hapter 3
+15 Bonus
Owen straightened up. “Remember–Vivian wants this to be entirely handmade. You have one week to finish it on your own.”
The embroidery style Vivian wanted was the most intricate, and I had to complete it alone. It was almost impossible. But knowing that finishing this wedding dress meant I could finally sever ties with Owen, I forced myself to keep going.
It had been so long since I last held a needle that I kept pricking my fingers. The bleeding was minor, but the pain–sharp and piercing–was enough to make me nearly pass out every time.
As the days passed, my vision started to blur. I could only afford three hours of sleep a day, and staring at the fine stitches for so
long strained my eyes.
My left eye, already weak, deteriorated rapidly. By the third day, I could barely see anything out of it.
Fortunately, by the fifth day, I finished the wedding dress.
I called Owen and asked him to send someone to collect it.
To my surprise, the person who arrived was Vivian.
She ran her fingers over the deep fabric, a strange smile on her lips. “Shannon, your skills are as refined as ever. It’s clear that
you’ve put a lot of effort into this.”
Exhausted beyond words, I had no patience for her games. I waved her off. “If you’re satisfied, take it and leave.”
“There’s no rush. There’s a loose thread here. Let me fix it.”
Before I could react, she picked up a pair of scissors. The blade tore through the wedding dress‘ delicate neckline right before my
eyes.
“No!” My scream was mixed with the sound of fabric ripping. But it was too late. In less than a minute, the wedding dress was
reduced to shreds.
I dropped to my knees, gathering the ruined pieces in my arms, my heart breaking. “Why, Vivian? Why did you do this?”
I couldn’t hold back anymore. I lunged at her, but before I could strike, someone grabbed my wrist. Owen shoved me to the
ground.
“Shannon, I know you don’t want me to marry Owen, but you and he are already in the past. All four of us could be happy, so why must you drag everyone into your misery?”
