Chapter 9
1029words
Atlas shoved Kaylee away, paying no mind as she fell to the floor. He was consumed with desperation and still frantically trying to stand. "I need to see her. I need to see Ember!"
No matter how hard he tried, his injured legs gave out again and again, leaving him collapsing to the ground. Blood was seeping from his wounds, staining the floor.
Kaylee helped him back onto the bed with tears brimming in her eyes. Her voice trembled as she said, "Atlas, don't do this to yourself. Seeing you in so much pain makes me feel terrible, too.
"At least… At least, Ember is still alive. As long as we try, there's hope she'll wake up.
"Please, calm down, won't you?"
Hearing her words, Atlas forced himself to take a breath, and his chaotic emotions gradually settled. He immediately called for his bodyguards.
"I'm going back to the Ferguson residence—quickly!
"I heard emotional stimulation can help wake patients in a vegetative state. If I can find things Ember left behind, it might bring her back."
With the bodyguards' help, Atlas returned to the Ferguson residence.
The moment he stepped inside, he noticed something was off.
The pink cat-shaped doormat Ember had bought was gone, now replaced by an ordinary brown one. The coffee table that was once adorned with flower arrangements Ember carefully trimmed, now stood bare.
He pushed open the door to Ember's room, only to find it completely empty. It was as though no one had ever lived there.
The plush toy Ember always hugged when she slept, the perfume she frequently used on her vanity, and the potted plants she lovingly tended on the windowsill—everything was gone.
It was as if she had never existed.
Atlas' eyes widened in shock. His voice boomed as he turned to the housekeeper. "What's going on here? Where are Ember's belongings? Who gave you permission to touch her things?"
The housekeeper flinched under his sudden anger, and stammered nervously. "It was Mr. Ferguson and Mrs. Ferguson's orders. Mrs. Ferguson told us to burn everything Ms. Sloane left behind."
Atlas' hands that were resting on his knees clenched tightly. Even his knuckles turned white. "Everything?"
The housekeeper's evasive gaze confirmed his worst fears.
Bloodshot veins crawled across Atlas' eyes as he slammed a fist into the doorframe with a loud crack.
Why? Why did they hate Ember so much?
The sound of the front door opening and closing echoed through the house at that moment, accompanied by a low, casual conversation.
"I heard Ember's a vegetable now?"
"Hmph, she was always causing trouble. What good has she ever done for the Fergusons? Now we can finally get rid of that nuisance."
"There's no way Atlas can marry a vegetable. Consider the engagement canceled. Let's start looking for someone else for him in the next few days.
"As for Ember, let her rot in the hospital."
Atlas' cold, menacing voice suddenly interrupted. "What are you talking about?"
Alana turned to him with a reproachful look. "Why aren't you resting in the hospital? What are you doing here?"
Atlas roared, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Cancel the engagement? Let me tell you now that I won't agree to this!
"Who gave you the right to burn Ember's belongings? She's my fiancée. Why didn't you consult me first?"
His eyes burned with disappointment and fury. "You've always looked down on Ember, accusing her of living off the Fergusons.
"But have you ever thought about it? Would her parents have died if it weren't for saving the two of you? How would she have ended up under someone else's roof?
"Have you ever considered how I feel?"
By the end, Atlas' voice trembled with anger and heartbreak.
He had always known his parents disapproved of Ember as his fiancée, but he hadn't imagined their indifference could extend this far, even as her life was hanging by a thread.
Wade's face hardened. "You're the Ferguson family's only son. You should always prioritize the family!
"She's just an orphan with no money, no power, a difficult personality, and no capability to support you. Can't you grow up?"
Atlas could no longer hold back. "Do you care about anything besides profit? Ember nearly died, for God's sake!
"How could I have such cold-hearted parents?"
Unable to stand it any longer, Atlas turned and stormed out of the Ferguson residence. He was determined to return to the hospital and stay by Ember's side.
At some point, rain began to fall. As he stared out the car window, his heart was filled with an unrelenting storm of sorrow and regret, mirroring the downpour outside.
He thought back to when Ember first came to the Ferguson residence. His parents hadn't always treated her this way. Not to mention, the first person to show annoyance toward her had been him.
He used to think Ember was too brash and immature, constantly voicing criticisms of her. His parents' disdain for Ember was nothing more than an imitation of his own attitude.
If he had known things would come to this, he would have made sure everyone understood from the beginning that Ember was the most important person in his life—the one he loved the most.
Just as she had once loved him.
So, this was what it felt like to lose the one you loved the most…
A single tear slid down Atlas' cheek as he finally understood why Ember had always clung to him, and always flaunted their love.
It was because she loved him.
She loved him so much that she feared losing him and would do anything to hold on to him.
Yet, what had he done to her?
He had called her unreasonable, accused her of being overbearing, and complained that she didn't give him enough space.
Now, overwhelming regret drowned him like the relentless rain outside, leaving him gasping for breath.
But at least fate hadn't been entirely cruel—Ember was still alive. He still had a chance to make things right.
Clasping his hands together, Atlas prayed earnestly amidst the sound of the falling rain.
"Ember, please… Open your eyes and look at me again. Please."
