Thorian’s voice cut through the private line again—cold, sharp, leaving no room for defiance. It wasn’t just a command; it carried contempt.
“Apologize,” he ordered flatly, “to the woman whose ground you just disrespected.”
For a moment, everything inside me seemed to collapse under the weight of it.
He was asking me to bow—to her—after what she had done.
Grief surged up like a tidal wave, nearly choking the life out of me. I lifted my gaze to him, fury blazing behind my eyes, my jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. When I answered, my voice was iron.
“Never.”
Selindra’s presence slipped in again, subtle and poisonous, her tone smooth as velvet but laced with malice.
“Thorian,” she murmured softly, “you always said your wife was composed, admirable… but look at her now.” A faint, mocking note crept in. “She’s hysterical. If the organization sees this… what will they say about you?”
That did it.
Thorian’s expression darkened, his patience thinning as his gaze locked onto me with visible disgust.
“Do you hear yourself?” he snapped. “Stop embarrassing me.” His voice hardened further. “Go home. Stay with Ashley. How can you just leave her alone like that?”
My teeth ground together, the bitterness rising uncontrollably.
“Do you even care about her?” I shot back.
His reply came instantly, firm, almost offended.
“What kind of question is that? Of course I do. Everything I build, everything I handle—it’s all for her. She’s my only child.” His tone carried pride now. “When she grows up and becomes part of another family, I’ll make sure she leaves with everything she deserves. She’ll stand tall because of me.”
Every word hit like a blade.
The anger inside me exploded, tangled with grief so deep it felt suffocating.
“Stop lying to yourself, Thorian!” I snapped, my voice shaking. “If you actually cared, you wouldn’t have left her alone out there—for her.” I shot a glance at Selindra. “She was six. Six years old. Did it ever cross your mind that she might’ve been terrified? That she needed you?”
“Why do you keep dragging this out?” he barked, losing what little patience he had left. “You’re making a scene over nothing!”
Before I could react, he moved.
With a careless, almost irritated motion, his foot struck the urn lying near the disturbed soil.
A hollow crack echoed.
The container rolled, then tipped—spilling its contents across the ground.
Ashley’s ashes scattered into the dirt.
For a second, my mind went completely blank.
When I saw her body that night, broken on the pavement, it felt like my world had ended. But this—this was worse. This was her own father destroying what little remained of her.
A gust of wind swept through, lifting the ashes into the air like pale smoke.
“No… no, stop!” I struggled violently against the men holding me, reaching out desperately as if I could gather her back with my bare hands.
But there was nothing to hold on to.
The ashes slipped through my fingers, carried away—gone just like that.
The last piece of her… gone.
My strength gave out. I collapsed onto the ground, my hands digging uselessly into the soil, searching, hoping, refusing to accept that there was nothing left. Tears blurred everything.
Selindra stepped closer.
Without hesitation, she pressed her heel down over the scattered remains, grinding them into the earth as if they meant nothing.
Her voice came low, almost amused.
“Morwen,” she said, “it’s just someone else’s ashes. Why all this drama?” She tilted her head slightly. “If you didn’t want Danny resting here, you didn’t have to make such a spectacle.”
“Stay away from me!” I snapped, surging to my feet and shoving her hard.
She stumbled backward and fell, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
That was enough.
Thorian’s temper snapped completely.
In an instant, he closed the distance and struck me across the face. The impact rang through my skull—but it was nothing compared to the pain tearing through my chest.
“You left Ashley alone just to act out your jealousy toward Selindra,” he said coldly, his voice rising with anger. “You’ve failed in every way that matters.” His eyes burned with accusation. “How did my daughter end up with a mother like you?”
I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t.
“Go ahead,” he continued harshly, “keep crying over ashes that mean nothing. But from this moment on, Ashley is under my authority alone.” His tone turned final, absolute. “You’re no longer fit to raise her. I won’t let you influence her any further.”
Then he reached for his phone, dialing without hesitation.
“Amelia,” he said, voice clipped, “take Ashley to the private residence. Morwen is not to see her unless I say so.”
There was a pause on the other end.
Longer than expected.
When Amelia finally spoke, her voice was unsteady—almost breaking.
“Don… Ashley…” she hesitated, then forced the words out. “Ashley died the day you didn’t pick her up.” A shaky breath followed. “The grave covered in daisies… the one Miss Thayne chose for her dog…”
Silence.
“That’s where Ashley’s ashes were buried.”
