with disgust and hostility, as though I were some criminal who had finally shown up to face judgment. Jenna lay propped against the pillows, her face pale and her eyes swollen from crying. She looked completely devastated. Waylon was the first to stand. He strode toward me and threw his phone at my feet, where it hit the floor with a sharp crack. Jenna's old private photos were on the screen—the same ones I had leaked three years ago. Waylon looked at me with pure disgust. "Sydney, you really haven't changed. You're still using the same filthy tricks to destroy people." "It wasn't me," I replied hoarsely. "I deleted those pictures years ago." No one believed me. Reuben stared at me in disappointment. "Sydney, being obsessive is one thing. Have you really lost every ounce of empathy too?" Meanwhile, my mom's face twisted with fury. "You ruin everything you touch! We finally had some peace, and you just had to destroy it again. Why?" At the same time, my dad looked at me as though I were a stranger. "From this day forward, you are no longer part of this family." Their accusations came at me one after another until Waylon finally stepped forward and brought them to an end. He said, "Jenna is pregnant. She can't handle this kind of stress, so you're going live and setting the record straight. "You'll tell everyone that what you said three years ago was a lie. You were jealous of Jenna, so you made up the affair and destroyed her reputation. You'll make it clear that she was never my mistress." My head snapped up, and I refused, "No!" Waylon grabbed my wrist, his fingers tightening painfully around it as he lowered his voice. "Then, you'll never see Sadie's ashes again." My entire body went still. Whatever resistance I had left disappeared in an instant. For Sadie, I had no choice. The livestream began. I sat stiffly in front of the camera and read the statement Waylon had prepared for me, word for word. Comments flooded the screen almost immediately. "Poor Jenna. She went through all that because of a jealous psycho?" "How did someone this unstable ever marry into the Ratliff family?" "Give her a good beating, Jenna! Make her pay!" Jenna read through the comments, then turned to me with a look of false hesitation. "Sydney, everyone says you should slap yourself and get on your knees. Otherwise, they won't believe you're really sorry." I closed my eyes and slowly raised my hand. My palm struck my own face with a sharp smack. Then, I dropped to my knees in front of Jenna and bowed until my forehead hit the tile. I stood, slapped myself again, and dropped back down. Again and again, I repeated the same motions until blood began running down the bridge of my nose and into my eyes, burning so badly that my vision blurred. Still, I kept going. Only after the final apology was over did I slowly lift my head and look at Waylon. "I apologized," I murmured, my voice numb. "Now, give me her ashes." Waylon studied me for a moment, as though he were trying to figure out just how far my obedience would go. "Jenna was badly shaken today," he said at last. "I'm going to stay with her for a while, at least until the baby is born." I gave a small nod. "Okay." He kept his eyes on me. "There's something else. I won't let my child be born out of wedlock, so I'm going to give Jenna a proper wedding. "You'll remain my legal wife. Once the baby is born, we'll have you listed as the mother. That way, the child can officially be part of the Ratliff family without any scandal attached." I nodded again. "Okay." No matter what Waylon said, I remained calm and compliant, like a beautifully painted doll with nothing left inside. Once he was finally satisfied, he nodded toward Jenna. She reached beside the bed, picked up a small urn, and held it out to me. The moment it was in my hands, I pulled it tightly against my chest. Then, as I adjusted my grip, my fingers brushed against the seam of the lid. Something wet and sticky coated my fingertips. At once, my heart sank. Before I could make sense of it, Jenna leaned close to my ear and whispered, "I mixed your daughter's ashes with my dog's urine. Maybe in the next life, my dog can come back as a human, and your daughter can reincarnate as an animal." A freezing numbness spread through my entire body. I gazed at the urn in my arms, then gently lowered it onto the floor. I softly said, "Sadie, don't be afraid. Mommy's taking you away." With that, I lunged at Jenna. My hands closed around her throat, and I squeezed with everything I had. She screamed, and Waylon immediately rushed forward to grab me from behind. Something inside me snapped. I reached into my pocket, pulled out the small knife and drove it into his abdomen. Waylon froze, his eyes widening in disbelief. I tore myself free, grabbed Sadie's urn, and ran toward the window. Before I climbed through, I looked back at them one last time. For the first time in years, I felt a strange sense of relief. I smiled faintly. "Meeting all of you was the most disgusting thing that ever happened to me." Then, I closed my eyes and stepped into the open air.