Ember had been in the hospital for three days, and only an interning nurse had occasionally come by to disinfect and dress her wounds during that time.

Calling it treatment was an overstatement; all they did was clean the wounds and apply a bit of mercurochrome, offering negligible healing.

The interning nurse's rough handling often left Ember trembling in pain and drenched in cold sweat. She clutched the bedsheet tightly beneath her, her gaunt fingers turning white from the strain.

When Atlas saw this, he couldn't help but snatch the bottle of medicine and tend to her wounds himself.

"Why didn't you say it hurt? Wouldn't… You have already made a fuss and demanded I comfort you in the past?"

In the past, Ember would have pouted and insisted Atlas pamper her when she felt wronged. But now, she would rather grit her teeth and endure it alone.

Atlas softened his tone deliberately, waiting for Ember to respond. If she gave in, even a little, he was willing to give her another chance.

After all, Ember was still his fiancée in his mind. She was still his person.

But Ember simply turned her head away, as though she couldn't bear to look at him. Her voice was calm as she replied, "I'm sorry for troubling you in the past.

"It won't happen again. If the engagement is an inconvenience to you, I can talk to Mr. Ferguson Senior and have it annulled."

Atlas' expression darkened instantly. "What?"

"Ember Sloane, are you pulling another one of your tricks? Are you playing hard to get again? Can you just stop being so unreasonable?"

His temper flared like an enraged lion as he tossed the bottle aside and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He simply left her alone, surrounded by scattered bottles and disarray.

Ember gave a faint, powerless smile. She wasn't playing any tricks—she was simply speaking the truth.

The next day, George appeared at the door to her hospital room.

Ember's eyes welled up with tears the moment she saw the man who wasn't family but had always treated her as such.

During her time trapped on the mountain, beyond her fear of death, her greatest concern had been this kind and gentle old man.

Years ago, it was George who held her hand and brought her into the Ferguson residence when she lost both her parents. He personally arranged for her care, ensuring she was clothed, fed, and housed.

He had always told her, "If you're ever wronged, come to me. I'll stand by you no matter what."

Seeing George's kind smile, Ember swallowed all the grievances she had buried deep inside. After all, she was planning to leave soon. There was no need to make him worry more.

But George trembled with rage the moment he saw the wounds on Ember's leg.

"Do the doctors here even know what they're doing? Is this how they treat my precious granddaughter-in-law? What kind of useless fools are they?"

George's cane thudded heavily on the floor as he emphasized his words.

In his younger years, George had dominated the business world, and he exuded an intimidating authority. Now, Spencer was drenched in cold sweat with just a few sharp words.

"P-Please, don't be angry! I'm an expert—I couldn't possibly make a mistake!" Spencer stammered.

"It's Ember who refused to cooperate with treatment. She's just trying to gain sympathy and use you to her advantage!"

But George didn't buy his excuses. With a swift swing of his cane, he struck Spencer and sent him rolling on the ground.

"You little scoundrel! How dare you spout lies in front of me? Looks like you're asking for a beating!"

Hearing the commotion, Kaylee rushed into the room with a panicked expression. "What's going on? What happened? Mr. Ferguson Senior, did Ember upset you again?

"Please, calm down. Ember's always been unruly. Don't let her get to you…"

Before she could finish, George raised his hand and delivered a slap across her face. "Ember upset me? She has never upset me, not even once!

"As for you and your brother—who do you think you are? Did you really think I wouldn't see through you?

"You're just two frauds trying to worm your way into my family, and you dare to deceive me! Let's see how I deal with the likes of you!"

George's fury was so intense that no one dared to intervene. The slap landed squarely on Kaylee's face, leaving a streak of blood slowly trailing from the corner of her mouth.

Atlas arrived just in time to witness the scene.

Kaylee seized the opportunity to throw herself into his arms, sobbing so hard she could barely catch her breath.

"Atlas, I'm so sorry. I don't know what Ember said to Mr. Ferguson Senior to make him hate me so much…

"But I don't care how much he hits me, as long as it makes him feel better…"

Atlas' expression turned icy as he shielded her protectively. "Ember doesn't even deserve to be compared to you.

"Let's see who dares to lay a hand on you with me here to protect you!"

Atlas turned his gaze to Ember. His eyes were filled with disdain. "Ember, you truly won't change, huh?

"Let's see how long you can survive without the Fergusons! From this moment on, we're breaking off the engagement. You're no longer my fiancée!"

George's face turned ashen with fury. His hand trembled as he pointed at Atlas. "You… You blind, ungrateful fool…"

Before he could finish, George shut his eyes and collapsed on the spot. The doctors rushed in to take care of George. In her panic, Ember instinctively tried to stand but pulled at her wound and fell back to the ground.

