MARCOI sat in the sleek leather chair outside the hospital room, my hands curled into fists on my knees.The sterile white walls reflected back the ruin that had become my life. The collapse of Aegis Pharma, the mountain of debt, the shame—I had nothing left.Nothing but him. My son. My Leo. The only reason I could still drag myself out of bed in the morning.I glanced at the polished floor, at the nurses moving with their practiced efficiency, and swallowed the bitter lump rising in my throat. This was supposed to be my world. My control. And now… it had all crumbled. I had thought I could rebuild, fix what was broken, but my hands were tied, my pockets empty, my pride shattered.Only Leo mattered now. Only his small face, his bright eyes, his tiny hands.The minutes stretched like hours. Every second felt like an eternity as I waited. The doctor had promised to come out soon, and my anxiety gnawed at me. I replayed the past weeks in my head, each mistake, every misstep, every los

SERAPHINEThe moment Mary swerved off the main road and into the narrow dirt path, my stomach tightened.The smell of smoke hit us before we even stopped.The trees around us were blackened at the edges, the ground torn up, ash scattered everywhere. Something violent had happened here.Mary slammed the brakes and jumped out before the car even fully stopped.“Ryan!” she shouted, running toward the charred clearing. “Ryan! Ryan, where are you?!”Her voice cracked so sharply it made my chest tighten. I hurried out after her, almost tripping over a fallen branch.“Mary, slow down—wait!” I called, but she didn’t.She ran from one burnt patch to another, hands on her head, hair flying everywhere. The abandoned camp looked like chaos, frozen mid-scream—footprints, overturned crates, a rope lying on the ground like someone had cut it in a hurry.Mary spun in circles. “Where is he?! Where is Ryan?! He was supposed to be here!”I tried to steady my breathing. The quiet of the place felt wrong

RYANThe steady hum of the boat’s engine vibrated beneath me, a dull rhythm that blended with the ache in my bones.Cold air stung my face. Salt water misted my skin. That was what finally pulled me out of the haze.I opened my eyes.Dark water stretched endlessly around us, the moonlight slicing across the waves like silver knives.The night was quiet, too quiet—only the engine and the splash of water against the hull.I shifted, wincing at the soreness in my ribs. My fingers twitched automatically, feeling for the small bottle I had guarded like a second heartbeat.Still there.My chest tightened so hard my breath caught. How far was I from Jasmine now? How long had it been?, The distance felt infinite.Every time I blinked, I saw her face ,fragile, weak, waiting. I’d promised her I would cure her. I’d promised myself I’d never fail her again.And now I was drifting deeper into nowhere, a hostage on open water.Across the boat, Marco sat hunched over, elbows on his knees, his hands

RYANMarco dragged me out of the car with one hand gripping the back of my shirt, the other pressed to the gun tucked at his waist. His breathing was ragged, tense. I could feel the desperation radiating off him like heat.“Marco,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “You need to calm down. Listen to me. You know fully well—I will save your son.”He didn’t slow his pace. Didn’t look at me. His grip tightened.“You’re just as evil,” he muttered. “All of you. You pretend you’re righteous, but you’re not. I always knew it. I always knew you were hiding something dark.”I swallowed, forcing myself to keep walking. “When have I ever claimed I was righteous?”His jaw tightened.“I’m trying to save my daughter,” I continued. “Does that make me righteous? No. It makes me a father. Same way you’re trying to save your son.”Marco stopped for half a second. His shoulders rose and fell with a heavy breath. I could see the conflict in him—anger, fear, guilt, pride, all fighting at once.But he

RACHELI stayed inside the warehouse, my body pressed against the cold metal wall, my hands clutching the money case like it was the last thing keeping me alive. Machines hummed all around, their lights flickering across the dark, sterile space. I watched the scientists work on Jasmine—blood, wires, needles, and machines intertwining with her fragile little body. They moved quickly, efficiently, like she was nothing but a project, an object to be measured and tested.And I watched. I couldn’t look away. My daughter. My blood. Lying there, helpless, while they tore into her like she owed them something.“She should bear it,” I muttered under my breath. “All of this… it’s his fault.”His face flashed in my mind—Ryan, with that impossible arrogance, always thinking he could control everything. He caused this. Every scrap of misery in my life, every sleepless night, every humiliation—it was because of him. And now… now Jasmine was here, floating in a tube, enduring experiments no child sh