Stomping on Ashes

I am the woman who stays the longest by the side of mafia Don Jasper Shaw. I believe I hold a unique place in his heart. But when his beloved Rosie Hurley suffers violation and falls pregnant, everything changes.

Accused of orchestrating Rosie's downfall, I become the venomous villain in their eyes. To shield Rosie from gossip, Jasper publicly claims her unborn child as his own. Meanwhile, I am branded a depraved woman, defiled and discarded.

Desperate, I reveal my own pregnancy to Jasper, pleading for our child’s future. He dismisses it as a ploy for attention. When I confront him, his words cut deep. "This is the sin you must atone for. Rosie has always been raised like a princess, and she can't endure the whispers—not like you."

For the first time, I realize I am nothing to Jasper but a tool for his desires.

Rosie locks me in a cramped cellar, where I suffocate and die. My body lies undiscovered for a month.

When Jasper receives the call to identify my corpse, he brushes it off, prioritizing Rosie's prenatal checkup. "Amara's lies are piling up. So what if she's dead? Cremate her and then talk to me."

My body enters the furnace and is reduced to a handful of ashes.

Later, the mighty Jasper Shaw kneels and sobs uncontrollably. He begs for just one glimpse of me.

A month after I'd died, Jasper Shaw received a call from the hospital, asking him to identify the corpse.

My corpse was in the basement, and he was upstairs, accompanying Rosie Hurley for her prenatal checkup.

"Amara Wallis is full of lies. She even bribed the hospital. Tell me, how much did she pay you for you to put on this act? If she's dead, so be it. Call me again once she's been cremated."

According to his wishes, my corpse was put into a furnace. Once I had become a pile of ashes, the staff contacted Jasper once more.

He clicked his tongue impatiently.

"We'll see how far you can carry out this charade."

When Jasper rushed over, he looked disheveled. The top buttons on his shirt weren't even fastened properly.

"Didn't you call and ask me to come and pick up the ashes? Where are they?"

Jasper's casual demeanor seemed at odds with the somber atmosphere.

A staff member carried my ashes out, looking heavy-hearted. He expressed his condolences to Jasper.

Jasper's eyes were filled with scorn as he looked at my tiny urn.

"You really went all out with this act. You even got a real urn! You're just bad luck."

The staff member frowned. He hadn't expected a family member to speak so callously. However, he did not say anything out of respect for the dead.

Once he had verified Jasper's identity, he told him to take my ashes away.

I watched the entire thing.

My soul hadn't departed, probably because I'd died such a tragic death.

I was following Jasper. I desperately wanted to tell him