The Ballad of a Broken Heart | Cedric Diggory

2

Tw: Abuse

Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves
- Confucius
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Year 2562 (100 Years Later)

Diana Ralter couldn't remember a time she'd ever been in so much pain for such a prolonged period of time.

First, there was the beating.

A slap to the face followed by a "You worthless bitch."

A kick to the gut followed by an "I never loved you."

A yanking of the hair followed by an "I'm gonna fucking kill you."

Hands around her neck as he simultaneously spat in her face.

More hair pulling, more punches to the jaw, more strangling, until Diana thought he was finally done.

She chuckled, blood spilling from her eyes, nose, and mouth as she realized it was only the beginning.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, as well as any shred of human decency.

Diana was used to the beatings. They were a way of life at this point. But this time it felt different. This time it really felt like he was going to kill her.

"Let's see how much of a stuck up bitch you are after you feel this." He poured bleach and battery acid - God knew where he got the latter from - into a bucket. The bucket was black as coal, like his eyes, but in the center was a design of a smiling sunshine.

Diana crawled backwards like a skittish cat backing away from its predator. Diana had always been taller than her friends - until he told her she wasn't allowed to have friends, of course - and she was often considered a confident, intimidating person.

Even though Diana was 6'0", he still had almost a foot on her, and was double her size in weight, especially after she started only being allowed to eat when he wanted her to.

Diana couldn't tell if the liquid running down her face was tears, blood, or both. What she did know, however, was that she should never have tried to run away. If she'd just stayed inside like she was told, she wouldn't have been facing the consequences now.

"Don't back away now, Ana." He smiled predatorily, stalking closer with the bucket of acid in his bruised hands.

"Stay the fuck away from me," she snarled, grabbing the closest thing to her, that being an umbrella.

Before she could so much as bring it within a foot of him, he stomped on her wrist, the snapping of bones and her bloodcurdling screams following shortly thereafter.

"I tried to warn you, pet. You can never leave me." His voice was a growl, and his eyes were darker than ever. "I can't wait to be rid of you and that stupid fucking hair."

He grabbed her by her white-as-snow hair, yanking it back and tilting her face up to his. "Have fun in hell, slut."

The last thing Diana Ralter saw before her fiancé poured the bucket of acid over her body and her world was overtaken by pain like fire was his eyes. Dark, simmering coals filled with rage, madness, and pride.

She lost control of her body, falling to the side with her head hitting the hardwood floor.

She lost the power to scream, lost the power to do anything but lie still and pray that death would overtake her.

As her head hit the floor and her eyes remained open for a minute longer, she gazed the black bucket with the smiling sunshine on the front.

With the metallic taste of blood feeling like home in her mouth, Diana smiled at the thought of death and started to hum.