Chapter 7

Things escalated far beyond my expectations.

A video of Arthur smashing the urn at the cemetery was posted online, sparking widespread outrage. Arthur's name quickly topped the trending searches.

"Sterling Corp CEO snatches urn from wife’s hands and smashes it—turns out it's his own daughter's!"

"Sterling Corp's Arthur Sterling cheats with mistress, shoves wife to the ground in a rage!"

"Heartless CEO desecrates his daughter's remains..."

People flooded the internet to curse him. Netizens condemned his vile actions and dug up his personal details. Sterling Corp's stock plummeted, its market value crashed, and employees resigned en masse under the mounting public pressure. The once-glorious CEO became a pariah, despised by everyone.

I watched the news with a faint smile. It was karma.

A new update appeared—Arthur's public response. He admitted to his actions, expressed deep guilt, announced his resignation, and vowed to make amends.

I laughed, seeing right through his empty words. His desire to make amends didn't stem from love, but from guilt. He would rush to Vanessa's side for a minor cold, yet he had ignored his dying daughter and blocked my calls. If amends could fix everything, who was going to save my daughter and give her back to me?

Friends told me that Arthur's father had beaten him bloody, forcing him to kneel in the family estate for two days until he fainted and had to be hospitalized.

I smiled, completely unmoved. Everything was finally settled for my daughter. Now, I needed to plan for my own future.

At dawn, I stood outside the courthouse, staring blankly at the ground. A familiar scent approached. I instinctively recoiled.

"Eleanor, please don't divorce me. I can't lose you!"

A wave of nausea washed over me, and I shoved him away. Arthur stumbled and fell hard to the pavement. Once so aloof and composed, the former CEO now looked ragged, his eyes bloodshot and his face haggard.

He lunged forward and grabbed the fabric of my pants. "I'm begging you. I’ve sent Vanessa away. I only want you. Please forgive me..."

A crowd began to gather, pulling out their phones to snap photos.

"Look, it's the CEO of Sterling Corp, groveling like a dog on the street!"

My blatant mockery of him drew cheers from the onlookers.

"Kick that shameless bastard!"

"He's a disgrace to men."

"What a heartless creature."

I sneered, looking down at him with nothing but pity. "I lost my daughter. You lost everything."

Something flickered in his eyes as his last shred of hope shattered.

"Divorce... fine. I won't fight it."

From then on, I often saw him on my way to work. He would sit alone by the side of the street, drinking in desolate silence. My colleagues, who all knew what I had been through, would openly mock him as we passed.

Arthur would just glance up with a bitter smile on his lips and nod.

"You're right. I'm a beast. I killed my daughter..."