Valerie froze for a second, then her face contorted in furious disbelief. “Caleb Thorne, what the hell are you doing?!” Her voice was
shrill. “Don’t think this pathetic stunt will make me go soft on you!”
The pain was a raging fire, searing through my insides, but it couldn’t compare to the shattering despair of my heart. Blood dripped onto the floor, blooming into a crimson stain. “Not enough? Then let’s try again!” I pulled out the blade as if unfazed, then aimed for
my chest and plunged it in again.
Valerie rushed forward, snatching the knife from my hand, her voice seething with anger. “What are you doing?! How much is your pathetic life worth, anyway?!” A string of insults, too vile to be repeated, flowed from her lips. “I’m warning you, you owe me money,
and not a single cent will be missing!”
Jasper cowered behind her, timidly tugging her sleeve. Valerie immediately, tenderly, wiped the blood from his face, then roughly shoved me to the ground. “If you want to die, get out of here! Don’t scare Jasper!”
I pushed myself up, clutching the last of the ashes and the photo fragments to my chest. Covering my bleeding abdomen, I stumb- led to the door and pushed it open. “Thank you for letting me go. When I save up enough money, I’ll file for divorce.”
Valerie scoffed, her voice dripping with mockery. “You? A worthless piece of trash no one would even pay for on the street. You wouldn’t pay off that debt in eight lifetimes!” She spat. “You’ll come crawling back to me on your knees, begging!”
I said nothing more, just gave her a cold, hard look. Gritting my teeth, clinging to consciousness, I stumbled out of that cage. Jasp- er, clinging intimately to Valerie’s hand, feigned concern, but his eyes burned with a murderous hatred for me. “He just left like that.
20.12
Chapter 1
20.12
He won’t… do anything drastic, will he?” Valerie merely glanced at him, her tone dismissive. “Don’t worry, that good–for–nothing leech, he’s too afraid to die.”
My body swayed in the biting wind, but it couldn’t match the desolation in my heart. “I’m so sorry, Leo. Your dad… your dad was useless.” I stumbled along, two long bloodstains snaking behind me on the pavement. Under the strange stares of passersby, I crawled to the organ donation center. Lying on the cold operating table, my consciousness began to blur. Yet, a look of profound relief touched my lips.
My son, I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. Let your father, with this broken body, send
you off
on
your final journey.
A week later, Jasper Davies’s art exhibition tour began as scheduled. Valerie, looking at the bustling crowd, felt a sudden, inexplic-
able sense of unease, as if some crucial detail had slipped her mind.
“Valerie, what’s wrong? You look awful.” Jasper approached, his voice laced with concern.
Yalerie squeezed his hand, forcing a strained smile. “Nothing. Just a little tired lately, I guess.” She closed her eyes, and Caleb’s bloody image flashed in her mind again. Just then, her phone vibrated violently. A cold sweat broke out, and she fumbled for it, her
fingers trembling. The screen blared a notification: a transfer of a billion dollars.
20.1
