Chapter 4

Tanya's face turned livid in an instant.

How could her fat, embarrassing daughter openly berate her in front of the childhood sweetheart she cherished most—now an accomplished man, no less? It was nothing short of sheer humiliation.

She completely ignored the snark in Harry's comment and immediately deemed Melanie a rude, unreasonable brat. Meanwhile, as her father, I became the culprit for raising such an insolent and embarrassing daughter.

It didn't help that our appearances never met her beauty standards. Her resentment toward us had been building for a long time. So, all her old grievances and fresh anger exploded in our faces at once.

No matter how much I tried to explain afterward, or how Melanie apologized for "rudely" defending me, Tanya refused to listen.

In the end, she was swayed by Harry's advice.

"She's still young. You must start working on her figure and character early. Sending them to a professional facility to shape her up will do her good in the long run."

Under the noble-sounding pretexts of doing what was best for us, helping us achieve the perfect figure, and taming our unruly personalities, Tanya made her cruel decision.

She sent Melanie and me away to a weight-loss training camp in a remote area. The place was known for its strict rules and harsh living conditions.

In her eyes, it was perhaps the perfect solution to pack us up and send us away. She could punish us for talking back and humiliating her, all while supposedly reforming us for our sake.

No one could've imagined this trip would send Melanie and me tumbling into a living hell, from which there would be no escape.

Those humiliating and agonizing memories surged through my mind like an icy tide.

One scene after another flashed before my eyes, until they all froze on Melanie's pale, emaciated face—how she slowly lost all signs of life.

The overwhelming grief and despair shattered what little remained of my already fragile nerves. A sudden, tearing pain tore through my chest.

My heart, already damaged by prolonged starvation and overexertion at the training camp, felt as though it were being ripped apart.

My vision went black. My body began convulsing violently beyond my control, and then I collapsed onto the cold, hard floor.

Before my consciousness sank into darkness, I heard Tanya's familiar cold voice. "What are you trying to pull this time? To farm sympathy? Enough with the act!"

…

The next time I opened my eyes, I found myself lying in a hospital bed, an IV needle inserted into the back of my hand.

Seeing that I was awake, Tanya merely remarked flatly, "I had no idea you had heart disease. I wonder if Melanie might inherit it."

I was utterly defeated by then. I reached out and grabbed the hem of her clothes. "Tanya, haven't you always wanted a divorce? I'll agree to it now! We can get divorced right away! Let's do it today!"

Afraid she might not believe me, or think I was playing some ridiculous hard-to-get game, I hurriedly added, "I can sign the papers immediately! I won't take anything from our marital assets!

"All my assets, my shares in the company, I-I'll give them all up! Just let me go! Let me leave this place, and I'll give you everything! Please, I'm begging you…"

My voice broke with emotion as I repeated desperately, "I can give up everything—everything except Melanie's ashes..."

The word "ashes" shifted Tanya's expression. "Ashes? Whose ashes? Say that again?"