Francesca shrank behind the door, peeking out cautiously, her eyes full of fear and confusion, curious, perhaps, about why this man in a wrinkled suit had come.

Lorenzo stood there, stiff and helpless, clutching the front of his suit tightly. The once-crisp fabric was now creased and messy.

“Francesca, come here and let Unc—Daddy have a look at you.”

He forced a smile that looked more painful than sincere. He reached out his hand.

But that hand had always been the one he raised to hit her.

The moment it lifted, Francesca’s eyes turned red. She curled into the corner, hugging her head, her tiny body trembling.

Lorenzo froze like a child caught doing something wrong. He only snapped out of it when he heard her soft sobs.

“Francesca, don’t be afraid. I’m not here to hurt you,” he said, stepping closer.

“Don’t hit me, Uncle... please don’t hit me…”

“My mommy really is dead… I’ve never even seen her…”

Her fragile voice made his heart stop. He clenched his fists, hatred flashing in his eyes.

“That’s right. It’s all Yana’s fault. How dare she give birth to my child behind my back…”

“And then just leave like that.”

He gently patted Francesca’s head, ignoring the way she flinched at his touch.

“Don’t be scared. Once I find your mother, I’ll make her come to apologize to you.”

Hearing those words, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Back then, I had happily told Lorenzo I was pregnant. But instead of believing me, he accused me of lying, calling me delusional and saying I was just trying to marry into the Clark family.

“Yana, don’t think using a cheap excuse like this will get you through our doors.”

“I’ve always been careful. How could you possibly be pregnant?”

What he didn’t know was that one night, when he was drunk, he mistook me for Tabitha and that’s how Francesca came to be.

He warned me not to get any ideas, saying the title of Mrs. Clark would always belong to Tabitha.

But he was the one who chased after me first. He proposed to me in front of everyone, promising he’d love me forever.

His mother looked down on me, saying my background wasn’t good enough. But he had held me close and told me. “Yana, my mom just doesn’t accept you yet. But once you have my child, she’ll come around and welcome you into the family.”

Now, I have given birth to Francesca. And still, he refused to believe it, going as far as to abuse his own daughter.

“Lorenzo!”

Tabitha, dressed in her wedding gown, had chased him down. The moment she saw him, tears welled up in her eyes.

“Lorenzo, how could you run away from the wedding?”

Her tears fell without end and Lorenzo panicked. He forgot all about Francesca, who was still huddled in the corner and rushed to comfort Tabitha.

“Tabitha, I’m sorry.”

“My assistant just called. The paternity test confirmed Francesca is my biological daughter.”

The moment those words left his mouth, the color drained from Tabitha’s face.

Lorenzo seemed to sense something wasn’t right and asked hesitantly, “Tabitha, did you really see it clearly back then? Did Yana really cheat on me?”

Tabitha froze. At this point, she didn’t even have time to question why he had run away from the wedding. She quickly nodded, her voice a bit shaky.

“Lorenzo, I saw it with my own eyes. That man went with Yana to her prenatal checkup. They looked just like a married couple.”

“Lorenzo, just to be sure, we should do another paternity test.”

Lorenzo glanced at Francesca. After a brief pause, he agreed.

“Francesca, come with Uncle for a moment.” He bent down and took her by the arm.

He was desperate to know the truth and ended up half-dragging her to the car.

This time, Lorenzo was careful. He personally brought Francesca to get their blood drawn. But what he didn’t see was Tabitha standing behind him, exchanging a quick glance with the lab technician.

The test results came back quickly. In bold letters, the report clearly stated zero genetic relation.

“How is this possible?” Lorenzo muttered, stunned.

Tabitha had already put on a sorrowful expression, her eyes red with tears as she looked at him.

“Lorenzo, you actually abandoned our wedding over a fake paternity test?”

“I told you, Yana is manipulative and cunning. She betrayed you long ago, but you still refused to believe it.”

“Maybe she paid someone to fake that test. I never thought you’d actually fall for it.”

Lorenzo still had doubts, but seeing Tabitha cry like this, he pushed them aside. He pulled her into his arms.

“Tabitha, I’m sorry.”

“I’ll make it up to you with an even grander wedding.”

He locked Francesca up. Part of him was furious for walking out on Tabitha because of what now seemed like a fake test and the other part still believed I was a cheating, murderous arsonist hiding somewhere.

Before their second wedding could take place, the doctor who had survived the hospital fire found Lorenzo again.

He placed a scorched USB drive on the desk.

“President Clark, this is footage from the hospital's surveillance cameras the week before the fire. It’s damaged, but…”

“If we can recover the data, we’ll finally know what really happened and the truth behind Mrs. Ursula Clark’s death.”

Lorenzo furrowed his brows, quietly staring at the USB. Just when the doctor thought he might reject it, Lorenzo suddenly spoke.

“Wasn’t it Yana who started the fire? What truth could there be?”

“All the other victims’ ashes were found. Only hers weren’t. Who else could have done it?”

The doctor looked stunned and answered in disbelief.

“Miss Collins had just given birth. How could she have started a fire?”

“She couldn’t even get out of bed then. The idea is absurd.”

Lorenzo didn’t reply. He rubbed the ring on his finger, eyeing the doctor carefully.

