Her expression weighed heavily on me. I asked with concern, "What's bothering you?""My body... It's not holding up. I'm always in pain, so I can't sleep at night." She looked at me helplessly, her voice barely audible. "The pain, it's just...here...""Where does it hurt?" My eyes narrowed, pressing for details."Right here." She pointed to her abdomen, gently patting it."You haven't told Matthew?" I pressed on, my composure wavering. Indeed, Grace seemed much thinner than before."He's...busy." Grace's words sounded feeble."How long has this been going on?" Her lips trembled. "It's not a big deal, just trouble sleeping. I keep thinking about Ava. I can't be there for her, and it's eating at me. I'm afraid I won't have much time left to watch over her." My heart ached. After a while, I said, "Take a seat and have some water. I'll go upstairs and be right back.""No need. Since Ava isn't home, I'll go," she said.I ignored what she was saying and went straight upstairs. At

My head buzzed. Late-stage liver cancer?My hands turned cold. I was concerned but never imagined it would be this severe. How was I going to tell her?I sat there blankly as the doctor talked about the treatment plan. He finally sighed and shook his head, saying there was little hope.I was no longer Grace's daughter-in-law, but she was still Ava's grandmother. She was the last person in the Murphy family who truly cared about Ava, and time was running out. All I could see was Ava tightly embracing Grace. After all, we had lived together for many years. No matter how she treated me, those memories of living together were good.I didn't even know how I left the doctor's office. If Grace hadn't seen me come out and called my name, I might have forgotten she was waiting outside."Chlo, what did the doctor say?" She stared at me intently, looking a bit worried."He didn't say much. I knew the doctor, so we talked for a while. You'll be fine. He gave you some medicine and advised y

When I got to Ardora Construction, I took a moment to compose myself, neatly arranging the documents on Grace. With everything in hand, I stepped out of the car and walked straight in.This was my second time here. The first was to request my daughter's school transfer, which caused quite a commotion throughout the building. Who knew what awaited me this time? Whenever I showed up, things were bound to get lively. Whenever I met Melanie, I was in for another fierce battle.I couldn't imagine what family situation had pushed Grace to develop liver cancer. It must have been quite a mess. Melanie and Abby were not the type to back down easily.I wondered how Matthew could allow his mother to be mistreated. If it were my mother, I’d demand justice. It was truly too much.However, it was also Grace's fault for living her whole life so passively. Abby had ruined her life.Would Matthew treat me this way if I were in her shoes? But then again, I couldn't bring myself to do what she did

Melanie rushed to the desk. "Chloe, what do you mean? What hospital? What did you do to her?"Everyone turned to me. It seemed they genuinely believed I had harmed the old lady.I looked at Matthew. "You'd better take these documents and consult at the hospital."I dug through the papers for the doctor's card and handed it to Matthew. "This is the attending physician, a specialist. If you have any questions, you can ask him. Your mother was diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer."The news shocked everyone as a collective gasp filled the room."What did you say?" Matthew stood up in disbelief. "What? Who... Liver cancer?""Chloe, you're creating trouble out of nothing. She was perfectly fine, and here you are, cursing her." Melanie was relentlessly shouting at me. Then she turned to Matthew. "You believe whatever she says? She's up to no good!"Matthew regarded me with suspicion."Believe it or not, I've already taken her to see the doctor and got her prescribed medication. I

Matthew roared, “Stop!”I looked at his handsome face, now twisted with anger and a hint of helplessness. "Shut up, all of you!"I cursed silently, wondering why he had not acted sooner."Matthew, are you blind? Can't you see she hit me? She's been tormenting me to no end, right under your nose. Are you just going to stand there?" Melanie took cover behind Johnson, angrily shouting, "Johnson, grow a pair!"I pulled Johnson aside, glaring at Melanie without backing down. "I was the one who hit you, and if you dare to cross me again, I'll do it again!""I dare you to!" Melanie yelled at me, her neck straining."Try me!" I stepped forward. I didn't dare touch her back when she was pregnant. Now, I couldn't care less. If I could slap her again, I wouldn’t hold back.The people Matthew intended to dismiss had not left. They were all watching the scene unfold with amusement and shock.Perhaps no one expected me to slap Melanie in front of everyone. I noticed some satisfied expres

