******By the time they ultimately left the villa, it was already well past midnight.The night air was cool, quiet, and deceptively peaceful. Yet if anyone had seen Ethan before and then saw him now, they would have sworn it was an elaborate deception.The earlier Ethan had looked as though he had been run over by a train… his bones shattered, his organs destroyed, and his body pushed far beyond the limits of recovery.Even survival would have been an insult to probability, let alone full restoration.That Ethan should not have existed anymore.But the Ethan Glenn carried now looked like a teenager simply asleep after a long, exhausting day at school. His breathing was steady, his expression calm and peaceful.It was as if nothing had ever happened.And Ben… he hadn’t woken up.…About ten minutes later, they arrived at Ethan’s house.By then, most of the neighbors had already dispersed, frightened away by authority, exhaustion, or common sense.Only about a handful remai

******Godsbreaker had never dared to imagine the possibility of Glenn releasing him before now.In his mind, he had already resigned himself to the idea that only after he had taken Glenn directly to James would he know his punishment.In fact, he had assumed his fate would remain suspended… undefined, precarious, and terrifying until that moment arrived.The idea that Glenn would let him go, even temporarily, had never crossed his mind… not after the fury he had witnessed that night.Not after witnessing Glenn reduce the thugs into trembling wrecks… making their fate worse than death.Yet now…Godsbreaker stared at him in a daze, his mind blank.For a moment, he completely forgot how to blink and how to breathe properly, his thoughts tangling together uselessly until…“You… you want me to leave?” he blurted out before he could stop himself. “Aren’t… aren’t you scared I will run?”But the instant the words escaped his mouth, regret hit him like a sledgehammer.He bit his t

******Glenn cleared the cobwebs in swift, efficient strokes, dust rising in brief clouds before settling again as he swept and wiped each surface clean with precise, methodical movements.Every movement was economical and practiced… appearing as though he had done this long enough to become an expert.And just like that, the abandoned room slowly transformed under his hands… not rushed, not careless, but deliberate.Within thirty minutes, the space that had looked forgotten by time no longer bore any trace of neglect.The floor gleamed faintly, the walls were clean, and even the stale air seemed fresher and lighter, as though the room itself had exhaled.It looked less like something hastily cleaned and more like it had been restored by a professional with a touch of obsession.And with this done, Glenn dropped his bag by the wall, took a quick shower, and then… without bothering to find anything softer, he lay himself down on the cold, hard tiles, and… fell asleep instantly.

******The Walker estate.‘Is this it?’As she sat still while hands moved around her, adjusting fabric and brushing powder across her skin, Irene couldn’t stop the thought from echoing inside her head.It floated there, hollow and unreal, like a question asked into a void that never answered back.Over the night, she had imagined… no, desperately begged for a miracle to happen.Something dramatic, something impossible, a sudden interruption, and a last-minute escape. Even a disaster would have sufficed, as long as it tore this moment apart and spared her from stepping into the hell waiting at the end of the aisle.She had hoped desperately and pathetically.But now, time was no longer crawling… it was marching forward with cruel precision, closing in on the moment she would be forced to exchange vows she didn’t believe in, promises that tasted like poison.She was already in her wedding dress, a white, immaculate, and heavy fabric that clung to her like a shackle disguised a

******At this moment, the entire Walker estate was brightly, beautifully, and colorfully decorated, every corner drenched in an exaggerated celebratory glow.Ribbons fluttered in the morning breeze, flowers overflowed from vases that cost more than most people’s monthly salaries, and polished floors reflected smiling faces.This was a very big day for the Walkers.Their two daughters were getting married at the same time.Not just married… they were being paraded, displayed, and exchanged like priceless assets.To the Walkers, this wasn’t merely a wedding; it was a public declaration of victory.They weren’t just sending their daughters off. They were “taking” two of the most successful, heaven-favored young masters in the city… men praised endlessly for their backgrounds, influence, and supposed virtue.Young masters who were respected, loved, and greatly envied.Both grooms came from prominent, well-known families in Jay City. Families that usually looked down on others. A