Chapter 308

Peter received a call and rushed to the hospital, where Vanessa was still in the emergency room.

The prison guard informed him that Vanessa had attempted suicide by ramming her head against the wall. The injuries were quite severe, with her skull fractured, and by the time she was brought in, she was nearly unconscious.

Peter took a few steps back, almost losing his balance.

The resuscitation lasted four hours, and Peter sat at the door, waiting anxiously, for the entire four hours.

Four hours later, dawn broke, and the light above the operating room door went out.

The doctor came out and asked, "Where is Vanessa's family?"

Peter's reaction had become sluggish, possibly from sitting too long. He turned his head to look at the doctor but didn't stand up for a long time. He sat there, froze.

The prison guard pointed at Peter and then stepped forward to ask, "How is Vanessa?"

At that moment, Peter felt as if he had gone deaf. All he could hear was a piercing buzz in his ears, and the doctor's lips moved soundlessly.

The prison guard walked up to him and said, "Peter, Peter, I'm talking to you. Can you hear me?"

Peter looked up, his throat dry as if swallowing knives, his face pale, at a loss for words.

The prison guard patted his shoulder and said, "Stay strong!"

Peter was stunned. All the strength drained from his body, leaving him feeling empty and hollow.

"My daughter, my daughter," Athena suddenly rushed out from down the hall, sat down at the emergency room door, and wailed, slapping the floor.

The scene was truly ironic. Peter couldn't bear to watch, so he looked away.

A nurse said, "Here is the death certificate. We need you to sign it."

Peter stood up and walked over numbly. He picked up the pen, but his hand trembled uncontrollably. Even when he tried to steady it with his other hand, it was no use.

At that moment, Athena sprang up from the floor, grabbed Peter's hand, and said, "You can't sign!"

Athena said, "I am the mother of the deceased; it's not your place as an outsider to sign this document." With that, Athena shoved Peter aside, grasped the pen, and signed the confirmation form.

The nurse confirmed there were no issues, nodded, and said, "You may now come in to bid her farewell; shortly, we will arrange for her to be taken to the morgue."

Athena and Peter entered the emergency room one after the other. They saw Vanessa lying there quietly. Now, she was just a cold, lifeless body.

Peter's feet felt like they were filled with lead. The moment he saw Vanessa, he couldn't move an inch.

Athena walked over, pinching her nose with a look of disdain. Then, she closed her eyes and muttered, "What bad luck. Gods, please forgive me."

After confirming Vanessa's death, the officer turned to Peter and Athena and said, "She is still a convict. You can't take her away. You need to complete some paperwork at the station. After cremation, we will hand over her ashes to you."

Before Peter could speak, Athena nodded repeatedly. "We don't want the ashes either. Please handle them for us."

The officer was speechless.

Peter took a step forward. "I want them!"

Athena looked at him. "Why do you want them?"

Peter said, "Because I'm her husband!"

Athena said, "Husband? As Vanessa's mother, how come I don't know she has a husband like you? Did you pay for it, or did you do anything for her? I'm already being generous by not accusing you of marrying her under false pretenses. You still want to claim her ashes? Dream on. I don't agree!"

Peter ignored Athena and followed the officer to the station to complete the paperwork.

After the paperwork was done, the prison guard handed Vanessa's belongings to Peter. It was the same package Peter had brought earlier, with almost nothing touched inside. Even the letter he had handwritten remained unopened.

Peter held the package and burst into tears.

The following day, Vanessa was cremated in a somber ceremony.

When the urn was brought out, Peter instinctively reached for it, but Athena got it first.

Athena said, "This is my daughter. I gave birth to her, I raised her, and I want to take her home!"

Despite her words, Athena made no move to leave with the urn. Instead, she stared at Peter with calculating eyes.

Peter sighed, "You just want money, don't you?"

He took a bank card out of his pocket and said, "There are one million dollars on this card. Give me Vanessa's ashes."

Athena's eyes lit up at the mention of a million dollars, but she remained cautious. "A million dollars? Are you sure you're not lying?"

Peter's expression was cold. "If you don't believe me, you can check at a nearby bank."

"Fine." Athena took the card, "You come with me."

Peter nodded.

There was an ATM just 150 feet from the station.

Athena moved with swift strides towards the machine, clutching the urn tightly, afraid that Peter might snatch it away.

To Athena, it wasn't just an urn of ashes but a million dollars!

Once the bank card was inserted, the balance was successfully checked. Athena leaned in, her eyes wide with excitement, and counted the numbers ten times. That string of digits left her feeling exhilarated.

Peter stood silently by, his eyes hollow and lifeless.

After Athena retrieved the card, he finally spoke, "Can you give it to me now?"

"Sure, sure." Athena smiled broadly and immediately handed over the urn.

Whether from excitement or something else, Athena's hand slipped, and the urn fell to the ground.

The lid opened slightly, and the gray ashes scattered on the ground.

Peter froze.

Athena's expression changed. Her first reaction was to pocket the bank card and then shift the blame. "What's wrong with you? Can't you hold it properly? How heavy can an urn be? Now it's on the ground!"

Peter said nothing and ignored her. He squatted down and began to gather the scattered ashes with his hands.

Since it had just rained, the ground was still wet. The ashes stuck to the damp surface, making it difficult to collect them. But Peter carefully picked up every bit, placing them back into the urn.

Seeing this, Athena pouted in displeasure. "This isn't my fault. You didn't catch it properly. You can't blame me!"

"Watching Peter's reverence, Athena felt displeased. She remarked, "How is it that Vanessa has such remarkable fortune to encounter a man as genuine and sincere as you? I can't fathom what kind of luck she has."

"But she wasn't blessed enough. She couldn't think straight and committed suicide. Just thinking about it hurts."

"When Vanessa was still alive, I asked for $880,000, but you didn't give me. Now that she's dead, you're willing to give a million dollars. If you had given it earlier, wouldn't there have been less trouble?"

Peter suddenly looked up. "Shut up!"