Chapter 3

Marcus dropped Seraphina at the desolate trailhead. The air was cold, the sky overcast.

He handed her a heavy backpack containing the seven smooth, grey stones, a satellite phone, and the live-streaming device.

"Julian wants to know you're serious about this," Marcus said, his expression unreadable. "He said to tell you... he' s watching."

Seraphina nodded, shouldering the pack. The weight of the stones was immediate, pressing down.

"I understand."

"He also said if you even think about quitting, or if the affirmations aren't... convincing enough..." Marcus let the threat hang.

"I won't quit," Seraphina said.

She started walking. The trail was narrow, winding upwards through dense, silent forest.

Every two hours, the alarm on the device beeped.

She would stop, find a spot with a signal, and go live.

"Brynn Holloway is a beacon of strength and style," she' d say, her voice flat, into the small camera. "Julian Thorne is a visionary leader. Their bond is an inspiration."

Comments would pop up on the tiny screen. Mostly from Julian' s circle, hidden behind anonymous usernames.

"Look at her, playing the martyr."

"Does she actually believe this crap?"

"Julian, your pet is very obedient."

Seraphina ignored them. She focused on the burn in her legs, the ache in her shoulders from the stones, the biting wind.

And the thread. With each affirmation, each painful step, it loosened. She could feel the slack, the terrifying, exhilarating give.

She ate little. Drank water from the streams. Slept fitfully in a flimsy tent.

The park was known for its challenging terrain. Steep inclines, rocky paths, sudden weather changes.

She slipped once, her knee cracking against a sharp rock. Pain shot up her leg.

She got up. Kept walking.

The affirmations continued.

"Brynn' s resilience is a gift to the world."

"Julian' s devotion is a testament to true love."

On the third day, as dusk approached, she reached the summit, the designated end point.

She was caked in mud, exhausted, her knee throbbing.

She delivered the final affirmation.

"May Brynn and Julian find eternal happiness together."

Then she switched off the device and collapsed.

She lay there, staring at the darkening sky, until the cold forced her to seek shelter in her tent.

The thread. It was so loose now, barely connected. One more good, hard pull.

Julian was at a board meeting when Marcus interrupted.

"Sir, the final stream from Hayes came through. She completed the trek."

Julian nodded, feigning disinterest. "Good. Inform Dr. Anya. And tell Brynn."

He continued the meeting, but his mind drifted. Three days. That ridiculous trail.

He hadn't expected her to actually do it.

Later that evening, Marcus reported again. "Hayes isn't at the pickup point. The park ranger found her tent, but she's gone. They think she might have wandered off, disoriented. There's a storm moving in. Search party is being organized for the morning."

Julian felt a strange unease. "She' s probably fine. Just being dramatic."

But he called the ranger station himself. Then a private med-evac service. "Find her."

They found Seraphina near dawn, huddled by a ravine, semi-conscious, feverish. Her knee was badly infected.

She was airlifted to the nearest rural hospital. Basic. Clean, but stark.

Julian arrived a few hours later. Brynn was with him, looking radiant.

"Darling, you shouldn't have come all this way," Brynn said, stroking his arm. "She's just some charity case."

Seraphina was in a small room, an IV in her arm. A local doctor was explaining about the infection, the need for antibiotics, the risk of permanent damage to her knee if not treated properly.

Brynn peered in. "Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in. Or rather, what dragged itself through the mud for me."

She smirked at Seraphina. "Did my burdens feel heavy, little pack mule?"

Seraphina looked at her, her eyes clear despite the fever.

"It was an honor to assist in your healing, Brynn."

Brynn' s smile faltered. She preferred cowering fear, not this strange placidity.

Suddenly, Brynn gasped, clutching her arm. "Ow! My bracelet! Julian, my diamond tennis bracelet! The one you gave me!"

She looked around wildly. "It must have snagged on something when I leaned in. That... that woman! She was looking at it! She probably took it!"

Julian' s face darkened. "Sera?"

Seraphina said nothing.

Brynn was already by the bed, roughly patting Seraphina' s pockets, then her thin hospital gown.

"It' s not here! She must have hidden it!" Brynn' s voice rose, hysterical. "She' s always been jealous of me, of what you give me!"

Julian strode to the bed. His eyes were cold. "Where is it, Seraphina?"

"I don't have it, Julian."

Brynn let out a small, theatrical sob. "She' s lying! I felt her brush against my wrist!"

Julian' s hand shot out. He grabbed Seraphina' s injured leg, above the swollen knee.

He squeezed. Hard.

Seraphina gasped, a raw sound of pure pain. Her face went white.

"Where. Is. The. Bracelet?" Julian gritted out, his face close to hers.

Tears welled in Seraphina' s eyes, but she shook her head. "I... didn't... take it."

He squeezed harder.

She cried out, arching her back.

The thread. It snapped.

Not frayed. Snapped. Violently.