Sky spoke with a calm, almost distant gentleness. The way he looked at Emma no longer held any trace of the tenderness or affection it once did.

    "Emma, from now on, you''ll have to rely on yourself. There''s nothing more I can do for you. Once I walk out that door, we may never see each other again. And even if we do, we will only be strangers.

    "Sky, don''t do this to me. If even you no longer want me, then what reason do I have to live? I grew up in the Walker family, spoiled and adored by everyone. How can you all just say you don''t love me anymore and actually mean it?"

    "You hurt Natalie. She''s my real sister, my parents'' biological daughter. You should never have hurt her." Sky''s voice remained steady.

    "I didn''t understand back then. I had everything backward. If I had realized sooner where I went wrong, none of this would have happened."

    As he spoke, a gentle expression passed over his face. "Emma, it''s not toote. You can still start over. Don''t give up on yourself."

    Emma cried even harder. She shook her head as if trying to refute him, to say that things weren''t the way he believed. But Sky didn''t respond.

    He stood up and offered a soft smile. "Take care of yourself, Emma. This is thest time I will speak to you as your older brother. From now on, your life is your own to walk."

    Still, he stepped forward and reached out, ruffling her hair gently. "Be well."

    Emma suddenly grabbed his hand. "Sky, I''m serving a life sentence. There''s no way out for me. My life ended the moment the sentence was handed down. I don''t know what to do anymore. I truly don''t."

    He looked at her tear-streaked face. To say he felt nothing would be a lie. But he could no longer help her. He had his own path to walk.

    "I''m sorry, Emma. I really can''t help you."

    He let out a quiet sigh and slowly pulled his hand away. "Time''s up. I have to go now."

    "Sky, please don''t go. I''m begging you."

    He shook his head. "I''m sorry."

    Without turning back, Sky walked out of the hospital room. Outside, he gave a polite nod to the warden. "Thank you. May I return now?"

    "Yes. Let''s go."

    Just as he stepped forward, a desperate, gut-wrenching cry echoed from inside the hospital.

    "Sky!"

    Emma''s voice rang through the corridor, but he didn''t stop. In fact, he picked up his pace. He didn''t me her for what had happened. He didn''t me anyone. This was his own doing.

    He had made mistakes. For a long time, he had even med Natalie.

    But the truth was, Natalie had never tried to harm Emma. If anything, she hadn''t even cared enough topete with her.

    It was just that Emma had never understood this. She believed everyone thought the way she did.

    Sky got into the prison van and nced back once at the hospital. In his heart, he quietly wished her peace.

    Everyone had their own fate to bear. He had made his mistakes and would have to live more carefully in the future.

    His parents were still waiting for him toe home. Compared to his four brothers, he had fallen far behind.

    But thankfully, Natalie was still willing to give him another chance. She was still willing to acknowledge him as her brother.

    After Sky left, Emmapletely broke down. She yanked out the IV needle from the back of her hand and grabbed fistfuls of her hair, pulling with all her strength.

    The pain spread through her entire body, but it still could notpare to the torment in her heart.

    In her prison ward, there was another woman. That woman often had visitors. Sometimes, she would be taken out and thene back with news.

    She had told Emma about Natalie and Marcus. She had heard about the wedding. About the pregnancy. About everything.

    That was why she had begged to see Charlotte. But Charlotte had crushed her hope before she could say a word.

    Then Sky came to visit. But even then, she never got the chance to mention Natalie or Marcus.

    Their attitudes were the same. Cold and detached. Even the brother who had once loved her most had let her go.

    In that moment, Emma knew she had no one left. No future. No hope.

    After some time, she slowly got out of bed. Barefoot, she staggered into the bathroom.

    She turned on the tap and filled the sink with water. Then, she lowered her head into the sink, choosing to end it all.

    Back at the prison, Sky couldn''t shake the unease in his chest. He couldn''t exin why. He just felt that something was off.

    Not long after he returned, the warden came to find him.

    "Sky, Emma is dead." His voice was solemn. "She drowned herself in the bathroom right after your visit. We reviewed the surveince footage. It was clearly a suicide, and it had nothing to do with you.

    "Also, yourwyer came earlier. Based on your recent contributions and consistently good behavior, your sentence has been reduced. You''ve been granted early release."

    "What?" Sky''s mind went nk.

    One second, he received news that Emma had taken her own life. The next, he was being told he was free.

    "You will still need to report regrly and cooperate with future investigations." Seeing him stay silent, the warden figured he was just too happy to speak.

    "Don''t get ahead of yourself. If you break thew again, not only wille your reduced sentence be revoked, but you''ll also face even heavier punishment. So once you''re out, follow the rules. Stay clean."

    Sky finally snapped out of his daze. He nodded slowly and asked in a low voice,

    "Did Emma die after I left?"

    The warden nodded. "Yes. She filled the sink and drowned herself. But again, her action had nothing to do with you. Go pack up. Yourwyer is handling the paperwork. You''ll leave with him soon."

    Sky nodded again. "Thank you. I understand."

    He packed up his belongings in a daze. Soon, thewyer arrived to take him out.

    "Mr. Walker, we''re ready to leave."

    Thewyer was Walter, someone Sky had known before.

    Walter gave him a polite smile. "Natalie sent me. Mr. Walker, we''ve met before."

    Sky froze. "Who did you say sent you?"

    "Natalie. She asked me toe and bring you home," Walter repeated.