The Flower That Grew from Ashes novel Chapter 121

Like a completely emptied house. All the furniture, all the decorations, all the traces of life that were once full of memories had been wiped entirely clean. All that remained were blindingly white walls and an empty, dead silence. She had thoroughly and completely cleared him out of her soul.

Hackett slowly reached out and picked up the Montblanc pen on the table, originally meant for guests to sign the registry.

The pen was cold and heavy. He uncapped it. Under the gaze of over three hundred pairs of eyes, on the last page of the agreement, right in the signature box meant for the "husband," he wrote his name stroke by stroke.

The sound of the pen tip meeting the paper made a crisp scratching noise in the deathly silent banquet hall. Like the dullest, rustiest knife, it slowly sawed back and forth across his own heart.

After signing the final letter, he put down the pen and slowly pushed the now-effective agreement back in front of Annelise.

His movements were like a slow-motion scene in a movie, every joint stiff and utterly drained of strength.

Annelise took it. She lowered her head and carefully inspected the signature to confirm there were no mistakes. Then, she took out her phone and snapped a clear photo of the signed document.

She opened her messaging app, found the contact saved as "Zachary Coleman," and sent the photo over.

The screen showed "Typing..."

In less than ten seconds, his reply popped up.

Just a few short words. "Received. Filing it on my end now."

The whip wounds on her back made her steps falter slightly, like she was walking on blades. But her back was perfectly straight, like a pine tree on a cliff edge, battered by wind and snow for a thousand years yet refusing to bend.

Harriet was already waiting for her at the door. Her eyes were red and swollen like walnuts, and in her hands, she tightly gripped a black cashmere coat.

Annelise walked over and took the coat from her hands. She gently draped the coat over her own shoulders.

The oversized, soft fabric covered the shocking, crisscrossing bloodstains on her back. It also covered her dark blue dress, which was already saturated with blood and tears.

She didn't look back. Not even once.