“You’re going off the rails, Chloe!” Melanie retorted, “You no longer have a say in my family!”“Yes, I’ve cut ties with your family,” I admitted, then turned to Matthew to continue persuading him, “Everyone here should know how our marriage ended, right?“I could’ve ignored your family’s troubles because even your mom watched you assault me without interfering. Your whole family is heartless and selfish.”The crowd exchanged glances, and even Keegan looked at Matthew disdainfully. Meanwhile, Matthew appeared helpless as I continued, “Your mom’s condition saddens me. That’s why I took her to the hospital. I don’t have time to ‘sow discord’ like your wife said.“Melanie thinks I want to return to your family? Yeah, right! I want to thank you for cheating because it allowed me to escape your family. I’m lucky to be far from disgusting monsters like you. I pray my daughter doesn’t end up as ungrateful and heartless as you.”“That’s enough!” Matthew looked at me and slumped into his c

When I arrived at the hospital, I noticed the increased security in the VIP ward. Guards stood every few steps along the corridor leading to Ivanna’s ward. I felt uneasy and wondered if something had happened.I quickly approached the ward and saw Lauren inside, but Jared wasn’t around. Ivanna was awake and turned to me when I entered. Her voice was weak, asking, “Why are you so late?”“Ugh, don't even ask,” I complained as I recounted what happened with Grace.Ivanna and Lauren were surprised, and the latter clicked her tongue disapprovingly. “Tsk tsk. Grace’s past misfortune probably led to this, and Melanie wants to collect her debts.”Ivanna sneered, “None of the Murphys deserve pity. Chlo, don’t go soft-hearted again. You should know how pointless it is.”I understood her reasoning for saying that. After all, she had witnessed the Murphys’ cruelty toward me and Ava.I put down my bag and approached Ivanna’s bedside, asking, “What’s with the increased security outside?”Laur

Lauren comforted Ivanna, “You shouldn’t worry about such things because it’s his family’s business. You’re better off ensuring your safety. You must learn to put yourself first, which is the best way to support Jared. It’s evident he cares about you.”I added, “Ivanna, you’re my constant concern because Trinity is formidable.”Suddenly, Ryan called. I quickly realized I never told him what had happened since returning because I was worried about Ivanna. I answered his call softly, “Hey, Ryan.”“You’re back?” Ryan sounded calm.“Yeah, Ivanna had a little accident, so I rushed back,” I explained, “Have you returned from Solaris?”“What happened to Ivanna?” Ryan became alarmed.Ivanna gestured for me to keep our conversation discreet, so I said, “She had a minor issue, but we helped her solve it. I’ll return to the office tomorrow.”“Perfect. Things went smoothly in Solaris, and I’ve been back for a few days. I’m considering taking Elanor to the construction materials exhibition ne

Since I had some time, I went to the nearest supermarket to my house. I was low on vegetables, so I planned to buy some.The fresh vegetables on the shelves looked perfect, so I grabbed a bunch of leafy greens and fruits. I also selected a piece of high-quality beef before wandering the supermarket, wondering what Atlas liked to eat.However, something felt off. It seemed people were following me and whispering to each other. Still, I was puzzled whenever I turned back because everything seemed normal.At the checkout, a perky girl holding a notebook blushed and mustered her courage to approach me, saying, “Ms. Harmony, can I have your autograph?”I looked at the girl in shock, realizing she had mistook me for Harmony. The girl looked at me expectantly while occasionally glancing behind me. When I turned, I noticed a boy of similar age standing there.I returned my attention to the girl and gently said, “Sweetie, you might’ve mistaken me for someone else. I’m not Ms. Harmony.”“H

Atlas noticed my hesitation and looked at me skeptically, asking, “What’s wrong? You don’t want to?”Since I had to devise an excuse, I said, “Ava should spend more time with Grace. We can discuss moving to your place later, but Molly can stay here for now since I have many rooms downstairs. I welcome them here so Ava and my mom have company.”Atlas smiled and said, “Sure, we should let Ava spend time with her grandmother. We can always decide on moving later.”After dinner, we snuggled on the couch and enjoyed our rare peaceful time together. We discussed our time in Celestis Island and were about to call my mom and the others when the doorbell rang.We smiled at each other, wondering who it could be this time. I quickly got up and checked the peephole, feeling frustrated when I saw Matthew through it. It seemed I could never get rid of this thorn in my side.However, I felt at ease with Atlas around. I pressed the button to open the apartment door, and Matthew appeared shortly a