Chapter 2

Many people used to call Ember a useless leech, and her husband, Nathan, was one of them.

Back then, the Grant family faced a crisis and was drowning in debt. Bella decisively broke up with Nathan and went overseas instead. Using the Lawson family's wealth and power as leverage, Ember forced her way into becoming Nathan's wife.

On the night of their wedding, Nathan got right in her face and told her she was a leech who could do nothing but threaten others with her family's power.

Even now, Ember could still remember the man slapping her hand away and glaring coldly down at her. "I'd like to see who else you can leech off of when it's the Lawsons' turn to be destroyed."

By a twist of fate, Nathan's words came true.

Three years later, the Lawsons went bankrupt.

Ember had hit rock bottom overnight.

She tried to think of every way possible to save the Lawsons' assets, but she wasn't capable enough. She could only resort to the underhanded tactic of sabotaging the condom.

Soon, she got her way. Using the child in her womb, she forced Nathan to lend a helping hand to Lawson Group.

Just when Ember was going to tell her parents the good news, she witnessed the very people who loved her the most leap off the rooftop.

The warm liquid splashed onto her feet, dragging her down into the icy depths of despair.

She developed severe depression, but she didn't dare take any medication, for she was still pregnant at the time.

She only had the child left. Without the child, Nathan would definitely abandon her.

Throughout her pregnancy, she only barely managed to survive by having her hands and feet tied up. Hence, she gave birth to Ian.

But to her dismay, despite her painstaking efforts to give birth to her son, the first thing he said to her was, "Mommy is leeching off Daddy."

Bella had already returned by then, and Nathan was thoroughly done with Ember.

Ian was the only person Ember had left.

So, she did everything she could to treat Ian well and give him everything he asked for. She desperately needed proof that someone in this world still loved her.

But then, during that incident on the snowy mountains, she had stayed put and waited helplessly for a whole day. In the end, it was a kind passerby who had sent her to the hospital.

After surviving a brush with death on the operating table, she found out she had a terminal illness. Even then, she didn't shed a single tear. Instead, she calmly accepted the hospital's invitation to participate in the experiment.

After all, she finally realized that both her husband and her son liked Bella and Bella alone.

So, she didn't want them anymore.

Ember relaxed her grip on her phone.

In the face of death, her bitter memories no longer felt as painful.

So, when the researcher asked, "Would you like to inform your family about this? It's a big deal, after all," she declined.

She answered, "I don't have a family anymore."

Ember reserved a few days to handle her final arrangements.

Terminal cancer had taken a massive toll on her body. She no longer had any use for most of the things she once needed.

For example, there was the scarf she had made for Nathan, which she had pulled several all-nighters to complete. There were also the love letters she had written, and the protective amulets she had trekked up a hill just to get for Nathan and Ian…

She sorted and packed them one by one. The items would either be tossed in the trash or donated to charity.

In the end, only the wedding photo on the bedroom wall remained.

When the maids saw her struggling to take down the huge frame, they started whispering among themselves.

One of them asked, "What is Mrs. Grant throwing a fit about this time?"

Another answered, "She probably got into a fight with Mr. Grant again. She's destroying the wedding photo on purpose to get Mr. Grant's attention."

The other maid said, "Again? Every time she destroys the wedding photo, she'll always cry and get someone to repair it. Does she really think Mr. Grant likes her and would let her have her way?"

Ember agreed.

Everyone knew that Nathan didn't like her, let alone indulge her.

The last time they got into a fight, Ember ruined the wedding photo again, so Nathan had the negatives destroyed on the spot.

In the end, Ember had to cry and plead with the owner of the bridal shop, and it was only then that the owner found a way to restore the photo. However, he explicitly told her, "The negatives were destroyed, so this is the only copy left. If you destroy it again, it's gone for good."

Back then, she had carefully carried the wedding photo home as if she were holding her most precious treasure.

She didn't even want anyone else to touch it.

But now, she had taken it off the wall and smashed the glass frame. Then, she took out the photo within and tossed it into the fireplace with finality.

The maids exclaimed, "Mrs. Grant, if you burn it, it'll be gone forever!"

"What's gone forever?" Nathan stood by the door, frowning as he asked.