He suspected I had sent the doctor.

After a long silence, Lorenzo finally nodded and took the USB.

“Got it. I’ll check it out.”

Once the doctor left, Lorenzo sat alone, staring at the ring. He opened his phone and began scrolling through photos of himself and Tabitha. A small smile touched his lips.

“Tabitha, I trust you.”

But as he swiped again, the screen changed to a photo of him proposing to me.

In the photo, he was on one knee and I held a bouquet, smiling brightly.

For a second, a softness returned to his expression. His eyes dimmed, lost in something long buried.

Just then, his phone rang. Tabitha’s name flashed over our photo.

“Lorenzo, are you ready for the wedding tomorrow?”

He paused for a beat, then forced a small smile.

“Don’t worry. This time, nothing will go wrong.”

The next morning, Lorenzo arrived at the banquet hall.

“Tabitha, you look beautiful today,” he said, gently kissing her forehead.

The wedding began not long after. Many of the guests, invited for the second time, looked at the couple with barely hidden gossip in their eyes.

After all, just days ago, this same wedding had been called off when Lorenzo walked out.

“Will the bride and groom please exchange rings?”

As the officiant spoke, Lorenzo touched the ring on his finger. After a moment’s hesitation, he looked at Tabitha.

“Tabitha, you gave me this ring. I want to wear it forever.”

His tone was soft, but the words hit Tabitha like a slap. Her smile froze as her face turned pale.

“Lorenzo, let’s use the new rings.”

But Lorenzo didn’t budge. He refused to take off the original ring.

“Tabitha, when that woman burned Grandma to death, if it hadn’t been for you by my side, I don’t know how I would’ve gotten through it.”

“This ring means something to me. It holds our bond. I can’t take it off.”

Some of the guests were moved by his words.

But Tabitha looked like she had been stepped on. Her voice turned sharp.

“Lorenzo, this is our wedding day. You can’t wear that ring!”

Her outburst startled not only Lorenzo but also the guests. People leaned in, trying to see what was happening.

“That ring doesn’t look like a normal one… what’s it made of?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of gray, not shiny at all.”

Hearing the whispers, Tabitha’s legs grew weak and she started to sway.

“Tabitha, what’s wrong?”

“What’s with this ring?”

Tabitha bit her lip and stayed quiet. She lowered her head, avoiding his eyes.

“That ring… it’s made from ashes.”

Lorenzo’s expression changed instantly. He stepped off the stage and grabbed the man who had spoken. His voice was cold.

“What did you say? The ring is made of ashes?”

“Do you have proof?”

A middle-aged man stepped forward, looked closely at the ring and nodded with certainty.

“This ring is made from human ashes. That’s why it has no shine.”

Tabitha, forgetting all about her wedding dress, rushed down and clutched Lorenzo’s sleeve. Her eyes filled with tears.

“Lorenzo, that ring is made from the simplest materials. How could it possibly be ashes?”

“Murder is a crime! I don’t even dare to kill an ant. How could I ever do something like that?”

She looked at him, begging.

“Lorenzo, our first wedding was already ruined. Don’t let this one fall apart, too. Please?”

For a moment, guilt flickered across Lorenzo’s face. He turned, ready to return to the stage, but the middle-aged man blocked him.

“I’ve been making rings my whole life. I know these things.”

“Once, someone asked me to make a ring using his wife’s ashes. The ring I made looked just like the one you’re wearing now.”

Tabitha could hardly stay on her feet. She raised a shaky finger at the man.

“Get this crazy man out of here!”

“Security!”

She quickly turned back to Lorenzo, voice trembling.

“Lorenzo, you don’t believe this, do you?”

But his silence made her panic.

“I’m telling the truth!” the man shouted as security came to drag him away.

“Just get it tested, you’ll know. President Clark, don’t let her lie to you!”

The room buzzed with whispers. The news that Young Master Clark had been wearing a ring made from human ashes was too shocking to ignore.

“Get him out of here!”

Tabitha’s sharp scream echoed across the room, but the curious and judgmental stares from the guests only deepened Lorenzo’s scowl.

“Enough! Let him go.”

Lorenzo’s voice, heavy with anger, silenced the crowd at once. With a dark expression, he waved over his assistant and pulled the ring from his finger.

“Take it for testing. I want the results in thirty minutes.”

“Lorenzo… you really don’t believe me?” Tabitha looked at him in disbelief, her eyes dazed.

“Tabitha, the results will speak for themselves. A short delay won’t change anything.”

Without another glance at her, Lorenzo sat down, his face cold and unreadable. The guests stayed put, too eager to miss what might happen next. No matter what the outcome, the Clark Family had already become a spectacle.

Soon, the assistant returned with the report in hand. He hesitated, eyes flickering with unease.

“Give it to me.”

The assistant clenched his jaw and handed it over.

“President Clark, please stay calm.”

Lorenzo opened the report. As his eyes scanned the words, his face went pale. The result was exactly what the man had claimed: the ring was indeed made from human ashes.

His hands shook as he turned to the second page. The report slipped through his fingers and fell to the ground.

It was a DNA comparison of the ash ring. Lorenzo finally realized that the ring he had worn every day, the one he kissed in grief, belonged to the very woman he had hated most: me.