During Ember’s hospital stay, Atlas came by to ask about her condition, but Spencer dismissed his concerns with perfunctory answers.
“You’ve seen how she is. If she doesn’t cooperate, there’s nothing I can do. When she finally decides to take her treatment seriously, she’ll recover quickly.
“Once she’s abroad, there will be even better specialists to treat her. You can rest easy.”
Atlas was torn—angry at her supposed stubbornness, yet secretly pleased by how much she seemed to care for him.
It was clear that he was important to Ember—so important that she was willing to push her body to its limits just to cling to him.
“Ember, wouldn’t it be better to accept treatment and recover sooner? Why must you insist on making things worse for yourself?”
But Ember simply asked in a calm voice when she saw him, “Has Mr. Ferguson Senior woken up?”
The brief flicker of compassion Atlas had felt vanished instantly. He scoffed.
“You still have the nerve to ask? If your legs weren’t injured right now, I’d drag you over to kneel and apologize to him!”
Ember muttered weakly, “I’m sorry.”
Nonetheless, it seemed Atlas either didn’t hear her or chose not to.
Soon, Ember’s belongings were packed up from the Ferguson residence. The sheer amount made it look as though they were preparing to throw her out completely.
Among the items was a small wooden carving she had once intended to give Atlas for his birthday.
When she’d first arrived at the Ferguson residence, she had been just a young girl, who was unfamiliar with the world around her.
When George was too busy, it was Atlas who accompanied her—to the amusement park, shopping trips, and even movies.
Atlas was kind and attentive back then. He showered her with warmth and care.
She had even started secretly keeping a diary, carefully writing Atlas’ name over and over on its pages.
She spent an entire month crafting that wooden carving.
Even when the carving knife accidentally cut her hand, the sharp pain didn’t stop her. At that moment, all she thought about was not letting the carving get stained with blood.
