Kenny turned his head away, saying nothing. His silence was answer enough.

A cold laugh bubbled up inside me.

I never imagined they would twist my father's sacrifice and the shattering of my family into some sort of scheme. I never thought Kenny would think I deserved this!

In a frenzy, I lunged at Kenny, slapping him hard across the face several times.

"Get out!

"Both of you, get the hell out of here!"

Serena defiantly stepped in front of me, her posture triumphant.

"It's you who should leave. Kenny and I are married now. This house is ours!"

I've encountered shameless people before, but never anyone as vile and disgusting as this!

"Kenny, do you think the same way?"

Kenny, his face marked by the scratches I had left, avoided my gaze.

"Well, we are married now. I can't just let Serena keep living in a rented place..." he mumbled.

Hearing his words, all hope I had left vanished.

I turned and walked to the toolshed, grabbed a hammer, and started smashing everything in the house I had carefully decorated.

Even though my parents had passed away early, my grandmother always taught me not to rely on others' favors and to be self-sufficient.

After the engagement, Kenny bought a house, and my grandmother took out all her life savings for me to decorate it.

I had transformed this house, bit by bit, from an empty shell into the home of my dreams.

I thought to myself, "If I can't have it, no one will."

Serena shrieked in terror, covering her head. Kenny tried to stop me, attempting to wrest the hammer from my hands.

I raised the hammer high, sneering at him. "If you come any closer, I'll smash you along with it!

"Kenny, think carefully. I have nothing left to lose, so I'm not afraid of you!

"Try me if you dare!"

Clearly, Kenny didn't have the guts. He dragged Serena out, cursing me as he slammed the door behind them.

I blocked Kenny's number, packed my things, and took my grandmother's portrait with me as I returned to her small home.

When I walked in, I instinctively called out, "Grandma?"

Only when I remembered that she would never again greet me with her warm smile, did I realize she was truly gone, never to return.

The house was as she had left it, except that a fine layer of dust now covered the once spotless furniture.

To the left of the entrance was a small table with two cute porcelain dolls on it.

My grandmother had been heartbroken over my parents' deaths.

She poured all her love into me, praying every day for my safety and well-being.

After Kenny and I became serious, her prayers included him as well.

She had bought the two porcelain dolls, saying they would bring us good luck.

These dolls were supposed to be taken to our new home, but Kenny dismissed my grandmother's beliefs as superstition.

"My fate is in my own hands!" he had stubbornly insisted.

I couldn't bear to tell my grandmother the truth, so I lied, saying we were too busy with work and didn't want the housekeeper to accidentally break them.

Hearing that, my grandmother kept the dolls for herself. She prayed for us every day, hoping we would be happy together.

But now, the person who loved me most was gone, and my relationship with Kenny was over.

And Kenny, who thought my grandmother was superstitious, had previously hung a charm on his phone.

"Serena gave it to me. She said it'd bring me good luck if I kept it for a month."

I thought to myself, "So, he doesn't completely disbelieve in these things. He just didn't believe in my grandmother.

Or, more precisely, he didn't believe in me."

The next morning, before dawn had even broken, someone pounded on my door.

When I opened it, I was shoved roughly to the ground.

Kenny didn't even look at me. His face was dark as he stormed into the house, kicking open every door as if searching for something.

After tearing through the place, he grabbed me by the collar and demanded, "Where's your grandmother?"

I glanced at my grandmother's portrait in the corner and thought, "My grandmother is already gone."

Seeing my silence, Kenny roughly grabbed my hair, yanking my head up to face him.

"Do you even know what your grandmother did?

"Don't think I'll let it slide just because she's old. She may have been old, but what she did was despicable."

A shock of anger surged through me.

My father and grandmother had both passed away, yet he continued to slander them.

"What did my grandmother do? Be clear with your words."

Kenny sneered, pulling out his phone and shoving it in my face.

"Take a good look. This is how disgusting your grandmother was! You're going to pay for this today!"

On the screen, a figure resembling my grandmother sneaked into a hospital, slipping something into the food.

"Serena is allergic to mangoes, and your grandmother put mango juice in her food, causing her to break out in a rash!"

I glanced at the timestamp on the video. It was recorded last night. By then, my grandmother had already been buried.

"That's impossible!"

Serena stepped out from behind Kenny, wearing a mask and looking frail.

"Alyson, I know your grandmother was just jealous that I had Kenny's love. I don't blame her.

"Why don't you bring her out so we can clear this up face-to-face?"

I pointed at the video, challenging them. "This is just a silhouette. What makes you so sure it's my grandmother?"

Serena put on a frightened expression and said, "I've always been kind to others, only having conflict with you over Kenny.

"If it wasn't your grandmother, then who else could it be?"

Kenny's face darkened as he advanced toward me.

"Alyson, you and your family are truly despicable.

"For years, you've exploited your father's death to keep demanding things from us. Now that you're not getting what you want, you resort to hurting Serena!

"She's just a helpless girl who wants to fulfill her last wish before she dies. Can't you show a little mercy?"

The familiar pain washed over me again, making even breathing feel like torture.

I pointed to my grandmother's portrait in the corner, my gaze cold and unwavering.

"My grandmother is dead. Stop slandering her!