41 Broken Vows

Wrapped in a torn shawl, Catherine stood shivering on the cobblestone streets of Crestwood City, her eyes pleading with Michael, who sat regally in his sleek, black gondola. Michael's once warm gaze was now a frosty sneer, looking at the once revered and untouchable Catherine, now reduced to a pitiable state. “Is that all you have to say? Then may as well vanish into the night!” Michael’s voice was chilling, devoid of the warmth Catherine once knew. Their years together, a decade of laughter and tears, now seemed a distant, cruel mirage. “Leave!” Michael turned away dismissively. Catherine, despite her pleas, had crossed a line he couldn’t forgive. In their grand canal-side home, Lily anxiously awaited Michael’s return. The clock struck nine, her heart raced - she sensed a shift in the air. Her contemplation was broken by the sound of Michael's Rolls Royce coming to rest in front of the Everett mansion. Standing, her emotions a tumult of fear and hope, Lily saw Michael e