As the Canary Contract Expired, I Left New York Carrying My Father’s Ashes Chapter 04
Before leaving the country, I went to Caleb’s private estate in the Hamptons.
There was still one thing there that I needed to take back.
Before my father was diagnosed, he had carved me a wooden talisman by hand for protection.
The wood itself was worthless. The carving was rough, and there was even an unfinished knife mark on the back.
When I moved into Caleb’s villa, he had complained that my rented apartment was too damp. He moved all my important belongings to his private residence in the Hamptons.
I only wanted the talisman.
The security code hadn’t changed.
But the moment I pushed open the living room door, I saw Carol sitting on the couch.
She was wearing that red dress.
Scattered around her feet were picture frames and torn packaging paper.
My father’s talisman was pinned beneath the base of an easel, covered in mud and dirty water.
“Nancy?” Carol looked up and smiled, her eyes curving slightly. “What brings you here?”
I didn’t answer.
I walked over and bent down to pick up the talisman.
Before I could touch it, she moved first.
Her heel came down on top of it.
“Don’t move it. My easel was just secured. If you take it away, it’ll fall.”
My voice turned cold.
“Move your foot.”
“It’s just a piece of broken wood.” She tilted her head. “You’re not seriously going to be this petty, are you?”
I crouched down and grabbed the exposed edge of the carving.
Carol pressed down harder.
The cracked piece of wood gave a faint snap.
My heart tightened.
I yanked it back with all my strength.
Carol lost her balance and stumbled backward, hitting the edge of the couch.
She wasn’t hurt.
But her eyes immediately turned red.
At that exact moment, the front door opened.
Caleb walked in.
Carol held her wrist and spoke softly.
“Caleb, don’t blame Nancy. I didn’t know this piece of wood meant so much to her.”
Caleb didn’t ask what happened.
He walked straight toward me and grabbed my wrist.
“Who gave you permission to come here?”
I stared at him coldly.
“I came to take what belongs to me.”
“Your things?”
His eyes fell on the wooden carving in my hand, and his expression darkened.
Once, when he first saw this talisman, he had mocked my father’s craftsmanship.
But that night, he had secretly sent someone to buy wood polish.
Wearing gloves, he had carefully smoothed every rough edge himself.
“Your father’s gift matters. Of course we’re going to preserve it properly.”
Back then, I had laughed at him for calling my father “father-in-law” too soon.
He had pinched my cheek and said,
“It’s not too soon. Once your father gets better, I’ll take you to meet the elders of my family. We’ll make our relationship official.”
But now, the wooden carving had split straight down the middle.
Caleb only glanced at it.
Then he casually pulled the handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the fingers that had touched me.
“You pushed Carol over something like this?”
I shook my head.
“I didn’t push her.”
His tone grew impatient.
“Her wrist is red.”
“So?”
My calm response made his wiping motion slow.
I looked directly at him.
“You promised you would keep it safe for me.”
“I also promised I would handle your father’s treatment.”
He threw the handkerchief into the trash.
“But you were the one who used his life to threaten me first.”
Carol stepped forward and gently tugged on his sleeve.
“Forget it. I’m not upset. Nancy is probably just under too much pressure lately.”
When Caleb looked at her, the coldness in his eyes softened.
But when he turned back to me, all that remained was impatience.
“Apologize to Carol.”
I carefully placed the broken carving into my pocket.
“She damaged something my father left me. I’m not the one who should apologize.”
“Nancy.”
His voice lowered.
“Don’t force me to make this ugly.”
He pulled out his phone.
Right in front of me, he dialed the number for the family hospital.
“Cancel all medical authorization under William Johnson’s name.”
I stood there and watched him make the call.
After he hung up, he slipped the phone back into his pocket.
“Ten minutes.”
His eyes were cold.
“Get on your knees and clean Carol’s shoes. Then this ends here.”
Caleb held out his hand.
“Give me the carving. I’ll find someone who can repair it. I’ll also continue paying for your father’s treatment.”
His voice softened slightly.
“I can give you everything you want.”
That hand stopped in front of me.
Three years ago, it had been that same hand that pulled me up from the cold hospital bench.
For one brief moment, I actually wanted to take out my father’s death certificate.
I wanted to tell him it was too late.
I wanted to see if he would regret it.
If he would hold me again and say the same thing he had said back then.
“Nancy, don’t be afraid.”
But when Carol stepped closer, Caleb instinctively moved aside and placed himself between us, shielding her.
That single action made the final decision for me.
I didn’t give him the carving.
“Caleb, you can’t fix it today.”
His expression hardened.
“Ten minutes from now, not a single dialysis machine in the entire country will start for your father.”
His voice was merciless.
“I’ll make sure you watch him pay the price for your pride.”
I let out a bitter laugh and turned away.
I walked into the rain.
There were no footsteps behind me.
I left the estate grounds and stopped a car on the roadside.
One hour later——
“Dear passengers, the flight to Sicily is about to depart. Please proceed to the boarding gate.”
I stood up and folded together the death certificate and the cremation receipt from my pocket.
The announcement played again.
Caleb was probably still waiting for me to come back and kneel before him.
Then let him wait.
He doesn’t need to know anything.