Chapter 6

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.