How To End This Marriage-Chapter 190: Descent into Madness

Bernice’s brow furrowed as Aurelia’s words hung heavy in the air. "It isn’t the punishment? What are you trying to say?" she pressed, her gaze unwavering.

Aurelia met her stare, a flicker of something akin to pity crossing her celestial features. "The punishment, Bernice, is far worse than anything you can imagine." She paused, letting the weight of her next words sink in. "It’s the repeated cycle of death and rebirth, a never-ending loop of suffering."

Bernice recoiled as the horrifying truth unfolded. Her supposed ’mortal life’ wasn’t just a consequence; it was a cruel sentence. "You mean... these past lives, the ones filled with tragedy, those were...?"

"Your punishments," Aurelia confirmed, her voice a solemn whisper. "Each time you failed to recognize the truth, the tapestry of time would rewind, casting you back to a previous life, your memories fragmented, forced to relive the cycle anew."

A wave of nausea washed over Bernice. The fragmented memories, the nagging sense of déjà vu, it all fit into place. But then, a new question arose, tinged with a hint of dread. "And the time reversal... you said someone else has that power?"

Aurelia nodded, a sorrowful smile gracing her lips. "Indeed. You, my innocent self, the one who defied fate for love, were unaware of the true cost. The one manipulating time, reversing your tragic ends... is your beloved Duke Alexander Agnes."

Bernice’s breath hitched. The man she loved, the one who brought solace and purpose to her seemingly mundane life, held the key to her torment? It was a truth too shocking to comprehend.

"But why? Why would he..." she stammered, her voice cracking with disbelief.

"Perhaps out of love, Bernice," Aurelia offered, her voice laced with a hint of understanding. "Perhaps he, like me, couldn’t bear the thought of losing you. He defied the natural order, manipulating time to keep you by his side, unknowingly perpetuating your suffering."

Bernice sank into a nearby chair, her mind reeling. The revelation was a crushing blow, shattering the idyllic picture she had painted of her life with Alexander. Love, defiance, and a horrific consequence – the story mirrored Aurelia’s own celestial rebellion in an unsettling way.

"I don’t understand," Bernice whispered, clutching her head as if to ward off the sudden onslaught of information. "Can you explain this power he possesses? How can a mortal..."

Aurelia’s smile turned enigmatic. "There’s much I don’t know, Bernice. The Duke’s true origins are shrouded in mystery. Perhaps he’s more than just a mortal man. Perhaps his love for you awakened a power that even he doesn’t fully comprehend."

A desperate plea tore from Bernice’s lips. "I don’t understand! Can you explain?" The weight of revelation pressed down on her, a suffocating cloak of confusion and fear.

Aurelia, her celestial form shimmering with an otherworldly light, responded with a gesture. A shimmering screen flickered into existence before Bernice, a portal to a horrifying scene from one of her past lives.

The world dissolved around Bernice, replaced by a gruesome spectacle. She stood in a public square, a condemned woman facing the executioner’s blade. The jeering crowd roared, their faces contorted with a grotesque mix of bloodlust and amusement. Then, the world tilted, the blade flashed, and a searing pain erupted in her neck. Her head separated from her body, tumbling onto the dusty ground like a discarded toy. Laughter erupted from the crowd, a chilling symphony of cruelty.

Bernice clenched her fists, a primal fury boiling within her. Even in death, there was no peace, no solace. She was condemned to a spectacle, a morbid amusement for the masses. Just as she was about to be pulled back to the present, a figure caught her eye.

In the distance, a young man stood frozen, his face a mask of horror and grief. It was the Crown Prince, his regal attire stained with the dust of the execution ground. He seemed trapped, powerless to intervene in the brutal scene unfolding before him.

"No!" a choked cry erupted behind Bernice. The screen shimmered, revealing the present-day Duke Alexander Agnes, his face pale with shock and despair. He fell to his knees, his cry echoing through the chamber.

Princess Vixara rushed to his side, her voice laced with fake sympathy. "She got what she deserved, Duke. This is her fate."

But Alexander wasn’t listening. He swatted her hand away, his eyes blazing with fury. "Don’t you dare touch me with your dirty hands!"

Bernice watched, a chilling realization dawning on her. This wasn’t a mere glimpse into the past; it was a window into Alexander’s actions. He had witnessed her execution, his love and power driving him to defy fate itself.

The scene dissolved, leaving Bernice reeling. The truth was far more complex than she could have imagined. Her past lives weren’t just punishments; they were battlegrounds where Alexander fought against the inevitable, his love for her a weapon against the cruel hand of fate. But at what cost? Was his love a blessing or a curse, a lifeline or a cruel manipulation? 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

A frantic commotion echoed through the opulent halls, shattering the morning’s tranquility. A young maid burst into the execution area, her face streaked with tears and her voice ragged with exertion.

"Duke! Duke! We have found out the truth, but the Duchess..." she choked on a sob, collapsing to her knees before a bewildered Alexander. "She didn’t listen to us! She threw the madam into the prison cell, wouldn’t hear a word we said. And you... you were with the Princess last night. We couldn’t reach you!"

The world seemed to tilt on its axis for Alexander. Bernice, gone? No, it couldn’t be. He’d felt a tremor of unease earlier, a gnawing sense of foreboding that he’d foolishly dismissed. Now, it clawed at him with the icy grip of reality.

"Dead?" he rasped, the word a foreign taste on his tongue. "She can’t be dead. Bernice, the love of my life... I won’t accept it!" His voice rose, laced with a manic desperation.

A cold hand settled on his shoulder. It was his mother, the Duchess, her face etched with a grim sympathy. "Son, she is no more."

The dam broke. A primal roar ripped from Alexander’s throat, a sound that echoed with raw grief and unyielding fury. The accusations started trickling in – whispers of witchcraft, murmurs of a deserved fate. But Alexander heard none of it. His world had shrunk to a single, horrifying truth: Bernice was gone.

He brandished his sword, the polished steel gleaming with a deadly glint in the morning light. "One more word about her and I’ll slaughter every last one of you!" His voice boomed, laced with a terrifying madness.

The crowd, initially emboldened by their numbers, recoiled. They had seen the love the Duke bore his Duchess, a love that defied societal norms and courtly expectations. Now, they witnessed its dark reflection – a love so fierce, so possessive, that it could turn into a weapon of unimaginable destruction.

"Why am I even waiting?" he snarled, his eyes blazing with a feverish intensity. He lunged forward, the tip of his sword glinting dangerously close to the nearest spectator. Panic erupted. The once-threatening mob dissolved into a sea of scrambling bodies, their accusations forgotten in the face of the Duke’s unhinged grief.

Alexander, fueled by a desperate need for vengeance and a love that transcended even death, became a whirlwind of fury. The once-grand halls were now a scene of chaos, the air thick with fear and the metallic tang of blood.

But amidst the carnage, a single, chilling thought echoed in Alexander’s mind: if fate had taken Bernice, then fate would pay the ultimate price. He would defy the heavens, bend time itself, if it meant bringing her back.