Seeing his signature on the papers, Melissa Grant breathed a sigh of relief.


    She had known him well enough to push him this far.


    Evelyn, however, started to feel a sense of fear. But, too proud to speak up, she silently watched her parents finalize their divorce.


    Evelyn watched her mother nervously, wondering what she would say with all the reporters present.


    Natalie had already anticipated this oue.


    She said nothing. Her name was cleared, and she was now the hero who had saved Melissa Grant. The inte was abuzz with trending topics about how she was as kind as she was beautiful.


    With the show over, the reporters began to leave the police station.


    Natalie signed her release papers and was free to go.


    After signing, she walked over to Melissa Grant. "Mrs. Wilson..."


    "Natalie, I''m not Mrs. Wilson anymore. Please, call me Ms. Grant. It''s my maiden name."


    Natalie obliged. "Ms. Grant, thank you foring today."


    "How could I not? And thank you for saving me. Because you saved me, I''m here today. A near-death experience really puts things in perspective. Life goes on, and the world keeps spinning. It turns out, we can all live without each other."


    Natalie knew she was saying this because she hadpletely lost faith in her children.


    A mother''s love is a powerful thing, and as long as there was a shred of it left, she would have fought with all her might for them.


    "Congrattions on your new beginning, Ms. Grant," Natalie could only say.


    "Thank you. I''ll be going back to my parents'' ce to recover. Call me if you need anything. Once my leg is healed, I''ll host a dinner party in your honor."


    Natalie shook her head. "Ms. Grant, you don''t have to go to such trouble."


    "We''ll see about that," Melissa Grant said, signaling for her assistant to push her wheelchair.


    She and Natalie left together. As they reached the car, Evelynsuddenly blocked their path.


    "Mom, are you abandoning me?" she asked, her eyes red.


    Melissa Grant smiled. "Miss


    Carrington, forgot to mention


    mothere


    something Sophia is youn''t call


    now. From no


    on, please


    me Mom when you see me. Our rtionship ends here. Go and live the life you wanted."


    Evelyn''s eyes widened in shock. She couldn''t ept that her mother was truly abandoning her. This was the oue she had wanted, so why did her heart ache so much?


    She shook her head quickly, crying as she spoke, "No, Mom, you''ll always be my mother."


    "Miss Carrington, you have to live with the choices you''ve made. I heard what you and Sophia were saying at the mall yesterday. You never wanted me to be alive; you only wanted Sophia to be your mother. I have granted your wish. Now, I ask that you please stop disturbing my life."


    Once her leg healed, she and her parents would leave this city and start over somewhere else.


    Instead of being tormented by others, she would rather treat her parents well. It hadn''t been easy for them to raise her.


    Now that they were getting older, she wanted to spend time with them, to travel with them.


    Evelyn looked in disbelief at her mother''s cold, detached expression. The eyes that once held such hope were nowpletely nk.


    Evelyn knew, in that moment, that her mother hadpletely given up on her. She was terrified.


    Her mother had heard what she and Sophia said yesterday while they were shopping.


    "Mom..."


    "Natalie, I''m heading back now. You should get some rest too. It''s too cold out here," Melissa Grant said, pointedly ignoring her daughter.


    Natalie replied, "Alright."


    The assistant helped Mrs. Wilson into the car, stowed the wheelchair, and then


    drove away.