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I stayed silent and turned to leave with the urn.
He jumped out and grabbed me, his voice laced with anger.
"Where do you think you're going in this state?"
I kept my head down, avoiding eye contact.
Claire stepped out, her eyes fixed on the urn.
"Sarah, what is that?"
She approached. I tried to back away, but Nathan held me tight.
Claire stopped in front of me, her hand brushed against the urn.
A surge of strength I didn't know I had broke me free from Nathan's grip. I slapped her hand away and crouched, shielding the urn.
They were unworthy to touch my grandmother's ashes.
Claire's hand turned red, and she yelped, tears welling.
"Sorry, Sarah, I was merely curious…"
Nathan was taken in by her act. He yanked me up, grabbing my hair. The pain seared my scalp, but I couldn't cry out.
"Sarah Collins!What on earth are you doing?"
"What is this?Show me!"
I shook my head, holding onto the urn tightly.
But Nathan pulled it from my grasp.
He inspected it, demanding, "What is this?"
I lunged to reclaim it, but Claire tripped me. I fell, knocking the urn to the ground. The ashes spilled out.
Nathan's irritated voice rang in my ears. "What's this?Just a box of ashes?Where'd you get this incense ash?"
My throat burned with agony. I managed to utter faint, broken words.
"Gran…ma…"
I knelt and gathered the ashes back into the urn, tears streaming.
Nathan froze, then understood what I meant.
"Your grandma's still in the hospital. It's just a week's temporary halt in treatment—no big deal."
Claire, sounding aggrieved, chimed in. "Is Sarah blaming me for using her grandmother's medical funds?"
She instinctively touched the necklace .
Nathan snorted. "She wouldn't dare to."
I ignored them, desperately gathering the ashes.
Once the urn was full again, I stood, cradling it carefully.
Nathan paused, then reached to wipe away my tears.
I flinched and stepped back, my stomach churning with revulsion at his touch.
His face darkened. He withdrew his hand. "Enough of this melodrama. Get in the car. Stop embarrassing yourself."
He grabbed me, attempting to shove me into the car.
Desperately, I bit his hand hard. Blood seeped out.
The metallic taste was oddly satisfying.
Nathan shoved me away. I stumbled back. Claire rushed to check his wound.
"Nathan, are you alright?"
He glared at me. "Still haven't learned how to control your temper?"
"Sarah, think about your grandma. She needs my financial support to live."
I found it absurd.
Nathan had always used my grandmother's situation to control me, expecting me to grovel, to become his docile pet.
But he was wrong. I was the Collins heiress, once the pride of Bay City
I'd seen the world's vastness—why would I accept being trapped like a caged bird?
And now, with nothing left to tie me down, I clutched the urn, turned, and walked away.
Nathan's furious voice rang out.
"Sarah Collins!I'll make sure you're forced to leave Bay City again!"
I kept walking.
It didn't matter. This city had nothing left for me.
All I cared about was ensuring my grandmother's peaceful rest in death.
