She never understood that the reason her son clung to her so desperately was because he loved her more than anything.

The thing he said most often was that he wanted to grow up fast so he could protect Mommy.

But in Aria’s eyes, this deep affection was nothing but worthless trash.

She never stopped mocking me and my son.

In the end, she even warned me to discipline him properly, or she’d lock him away forever and never let us see each other again.

My heart felt hollow and dead. I pulled out my phone and made the call.

“Professor Achilles, I’ll join you on the overseas assignment this Saturday.”

After I cremated my son’s body, only then did the Ellison elders finally arrive.

Alaric Ellison and Agatha Ellison saw the grandson, who had been so full of life just days before, now reduced to a small, cold box. Grief washed over them completely.

With bloodshot eyes, I clutched the box against my chest and knelt before them.

“Uncle, Auntie, thank you for all the care you’ve given me over the years.”

Seeing me kneel, they rushed forward to lift me up.

But I only bowed my head stubbornly to the ground.

“This bow is from both Percival and me. From today on, I owe the Ellison family nothing.”

From the moment they heard me change how I addressed them, they understood that everything was beyond saving.

That final bow had been my way of severing all ties with the Ellison family.

Alaric clutched his chest while Agatha beat her chest and stomped her feet.

“What sin is this? My precious grandson, killed by my own daughter.”

“Calix, we wronged you, we wronged Percival, and we wronged your parents most of all.”

Years ago, when my parents passed away, they had entrusted Alaric and Agatha to take care of me.

Because of that favor, I always gave in to Aria in everything.

I had hoped that by tolerating her, by loving her, I could change her.

But in the end, it had all been my own delusion.

Alaric still tried to keep me, saying they would bring Aria back and stand up for me.

I only shook my head softly, held Percival’s urn, and turned to leave.

Stand up for me for what?

I wasn’t the one who died. It was Percival.

And Percival was already gone.

Even justice for him meant nothing anymore.

When I returned home and had just set Percival’s urn in place, Aria came back.

Before I could speak, she slapped me hard across the face.

“What do you think you are, running to my parents to complain?”

“I just locked Percival up for a few days to teach him a lesson so he wouldn’t cause trouble again, and you dare lie to my parents, saying he’s dead?”

I looked at her, hysterical over Zayden as always, and felt no more pain, only an endless regret.

When I stayed silent for a long time, Aria assumed I was admitting guilt.

She slapped me again.

“Remember this: I am your sky. You have no right to defy me.”

“Even Percival was just a product of you forcing me to give birth. Don’t you ever forget that?”

She still resented me for drugging and forcing her in the past.

No matter how many times I explained it wasn’t me, that it was Alaric and Agatha who planned it, she never believed me.

The first half of my life had been completely trapped by the Ellison family.

And now, I was actually freed through my son’s death.

I no longer looked at her. I stood up in silence, ready to leave.

Aria, surprised that I wasn’t arguing like before, seemed caught off guard.

She thought perhaps locking Percival up had gone too far.

So, for once, she tried to ease the tension.

“Fine, I know you loved Percival, but Zayden’s dog was hurt by him. I had no choice but to punish him.”

“You don’t want Percival to die tragically again like in the last life, do you?”

Aria believed she was helping Percival avoid a disaster.

I suddenly turned to look at her.

“If Percival still ends up being killed in this life, will you avenge him like you did in the last one?”

My tone was firm, leaving no room for Aria to hesitate.

But she only thought I was making things difficult for her.

“Are you mentally ill? Why are you cursing your son to die for no reason?”

“I already said I punished Percival. Zayden won’t touch him again. Stop overreacting.”

After she spoke, she yanked the ring off my finger.

“Zayden’s been feeling down lately. This ring is a unique design I had custom-made. I’ll use it to cheer him up.”

I looked at her in shock.

Aria turned her head away, guilt flickering across her face.

“It’s only temporary. Once I light sky lanterns and get him the world’s most expensive diamond ring, I’ll give this back to you.”

“Don’t worry, he doesn’t like second-hand things. Don’t be so petty.”

She looked completely justified as if that wasn’t our wedding ring.

As if no vows of loyalty had ever been engraved on it.

Before I could speak, she clutched the ring and turned to leave.

As she passed the shelf where Percival’s urn was placed, she suddenly stopped.

“What’s this?”

Percival finally received his mother’s attention.

But it had only come after his death.

I choked up, my voice low as I answered slowly.

“It’s Percival’s…”

My words were cut short by a phone call. Aria glanced at the screen and quickly walked away.

I watched her figure grow smaller and finished the sentence to the empty room.

“…ashes.”

It was just as well she hadn’t heard.

Even better, I didn’t have to see her pretend to be shocked.

Or watch her put on a show of false grief in front of Percival’s urn.

Though perhaps that was only my own wishful thinking.

More likely, she would have said coldly, “Dead is dead.”

The next day, I packed my things and went to the company one last time.

As soon as I handed my resignation letter to HR, one of my subordinates stopped me.

“Brother Calix, are you leaving because President Aria gave the department manager position to Zayden?”

I looked at him, my expression stiff.

“You’re saying Zayden has already taken over the whole department?”

But Zayden had only ever been Aria’s assistant.

He had never managed any external projects.

