The Ashes of Vows (Elara and Damon) novel Chapter 13

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My name is Elara Sterling. A victim who once faced off against Sloane Ashford, the heiress of the richest family, in court.

Six months ago, just because my mother dared to touch Miss Ashford’s gown on a yacht, she had her limbs broken, was thrown overboard, and drowned.

I got a call from my mother that night. Ever since, her gut–wrenching screams have been the deepest nightmare of my life…

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In this Final Note, I meticulously detailed my search for evidence and how I brought the case to court, only to be denied a fair trial.

Each word was a dagger, twisting deep in Damon’s heart, tearing him to shreds.

“If this final note gets released on the date I’ve set, then I’m already gone.”

The link at the very end of this post? That’s the cloud storage for the hidden camera’s data. If I ever managed to turn on the one hidden in my shirt button, that should be the final piece of evidence.

Please, guys, I’m begging you. Just help me with my final wish.

My life? I’ve known love, and I’ve known heartbreak.

Someone actually dared to marry me once. At our wedding, he looked me in the eyes.“Elle,” he said, “the sky and the earth are worlds apart. But only when they exist together does the whole world feel complete. And that’s when I truly live.

But now I’m dead, Damon. What are you, still alive, even gonna remember?”

By the time he finished reading, Damon couldn’t stand anymore. His eyes were stark red, bloodshot, tears streaming down and mixing with the fresh blood on his chin, blurring the words.

He crumpled to the floor, fingers trembling violently. It took everything he had to finally tap that last link.

The footage was shaky, but Sloane’s face was crystal clear, oozing pure arrogance. She was describing the yacht tragedy that night, treating it like some sick joke.

“You have no idea how pathetic she looked, her hands broken, mouth gagged, trying to scream, but nothing came out!”

“Right here on this very deck, her blood just flowed straight into the ocean…”

“But Damon? He believed me. He even protected me in court!”

Then, she grabbed me, shoving me over the railing. The camera plummeted, fast- “NO!”

Damon screamed, like a madman, at the screen.“Elara, no! DON“T!”

But the video on his phone kept tolling. Then, a sickening splash. The ocean swallowed everything. After that, the screen just went black.

Damon shattered in that instant. He crumpled to the floor, curling into a ball, feeling his body’s warmth drain away, fast.

It was a near–death feeling, born from the sheer, earth–shattering blow.

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How… how could this be?

Why…

He’d personally pushed his own wife straight into that abyss.

Was her death… really a done deal?

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The moment that thought clicked for Damon, he clutched onto a sliver of hope. Yeah, there had to be a chance. She couldn’t be gone. And all of it, every single bit, it all came back to Sloane.

Damon scrambled up, then practically fell down the stairs. He yelled, “Get the car ready!

Hurry!

To the hospital!”

The household staff had clearly seen the post going viral online.

Their eyes were red–rimmed.“Mister, it’s pouring outside…”

But Damon didn’t care. He was already bolting out the front door of the villa.

The rain came down in sheets, hammering against the car like knives and pounding on his already frayed nerves.

Sloane was at the hospital. Just yesterday, she’d thrown a fit, threatening to slit her wrists. The hospital had called Damon, warning him that if he didn’t show, she’d refuse any treatment.

Damon knew her game. And after the divorce, he’d had enough. He just didn’t want to deal with her anymore…

Now, he was driving like a maniac through the downpour, not caring if he crashed. Until the car finally screeched to a halt at the hospital.

By the time he sprinted to the high–end hospital room, he was completely drenched. The moment his cold fingertips touched the doorknob, a loud crash of a vase shattering erupted from inside.

“You worthless idiots!

What am I even paying you guys for?!”

It was Sloane’s furious roar:“I want all this crap online gone, and all those toxic comments blowing up! Delete every single one of them!

I don’t care what it costs. If you can’t, then shut that damn website down for me! Are you even listening to me?!”

“Miss Ashford, please, just calm down.”

“This whole thing’s moving too fast. We can’t keep a lid on it anymore.”

The Ashford Clan’s senior lawyer, with a heavy sigh, finally got her attention.“Look, thankfully, we had that massive rainstorm today. And then, you know, your… suicide attempt yesterday. Both those things actually bought us some time. They gave us some wiggle room to prepare and make some moves.”

“Look, if you don’t want the cops hauling you in for questioning today, you have to work with me. Right now, I need you to tell me everything that happened, truthfully and in full detail.”

Sloane rolled her eyes, clearly fed up. She ripped the fake bandage off her wrist.“Suicide? Give me a break.

“Please. Me? Kill myself? Couldn’t you tell I was just faking it?”

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“And anyway, the truth is simple. Elara’s mom totally messed with my dress, so obviously I had to teach her a lesson.”

“She plunged into the ocean herself trying to save her life and died. It’s not like I threw her in.”

The lawyer’s brows furrowed. “And what about Miss Sterling, who posted the final note online?

You pushed her into the ocean…”

“She’s gotta be dead by now, duh.”

Sloane scoffed. “I watched her drown in the ocean with my own eyes, disappear completely. That bitch, I never thought she’d have another trick up her sleeve…”

But she barely got the words out when the hospital room door burst open, kicked in.