"Mr. Ferguson Senior…"

Tears streamed down her face as she reached out to tug on Atlas' sleeve. "Let me see him, please… I'm begging you…"

Blood and tears mixed, forming dark red blooms on the floor.

Even so, Atlas shook her off with disgust. "What are you pretending for now? If it weren't for your meddling, would Grandfather have fallen ill out of anger?

"Ember Sloane, you're utterly despicable!"

He turned and followed the doctors out of the room, pausing only to instruct the bodyguards to keep a close eye on Ember and make sure she didn't go anywhere.

When Atlas' parents, who were out of town, heard the news, they rushed to the hospital in a flurry.

"We've only been gone a few days, and this happens! If anything happens to your grandfather, I'll beat you within an inch of your life!"

Wade Ferguson erupted at Atlas, scolding him relentlessly. He was on the verge of hitting him when Atlas' mother, Alana Hill, intervened just in time.

Seeing this, Kaylee spoke up first. "Ember was acting up again. Atlas just said a few words to her, and she went straight to Mr. Ferguson Senior to complain, which is why he…"

Wade's face immediately turned cold. "That orphan dares to stir up trouble in the Fergusons? She's out of control!"

"Does she really think she's some kind of heiress now? She thinks she's all that after living with our family—how delusional!" Alana scoffed.

Atlas frowned at Alana's words. "Mom, don't say that. Ember's parents gave up their lives to save you and Dad…"

"Enough!" Wade cut him off sharply. "Just because of that one thing, does she expect us to cater to her for the rest of her life?

"With how arrogant and reckless she is, if you marry her, what will become of the Fergusons? It's better to call off the engagement now and kick that troublemaker out!"

Atlas' initial reaction was to refuse. He had only wanted to scare Ember into listening to him and never intended to truly discard her.

With her severely injured and utterly alone, who would she have to rely on if not him?

But Kaylee stopped him while speaking softly. "If you insist on being stubborn, won't it just make Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson even angrier at Ember? Take it slow. After all, there's still time."

She paused to think and then offered a suggestion. "Why not send Ember abroad for now?

"She's acting so spoiled because she's too dependent on you. This way, she can have some space to calm down. Once Mr. Ferguson Senior recovers, we can revisit the situation."

Alana readily agreed to this plan and immediately began preparing the necessary arrangements. They couldn't wait to send Ember as far away as possible.

Atlas held Kaylee's hand in gratitude. "I'm truly thankful that you're around. Even after everything Ember did to you, you're still considerate enough to think of her…"

Kaylee smiled gently. "How could I not? Ember was just caught up in a moment of poor judgment. I'd never hold it against her."

In the days that followed, Ember was confined to her hospital room. She had no one to talk to and spent her time alone with her phone. Her photo album was filled with pictures of her and Atlas.

At first, it had only been the two of them—sharing a single cup of coffee, walking hand in hand, and capturing moments that proved they had once been in love.

But at some point, things had changed. What were once dates for two always seemed to include Kaylee.

Ember scrolled through her phone and opened her Instagram account.

There were hundreds of posts, and they were almost all centered around Atlas. They were photos of their life together and heartfelt essays she'd written on anniversaries.

The comments from netizens had mocked her, calling her love-obsessed. It was as if Atlas was the only thing that mattered in her world.

As she read through them, Ember chuckled bitterly and shook her head. At this point, there was no reason to hold onto these photos and posts.

She then pressed the deactivate button.

During Ember's hospital stay, Atlas came by to ask about her condition, but Spencer dismissed his concerns with perfunctory answers.

"You've seen how she is. If she doesn't cooperate, there's nothing I can do. When she finally decides to take her treatment seriously, she'll recover quickly.

"Once she's abroad, there will be even better specialists to treat her. You can rest easy."

Atlas was torn—angry at her supposed stubbornness, yet secretly pleased by how much she seemed to care for him.

It was clear that he was important to Ember—so important that she was willing to push her body to its limits just to cling to him.

"Ember, wouldn't it be better to accept treatment and recover sooner? Why must you insist on making things worse for yourself?"

But Ember simply asked in a calm voice when she saw him, "Has Mr. Ferguson Senior woken up?"

The brief flicker of compassion Atlas had felt vanished instantly. He scoffed.

"You still have the nerve to ask? If your legs weren't injured right now, I'd drag you over to kneel and apologize to him!"

Ember muttered weakly, "I'm sorry."

Nonetheless, it seemed Atlas either didn't hear her or chose not to.

Soon, Ember's belongings were packed up from the Ferguson residence. The sheer amount made it look as though they were preparing to throw her out completely.

Among the items was a small wooden carving she had once intended to give Atlas for his birthday.

When she'd first arrived at the Ferguson residence, she had been just a young girl, who was unfamiliar with the world around her.