How could he possibly lead an entire department?

My subordinate looked furious.

“You don’t know that scumbag? He strutted in today like he owned the place. Just seeing his face made me sick.”

No sooner had he finished than Zayden walked out of the office, his tone sharp as a blade.

“You’re fired. Pack your things and get out.”

My subordinate roared in anger.

“On what grounds?”

Zayden looked smug, his eyes glinting with disdain.

“On the grounds that I’m your superior. If I say go, you go.”

Then he paused, lips curling into a sneer. “Unless you kneel and apologize.”

My subordinate’s face went red with rage, and he lunged forward to strike him, but I reached out and stopped him.

Only then did Zayden pretend to notice me.

“Oh, so it’s Manager Jarrett, no, Mr. Jarrett.”

He thought for a moment, and then a sinister smile spread across his face.

“Since your former subordinate caused trouble, as his ex-supervisor, you should clean up his mess.”

He looked down at me, his tone dripping with disdain.

“Kneel and bow for him.”

At those words, discontented murmurs rippled through the crowd.

Seeing the commotion outside the office, Aria quickly stepped out.

The moment Zayden spotted her, his expression shifted in an instant.

Aria walked up to me, her voice sharp. “What’s going on? Are you bullying Zayden again?”

Before I could open my mouth, Zayden spoke up, his tone sickeningly gentle.

“Sister Aria, don’t blame Brother Calix. I stole his position, so he’s upset. That’s understandable.”

I stood there in silence, watching him put on his performance.

Aria’s eyes softened when she looked at Zayden, but when they turned to me, they brimmed with hatred.

“Apologize.”

I couldn’t help but look up and ask, “Why? Why should I apologize to him?”

Aria felt as if I had been testing her patience again and again.

“I assigned your job to him. You shouldn’t be bullying him.”

Some coworkers who knew the truth tried to speak up for me, but Aria silenced them with a single cold glance.

One of my subordinates stepped forward, his voice firm.

“President Aria, it was he who bullied Brother Calix. He even told Brother Calix to kneel. That’s why we—”

Zayden quickly cut in, his tone dripping with false humility.

“Sister Aria, I’d better leave. Everyone is standing up for Brother Calix. I don’t deserve this job.”

Seeing the aggrieved look on his face, Aria turned to me, her voice hard.

“Are you sure you won’t apologize?”

I lifted my head high and stayed silent.

Without another word, Aria ordered the security guards to press down on my shoulders and force me to kneel.

One of them kicked my knee, and I fell with a heavy thud, forced to kneel before Zayden.

Still unsatisfied, Aria ordered them to make me bow to him.

“I told you, I am your sky. Don’t test my limits.”

Her words silenced every coworker who had wanted to speak up for me.

In that suffocating office, only Zayden looked delighted as I knelt and bowed my head to the floor.

“Sister Aria, isn’t this too much? After all, Brother Calix is your lover. Even if he wounded my pride, you shouldn’t humiliate him like this.”

Aria looked at him with even more tenderness after hearing that.

“If he dares to hurt you again, I’ll make him pay a hundred times over. A thousand.”

She pulled something out of her bag and looked down at me.

“I want you to crawl through Zayden’s legs. Use your dignity to repay him.”

The office fell into a heavy, deathly silence.

I raised my head, my mind reeling in disbelief.

She truly wanted me to crawl between Zayden’s legs.

Zayden was trembling with excitement.

“Sister Aria, is this really okay? Won’t Brother Calix be angry?”

Aria stepped closer, her eyes glinting as she mockingly patted my face.

“You don’t want to lose this, do you?”

She waved the object slowly in front of me.

One of my subordinates finally couldn’t bear it any longer. He broke past the guards and reached out to pull me up.

I looked at Aria, my heart seething with hatred.

“That’s the only thing Percival left behind. How could you use it to threaten me?”

Aria’s expression turned impatient.

“No matter how much you treasure that, you shouldn’t have cursed Percival to die.”

“Enough. Stop wasting time. Crawl.”

I stared at her, loathing burning in my chest.

In the end, ignoring my subordinate’s desperate attempts to stop me, I slowly bent down and began crawling, step by step, toward Zayden.

Zayden watched me with a sneer, and Aria urged me to move faster.

Some coworkers looked on as if it were a show; others turned away, unable to bear it.

In that moment, I carved the hatred deeper into my heart than ever before.

Aria, I would make you pay.

Just as I took the first step, Aria caught the look in my eyes and stiffened.

A strange unease flickered across her face.

Then, she suddenly called it off.

Zayden seemed to sense it was enough and quietly pulled her away.

As they turned to leave, Aria carelessly tossed something onto the floor.

“You treasure this so much, here, I’m giving it back.”

I rushed over and picked up the little charm that held Percival’s baby hair.

“Percival…it’s Daddy’s fault. I didn’t protect you.”

My cries were so raw, so hoarse, that even the coworkers watching couldn’t bear to look any longer.

After my subordinate brought me home, I sent a message to Professor Achilles.

[No need to renew the patent for the project with Ellison Corporation.]

Professor Achilles replied quickly, reminding me, [The reporting date has been moved up. Pack tonight and get ready to depart.]

By the time I finished gathering all my things, Aria finally returned just before dawn.