When I entered the funeral parlor, I saw Ivy stepping forward to light incense at the altar.
“Who told you to touch that?” I snapped.
I struck the incense from her hand with a sharp slap. Ash scattered, landing on the back of her hand. Ivy yelped and jumped back—straight into Dominic’s arms.
“Uncle… it burns!” she cried, cradling her hand.
Dominic looked at the slight red mark on her skin, his eyes darkening with anger.
“She was just trying to pay her respects, Elena. Did you really have to hurt her?”
Ivy turned her tearful gaze to me, pitiful as ever.
“Elena, I’m sorry. I only went to the wedding to bring you a gift… I didn’t know things would turn out like that!”
“Uncle’s already punished me. I truly regret what I did.”
She was playing innocent again—and, as always, Dominic fell for it.
I used to let it go for his sake. But not anymore.
I turned to him, my voice cold.
“Dominic, I’ll say it one more time. Take her away.”
Everyone in the hall knew it was Ivy who killed my mother. Whispers rippled through the crowd, and eyes turned toward her, full of blame.
Her pitiful expression twisted into rage.
“She was just an old woman! Even if I hadn’t hit her, she’d have died soon anyway!”
“And if Uncle hadn’t forced me to come light incense, do you think I’d want to be here?”
Before anyone could stop her, Ivy stormed forward and grabbed my mother’s urn.
“You don’t want me to burn incense?” she sneered. “Then no one will!”
My heart nearly stopped.
“No!”
The urn slipped from her hands.
A sharp crack rang out as it hit the ground—then silence.
Ash scattered in the air like dust in sunlight.
Gasps filled the hall.
I dropped to my knees, trying to gather what was left of my mother. My hands trembled. My eyes burned, but I forced the tears back.
Behind me, Ivy had gone mad—knocking over the mourning table, shattering vases, tearing down the wreaths. The funeral was ruined.
I gathered what ashes I could, placed them on a cloth, and walked out of the hall.
Dominic caught up with me.
“Ivy just has a bad temper… she couldn’t handle everyone blaming her,” he said quietly. “She went too far this time—I’ll take care of the funeral arrangements, don’t worry.”
His words made me sick.
I glanced at his hand gripping my arm.
“There’s no need.”
I pushed him away gently, my voice drained of emotion. I had no energy left to argue.
Dominic stared at his empty hand, stunned.
I hadn’t even made it down the steps when my phone rang.
“Ms. Shaw,” the nurse said urgently. “Your father’s oxygen tube was pulled out…”
Her words hit me like thunder.
I rushed to the hospital, clutching the bundle of ashes on my chest.
But when I arrived, his body was already covered with a white sheet.
“Who did this?!” I screamed. “Who got into his room?! I hired new guards, new nurses—how did this happen?!”
The head nurse knelt on the floor, trembling.
“It was Miss Mercer… she said your father was wasting hospital resources, and… the board agreed to stop treatment.”
“She has shares in this hospital… no one dared to say no.”
My vision blurred with rage.
“Stop fighting with her,” the nurse whispered. “Please, Miss Shaw. You’ll only make things worse.”
I couldn’t hear another word.
All I could see was Ivy’s smug face at the funeral. Her tantrum. Her hand destroys everything my mother had left behind.
I hailed a taxi and went straight home.
Before I even reached the door of the villa, I could hear laughter—music, people celebrating.
Then came her voice, loud and unfiltered:
“If Elena’s dad hadn’t saved my uncle, do you really think he’d ever have married her?”
