“What do you mean?”

I froze and was shocked. My ears buzzed and my mind went blank.

Snapping back to reality, I hurriedly grabbed the phone to ask for the address. I got up unsteadily, left the hospital in a daze and took a cab to the place.

When I arrived, all I saw was a corpse covered in a white sheet. Grief and anger overwhelmed me and I could barely cry.

My heart felt like it was being crushed by an invisible hand, heavy and suffocating pain. I realized my bank card didn’t have enough money when the medical staff member told me to pay at the front desk.

I stopped for a while, checked in disbelief and saw my balance was zero. I called Michael over ten times, but he didn’t answer. He finally picked up on the thirteenth call.

“Michael…”

I barely said a word before the line was filled with a woman’s moans and a man’s muffled groans.

I stood frozen for three minutes, my mind spinning. When I came back to reality, the call had ended.

Pale and shaken, I called Uncle Peter. After paying, I took my father’s body to the crematorium.

I stepped out and smiled at him. “Uncle Peter, thank you.”

His eyes were full of sorrow. “Sweetie, I’ve seen you grow up. Your parents must be upset in heaven, seeing all the unfairness you’ve faced.”

“Whatever you want to do right now, just do it. I’ll always stand behind your Barkworth family.”

I never expected Uncle Peter to be so loyal to my family, all because of one meal my father gave him years ago.

I didn’t go back to the hospital. I went straight to the home I hadn’t visited in five years.

The first time I entered the code, it displayed an error. I tried again, but it still didn’t work.

After five failed tries, the smart lock automatically triggered an alarm. Michael opened the door shirtless. His eyes looked shocked when he saw me.

“You... why are you back so suddenly?”

I noticed his wet hair and replied bitterly, “This is my home. Why shouldn’t I come back?”

Michael was shocked to hear my words. “Nichole, that’s not what I meant. Shouldn’t you be resting properly in the hospital?”

Holding my father’s urn and leaning on my crutch, I replied, “Do you expect me, injured, to stand and talk all day like this?”

Michael finally led me inside. All the furniture and decorations had been replaced.

Seeing me stare, Michael smiled and explained, “Since your accident, Olivia thought the house had bad energy, so she had me renovate it.”

I frowned. “What about the photos of my parents’?”

Michael was silent for a long moment, unable to answer. Meanwhile, Olivia came downstairs in her silk pajamas.

“They’re in the basement. Dead people’s stuff is just eyesores to keep around.”

I glared at her, gritting my teeth. “Say that again?”

Perhaps fearing I might lash out, Michael stepped in front of Olivia, smiling to smooth things over. “Olivia was just doing what a master of healer advice. Don’t take it too seriously.”

“I just didn’t want your father to see those old things and get nostalgic when he came back, so we put them away.”

I didn’t pay attention and returned to the basement to get my things.

The moment I stepped out of the basement, I ran straight into Olivia, who was holding a bowl of hot soup.

Olivia screamed, “Ah!”

Michael rushed out and kicked me in the chest, sending me crashing to the floor.

The urn in my arms hit the ground, spilling all the ashes. The photo frame in the box also broke.

“Nichole, if anything happens to Olivia, don’t expect your father’s medical costs to be covered!”

After making that threat, Michael left the villa with Olivia.

I hurriedly gathered the ashes, ignoring the broken glass on the floor and tried to put them back in the box.

It wasn’t until my hands were covered in blood from the cuts that I finally managed to secure the ashes.

I calmed myself down and, leaning on my crutches, then walked to the main bedroom, which had long since been redecorated to suit Olivia’s tastes.

Three hours later, Michael called to lecture me, “Nichole, this whole thing was your fault. I’ve already apologized to Olivia for you.”

“A project at the company has been a bit tricky these past two days. I need to handle it first. Stay home and behave. The password is 577520.”

After giving these instructions, Michael hurriedly hung up the call.

The man, who said he was busy, now appeared on Olivia’s social feed, taking her to a fancy restaurant and personally peeling crayfish for her.

I still remember how he scolded me for ages after I used my own cutlery to serve him a piece of fish.

Later, he condescendingly warned, “Don’t ever do that again. I have a bad OCD.”

I loved him so much back then that I felt worthless, always doing whatever he wanted.

As I scrolled through Olivia’s feed, my heart sank. There was a video of him making silly faces just to make her laugh.

Another showed him renting a whole night market just because she said she wanted something.

When he saw she had bruised her cheek, he was so upset that he called the top doctors for the treatment.

Such events were common on Olivia’s feed, treated like nothing special. But when the same small things happened to me, they were blown up into big dramas.

My eyes darkened. Over the next few days, I sold everything in the basement and had Uncle Peter contact the other shareholders to prepare for what was next.

Seeing the villa, I remembered it was my father’s gift. But now, it has been completely changed.

I listed the villa on a secondhand platform. The day before I left, someone privately messaged me asking to buy it.

Without hesitation, I arranged to meet them the next day. The next day, I arrived at the location as scheduled. The conversation with the other party flowed very smoothly. After signing the agreement, I packed my belongings and headed to the airport.

After handing over to the person arranged by Karina, I waited for my flight with my new identity.

With half an hour before my departure, Michael called me. With suppressed anger, he asked, “Nichole, what’s going on with the villa? Why is my house now someone else’s?”

Hearing that tone, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Your house? Michael, have you watched too many action movies? Is your kidney problem making you lose your mind?”

“The ownership of this house has always been in my hands. I can sell it if I want. What’s your business?”

Michael was stunned. He replied angrily, “We’re still husband and wife! Nichole, I advise you not to push things too far. It won’t end well for you.”

“Michael, your bad skills are mediocre, your acting is mediocre and overall, you’re just mediocre,” I said contemptuously.

“Besides, I divorced you a long time ago. The divorce certificate will be delivered to you in about twenty-five days.”

“Oh, and I wish you and that bitch Olivia have a long and happy life together. I’ve also prepared a special gift for you, so remember to check for it.”

With that, I hung up. Just then, the voice notification sounded. I stared at the call coming through again; I just silenced it. I pulled out the SIM card, broke it in two parts and threw it into the trash can.

Then I turned around, dragged my suitcase and boarded the plane. I didn’t want it if it never truly belonged to me from the start.