When the Embers Turn to Ash

When the wedding host held up the gift, a wave of boos rose from the crowd.

“Isn’t he overseas? What kind of stunt is he pulling now?”

“As if being shameless wasn’t enough, how dare he ruin young Mr. Ralph’s wedding?”

“Exactly! Good thing Ms. Agnes didn’t marry him. Otherwise, she would’ve been tricked into a marriage without even knowing it!”

My soul floated in the air, my gaze fixed on the gift. I was already dead. So how could I have sent anything?

Agnes Wright lowered her eyes, and I couldn’t read her expression.

I thought she would defend Ralph Yule like she always had, but this time, she simply said, “Open it. Let’s see what it is.”

The guests immediately started whispering again.

“Jacob was Ms. Agnes’s former fiancé. And after all that shameless cheating behind her back, it’s only natural she’d want to see what kind of trick he’s up to.”

Ralph tried to stop it, but in the next second, Agnes had opened the gift. Inside was an old phone, and I recognized it instantly because it was mine. On the screen, there were seven unwatched videos.

The guests looked at each other, murmurs spreading like wildfire.

“Don’t tell me it’s the nudes he took overseas? Hahaha…”

“Is Jacob trying to threaten Ms. Agnes with those photos, hoping she’ll take him back?”

“That wouldn’t be surprising. Wasn’t he some kind of influencer before? You can tell he’s that kind of trashy. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do.”

More than anger, I felt confusion. How did my phone end up here?

Mother hurried forward and snatched the phone away. “This is outrageous! What is Jacob trying to do? This is Ralph’s wedding. He’s clearly trying to cause a scene! What an ungrateful wretch! Even his gift brings bad luck!”

Father was even more direct. He grabbed the phone and raised it, about to smash it to the ground. “Throw it away! I don’t want it ruining Ralph’s wedding!”

I let out a self-mocking laugh. It seemed they didn’t even know I was dead. Or maybe the moment they sent me to that island, they had decided I was as good as dead.

Just as the phone was about to hit the ground, Agnes suddenly stepped in and caught it steadily.

Her brows furrowed as she looked at my parents. “I said, open it.”

My parents froze. The guests fell silent too.

The next second, she unlocked the phone and tapped on the first video. The video showed the day Ralph first returned to the Yule family. He stood timidly at the doorway, his eyes red, looking pitiful.

The moment he saw me, he dropped to his knees and started crying. “Jacob! I know you don’t want me back! I’m begging you. Please stop sending men to beat me up!”

As soon as Mother heard that, she rushed forward and slapped me across the face.

“You hired men to beat Ralph up? How can you be so vicious? He’s your brother. Can’t you tolerate him?”

The phone fell to the ground from the impact. I stumbled back a few steps, stunned. “I didn’t!”

However, she didn’t listen. She pointed at me and scolded, “Remember this, you’re just an adopted son of the Yule family. Know your place. Don’t you dare covet what belongs to Ralph!”

Before the video finished playing, my parents began to panic. They quickly shouted, “We had it investigated! It was Jacob who hired men to beat Ralph up. He even threatened him not to return to the family. We’re not accusing him without reason!”

The video continued.

On the screen, I picked up the fallen phone, trembling, and let out a quiet sigh. “I really didn’t.”

Then, the camera swept across my pale face. On my arm, several shocking bruises—deep purple and red—were clearly visible.

The guests in the audience noticed it too.

“What happened to Jacob’s arm?”