Chapter 6

Valerie Shaw POV

Just as I was almost consumed by despair, the call finally came.

The agency informed me that everything was ready. I could leave in five days, and my mother would be safely escorted out before then.

"Okay, I'll wait for you to pick me up."

Just as I ended the call, the door to my room was pushed open.

Ethan stood in the doorway, his eyes sharp: "Pick you up? Where are you going?"

I lowered my gaze, lying, "Mr. King must have misheard. In New York, without your permission, I have nowhere to go."

Ethan stared at me for a few seconds. He still looked suspicious, but he didn't press further.

"I've bought back and destroyed those photos from Mr. Henderson at the auction."

His voice was a bit stiff. "Brittany is pure-hearted and sometimes acts without thinking, but her intentions were good. Don't blame her."

I quietly replied, "Okay."

Ethan paused, surprised. "You're not angry?"

"No."

Ethan's tone softened even more.

"I know you've been through a lot these past few days. Actually..."

"If you have nothing else, Mr. King, please leave. I need to rest." I interrupted him.

With that, I turned my back to him.

I felt Ethan's gaze on me for a long time. Finally, he placed a box on the table. "For you."

Then he closed the door and left.

I opened my eyes, picked up the jewelry box, and threw it directly into the trash can.

Over the next few days, I counted down the days until my departure.

But what came first was a call from my mother's primary doctor.

"Miss Shaw, your mother's condition has suddenly worsened. You should come immediately!"

My heart dropped. I rushed out of the guest room but was blocked by expressionless bodyguards. The commotion alerted Ethan.

"What's all the fuss about now?" He frowned, looking at me.

"My mother is in trouble; please let me go to the hospital." I said urgently.

Ethan looked at me in silence for a few seconds. This was the first time I had let him see me so distraught and helpless. A subtle flicker of hesitation crossed his deep eyes.

"Let her go. Send men to follow and keep an eye on her."

Given permission, I bolted out of the villa like a madwoman.

I rushed into the hospital room, only to see my mother's ashen face, her chest heaving violently.

Seeing me, tears welled in my mother's cloudy eyes. Her frail hand gripped mine tightly, her lips trembling as she squeezed out a single sentence.

"A woman came... she said... I was holding you back..."

A woman?

A surge of immense fear and hatred instantly overwhelmed me. I gripped my mother's hand tightly, my whole body trembling.

"Mom, don't listen to her nonsense... You're not..."

Before I could finish, the monitoring machine suddenly let out a piercing alarm.

Doctors rushed in, and I was asked to leave the room.

Soon, the emergency room door opened, and I received the news I dreaded most.

As I forced my nearly collapsing body into the room, I saw my mother lying peacefully there, as if merely asleep.

My chest felt hollow, as if a piece had been ripped out, yet there was no blood left to bleed.

I handled my mother's funeral alone.

I didn't shed a single tear, just quietly signed all the documents, watching as the staff handed me the small wooden urn.

Clutching the urn, I walked out of the funeral home and hailed a car.