When George was too busy, it was Atlas who accompanied her—to the amusement park, shopping trips, and even movies.

Atlas was kind and attentive back then. He showered her with warmth and care.

She had even started secretly keeping a diary, carefully writing Atlas' name over and over on its pages.

She spent an entire month crafting that wooden carving.

Even when the carving knife accidentally cut her hand, the sharp pain didn't stop her. At that moment, all she thought about was not letting the carving get stained with blood.

But when she arrived at his party on the day of his birthday, brimming with joy, she saw that he had already chosen his date.

It was Kaylee.

She was holding Atlas' arm intimately, and their smiles were glaringly painful in Ember's eyes. Ember felt like she might burst into tears right then and there.

To make it worse, Atlas was entirely oblivious to her feelings. He even brought Kaylee over to her and said, "Ember, this is Kaylee's first time at an event like this. Make sure to take care of her…"

She didn't hear the rest of his words. Overcome with sorrow and anger, she flung Atlas' hand away and ran out.

She was the one who was supposed to stand by Atlas' side. She was his fiancée!

Afterward, she and Atlas had a heated argument. He accused her of being unreasonable.

"Can you stop lashing out at everyone like a mad dog? Don't you feel embarrassed? Kaylee is my friend—can't you show her some respect?"

But Ember had seen it clearly—the way Kaylee looked at him wasn't how a mere friend would.

From that point on, Atlas gradually grew colder toward her. He no longer called her name in the same warm, gentle tone as before.

Her heart would ache every time he addressed her with that impatient tone.

The day she was stranded on the snowy mountain as her life was hanging by a thread, she sat under a tree after dragging her injured legs for miles, consumed by despair.

In the face of death, all her obsessions felt as weightless as a feather.

Suddenly, the ethereal figure of the Moon Goddess appeared before her, dressed in flowing white.

"Ah, it's a human on the brink of death, heartbroken from love. Let's make a deal. I'll let you survive this."

Barely alive, Ember whispered, "What kind of a deal?"

"Give me the most precious thing you have, and you can live."

"I have no parents, no power, no wealth. The most precious thing I have is my love for Atlas. But how can I give that to you?"

Ember let out a bitter laugh, feeling somewhat pitiful.

"Jump from a building six days from now. I will take your love for Atlas and all your memories of him. Then, you'll begin a new life."

Ember closed her eyes as flashes of her past with Atlas played like a montage before her.

"Atlas, I'm letting you go now," she thought to herself.

Finally, she nodded. "I accept."

…

On the sixth day, an employee from the Ferguson residence came to Ember's hospital room to ask if there was anything else she wanted to take with her.

"Ms. Sloane, all the belongings from your room are here. Please check and confirm."

Ember glanced at the pile of items briefly before shaking her head. "There's no need. Throw them all away. I don't need anything."

Atlas came to see her before her departure. Knowing it would be a long time before they met again, a strange discomfort stirred within him.

"While you're abroad for treatment, take the time to reflect and fix your attitude. When you've realized your mistakes and changed, I'll come to bring you back. Do you hear me?"

Ember merely nodded without any emotion. "I understand. I'll change."

Atlas frowned, and his unease grew stronger. This obedient, compliant version of Ember gave him an inexplicable sense of unease.

It was as if, deep down, he knew Ember wasn't supposed to be like this…

At that moment, Kaylee walked in and hooked her arm through his, momentarily breaking his train of thought.

"Ember, are you ready?"

Seeing their intimate posture, Ember smiled faintly. "You two go on ahead. I'll just change my clothes and come out."

Atlas hesitated. There was a flicker of concern flashing through him, but he ultimately allowed Kaylee to guide him out of the room.

A growing sense of dread swirled in his chest.

Why wasn't Ember clinging to him like she used to?

Why wasn't she jealous of him and Kaylee anymore?

Noticing his expression, Kaylee's eyes flashed venomously.

"That wretched Ember. What could she possibly have left to hold his attention? She's already nothing more than a broken shell of her former self, and yet Atlas still cares for her," she thought to herself.

But when she looked up again, her face bloomed into a sweet smile directed at Atlas.

"Atlas, don't worry so much. Your parents have everything arranged. Ember will be well taken care of."

Atlas nodded absentmindedly.

At worst, he could always fly over to check on Ember from time to time. But she mustn't know—otherwise, she'd cling to him just like before with her temperament.

The thought made him unconsciously curl his lips into a small smile.

But the next moment, his peripheral vision caught a figure sitting by the fifth-floor window—a familiar silhouette.

"No…" His pupils dilated as panic surged through him, and his body moved instinctively to rush forward.

But it was too late.

The slender figure plummeted to the ground, and a crimson bloom exploded on the earth below.

"Ember!" he screamed.