CHAPTER 13: CHAPTER 13: SHATTERED

The night before the hearing.

While Talia was taking a shower in the bathroom, she heard something shatter in the bedroom.

She quickly rinsed off the foam on her body and put on her pajamas to check.

The bedroom was empty, and there was a pile of ceramic debris on the floor.

Talia instantly recognized that the broken item was the ceramic doll her mother had left her.

It was the pale blue ’Cinnamoroll’ she painted with her mother at the DIY store on her twelfth birthday, with their names engraved on the back.

At the moment she saw the scattered pieces, Talia felt her whole body surge with anger, consumed by fury.

"Who was it!" she roared, rushing out of the bedroom door.

"Bang, bang, bang—" Talia arrived at Ethan Grant’s bedroom door opposite her room, pounding it forcefully with her hand.

"Ethan Grant! Vivian Coleman! Did one of you enter my room!"

Ethan’s door opened, his eyes filled with impatience, "What’s going on in the middle of the night? Are you going to let anyone sleep?"

Talia’s chest heaved violently with anger, her gaze fierce as though she could kill, "Ethan Grant, did you just go into my room?"

"Who went into your room?" Ethan frowned, "Stop being unreasonable; I’ve been in my room reviewing contracts the whole time and didn’t go out."

"If it wasn’t you, then it’s Vivian." Talia stopped wasting words with Ethan and turned to head to Vivian’s room.

Vivian’s room was at the end of the hallway.

Ethan, worried something might happen, followed when he saw Talia’s aggressive demeanor.

"Vivian! Open the door!" Talia was so enraged that she kicked Vivian’s door directly.

Ethan was stunned.

Was this the same soft, easily bullied Talia he knew?

What had happened to make her so angry?

Vivian leisurely opened the door, "Talia, what’s your problem?"

Talia grabbed Vivian’s wrist and dragged her towards her own room.

Vivian struggled, her steps chaotic as she followed Talia’s pace.

"Let go of me! Talia, let go of me!"

Talia brought her into the room, forcefully shaking Vivian off.

"Ah!" Vivian stumbled, knee hitting the side of the cabinet.

"Talia, are you crazy?" Vivian shouted angrily, clutching her knee.

"Did you break my ceramic doll?" Talia advanced, menacing, "What were you doing in my room earlier?"

Vivian’s gaze dodged, clearly guilty, "I... I didn’t, I was in my room and didn’t go anywhere, don’t accuse me."

Talia looked directly into Vivian’s eyes, coldly said, "Really? I just came out of the bathroom and saw the hem of your beige dress from the crack in the door."

"You’re lying! I was wearing a gray dress when I went earlier, this beige maxi dress is what I..." Vivian spoke faster than she could think, and only halfway through did she realize what she’d revealed.

She was flustered and angry, "Talia, you tricked me! You didn’t see my dress hem at all!"

"What is yours?" Talia coldly stared at Vivian, "This beige maxi dress is what you just changed into, right?"

Talia’s eyes flashed with coldness, her voice chilling like winter frost, "What were you doing in my room?"

Intimidated by Talia’s gaze, Vivian shivered instinctively, "I... I just wanted to look around..."

"What have you got to do looking around in my room?"

Vivian swallowed, terrified of Talia discovering what she did.

"I... I just..."

"Enough!" Ethan stepped forward to shield Vivian, "Talia, stop making trouble out of nothing. It’s just a broken ceramic doll, buy another one if it’s broken, why be so hard on Vivian?"

"Slap—" A crisp, loud slap suddenly sounded.

Talia slapped Ethan with all her strength.

Both Ethan and Vivian were stunned.

"Get lost!" Talia roared at Ethan, "It’s none of your business! How can you forgive on my behalf?"

Vivian, seeing Ethan slapped, grew anxious, she pushed Ethan aside and confronted Talia angrily, "How dare you hit people?"

"Slap—" Another loud slap resounded.

"You get lost too!"

A red handprint appeared on Vivian’s face instantly.

Vivian was slapped, her heart filled with anger and urgency, she couldn’t let it go.

She widened her eyes and raised her hand to strike back, but Talia grabbed her wrist and jerked her aside, causing Vivian to fall to the ground, her hand pressing onto the pile of ceramic shards, immediately blood oozed.

"Ah—my hand! My hand!" Vivian screamed nonstop.

Ethan quickly reacted and went to check Vivian’s injury, "Vivian, are you alright?"

"Serves you right!" Talia coldly watched, "If you hadn’t broken it, you wouldn’t have been hurt."

"Talia, you’re too much!" Ethan glared at Talia, angrily said, "Apologize to Vivian!"

Talia’s eyes were icy, "She should apologize to me, she broke my belongings."

"Ethan, it hurts so much." Vivian leaned into Ethan’s arms, crying pitifully, "Please take me to the hospital, it hurts really badly."

"Vivian, hang in there, I’ll take you to the hospital right away."

After saying this, Ethan carried Vivian and, when passing by Talia, gave her a harsh look, gloomily said, "Get out, I don’t want to see you anymore!"

"Fine." Talia replied straightforwardly, expressionless.

Ethan hesitated, feeling Talia was acting very out of character.

But he couldn’t care so much, Vivian’s hand was still dripping blood steadily, he took a deep look at Talia and hurriedly carried Vivian downstairs.

Once they left, the house finally quieted down.

Talia slowly walked to the pile of ceramic shards, crouched down, trembling as she reached to touch the pieces.

Tears one by one dropped onto the ceramic fragments.

"Mom, I’m sorry... I couldn’t protect the gift you left for me... Sorry, mom..."

In the vast house, the girl crouched down, crying uncontrollably.

When Talia was twelve, her mother fell severely ill.

The gentle, serene woman who always had a smile on her lips was tormented by illness until her appearance was emaciated.

Talia was just starting middle school at that time, and after school every day, instead of going home, she went straight to the hospital.

She stayed by her mother, Clara Sterling, telling her the funny things at school, singing her the songs that the teacher taught.

"Mom, when are you going to get better?" Little Talia sat by her mother’s hospital bed, sadness hidden in her clear eyes.

Mom had been sick for more than half a year, and her condition seemed to worsen day by day.

Clara gently touched Little Talia’s head, a gentle curve on her lips, softly said, "The doctor says mom will be discharged soon."

"Really?" Little Talia’s eyes lit up, asked excitedly.

"Hmm." Clara’s lips were pale, with no blood on her face, but her gaze towards Little Talia was tender and firm, "In a few days, mom will be discharged to celebrate your birthday."

"Yay."

Little Talia believed it.

She thought mom could actually recover soon.

Later she realized, mom’s "discharge" wasn’t recovery discharge, but illness had escalated, and doctors could do no more, suggesting mom be discharged to spend more time with family and fulfill unfinished wishes.