Chapter 23
Ivana blushed uncontrollably, her eyes reddening as tears welled up. So, she was also worthy of a love so enduring and unwavering.
“So, Ivana, will you think it over seriously?” Winston placed a small candy into Ivana’s
hand.
It was an old candy, appearing melted and then solidified again. Its wrapper clung to the candy so firmly it could no longer be eaten, yet it was preserved with great care.
Ivana froze, quickly piecing it together. Back in that fire, she was rescued first, followed by Winston. When he emerged, he was crying and shouting, wanting to go back to save his mother.
The younger Ivana, barely reaching his shoulder, had fumbled with a melting candy in her pocket and placed it in his hand, “Don’t cry. My parents are inside too.
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If you cry, they’ll get anxious and if they get anxious, they might not find their way back home.”
Ivana stared at the candy in her hand, “I need some time to think. I’m heading home now.”
Emotionally exhausted, Ivana felt drained after washing up and fell asleep almost instantly. Her dreams that night were fragmented and bizarre.
The next morning, she woke groggy, feeling like she was floating as she walked. Rubbing her temples, she opened the door.
“Ivana,” Standing before her, on one knee, was Ernest.
Ivana snapped to full alertness instantly. She tried to shut the door, but Ernest forcefully held onto the door frame.
“Ivana, I’ve thought it through. What happened before was all my fault. This is my apology gift and I hope you’ll accept it.” He shoved a cold metal box into her hands.
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Ivana’s temples throbbed painfully. Instinctively, she knew this wasn’t anything good.
“I don’t need it. I’ve already told you, the past is in the past. Please don’t disrupt my life again.” She pushed the box back toward him.
Ernest’s scruffy face and dark circles made. him look utterly disheveled, “Ivana, just open it, just look at it, please.” He adopted a determined stance, as though he wouldn’t leave unless she did.
“I said, I don’t need it.” Ivana smacked away his hand gripping the door and tried to shut it. But Ernest forced his hand holding the box through the crack.
“Ah!” A guttural groan escaped Ernest as the door clamped down hard on his hand. The box tumbled to the floor, flipping
open.
Ivana sighed in exasperation as she bent to pick it up, “No matter what it is, I don’t
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bbed pad it. Please just … Ah!” Her shriek
ew thismoed through the building, piercing and
licked.
already the box toppled, its contents spilled out, lease deaso–called ‘apology gift‘ came into full ed the Four pale, severed toes. They were
rifyingly fresh. Without the chill of ice, k red blood oozed from them, staining beige carpet in stark contrast.
and deand
hevelet evel
pa
it, pleat, went as pale as a sheet, her entire as thosh trembling violently, unable to utter
did. n a syllable.
it’dditest, on the other hand, calmly picked hed the the severed toes and replaced them in orst fordeox and said, “They bullied you and I’ve
anne che them pay for it. This is what they
d you.”
anggroan est
oed downwronged you, too. So I owe you as e to the I’ll give you what’s mine.” Ernest
tly removed his shoes and socks,
ing out a butterfly knife from his spexasperati
- et. He unfolded it with practiced ease placed it in Ivana’s hand. “Ivana,
amatter wi
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whatever I owe you, you can take it. Even if you chop off my entire leg, I won’t blame you.”
“I don’t want it, I don’t want any of this! Get away! Stay away from me!” Ivana threw the knife from her hand, panic–stricken as she tried to slam the door shut. This was madness, sheer madness!
“Do it and I’ll leave,” Ernest insisted with a deranged calmness, picking up the discarded knife. He wedged his body into the door, giving Ivana no chance to shut him out.
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