"Is that… the Sterling CEO?"A young man in a delivery uniform nearly dropped his phone as he stared at the scene unfolding before him. His companion, an older woman carrying groceries, stopped beside him and gasped.Outside the towering steel gates of Northgate Federal Prison, a line of black luxury cars stretched along the road like a funeral procession. Each vehicle gleamed under the afternoon sun, their tinted windows hiding whoever sat inside. Men in dark suits stood at attention beside each door, their faces blank, their posture military-sharp.But it was the woman at the front who commanded attention.Claire Sterling.Everyone in the city knew that name. She was the CEO of Sterling Global Corporation, one of the most powerful business empires in the world. Her face had graced the covers of magazines. Her decisions had toppled competitors and built industries. She was known for her ice-cold elegance and her ruthless efficiency.And yet here she stood, outside a prison, waiting.

For a long moment, Ethan did not move.He stood there in the middle of the prison yard, staring down at the divorce papers scattered across the concrete. The check lay nearby, fluttering slightly in the breeze.Ten thousand dollars.That was what three years of his life was worth to her.Behind him, the guard shifted uncomfortably. A few other inmates who were being processed watched from a distance, their faces curious. They could sense the tension in the air. The kind of tension that came before something broke.Vivian stood beside her luxury car, arms folded, waiting. Her expression was smug. Satisfied. Like someone who had just won a game.She expected him to beg. To drop to his knees and plead with her. To tell her he would change, that he would be better, that he would do anything if she would just take him back.That was what weak men did.And in her mind, Ethan Cross was the weakest man she had ever known.Slowly, Ethan bent down. His knees creaked slightly as he crouched. His

The convoy moved through the city streets in silence.Ethan sat in the back seat, his hands resting on his knees. He stared out the window, watching familiar neighborhoods pass by. Streets he had walked a thousand times. Corners where he had waited for buses. Shops where he had bought groceries for his sister.Everything looked the same.But everything had changed.Claire sat across from him, her phone pressed to her ear. She was speaking in low, clipped tones, coordinating with her team. Ethan heard fragments of her conversation. Locations. Names. Addresses.But his mind was elsewhere.He was thinking about Lily.About the last time he had seen her. Three years ago. The morning before the police came to arrest him.She had been crying. Clinging to his sleeve. Begging him not to go."I will be back soon," he had told her, stroking her hair. "I promise. And when I come back, everything will be better."He had believed it then.He had believed Vivian would take care of her. That his sacri

David's scream died in his throat, replaced by shallow, gasping breaths. Blood continued to seep from the corner of his mouth, staining his expensive leather jacket.Ethan's foot remained on his chest. Not pressing hard. Not yet. Just enough weight to remind David exactly how fragile he was."I asked you a question," Ethan said quietly.His voice was calm. Almost gentle. But there was something underneath it that made David's entire body go cold.Mrs. Hart stood frozen near the window, her hand pressed against her mouth. Her eyes were wide with terror. She had never seen anything like this. Her son, her arrogant, confident son, was lying broken on the floor like a discarded toy.And the man responsible stood over him with the calm expression of someone watering plants."Please," Mrs. Hart whispered, her voice trembling. "Please, he is my son. He did not mean"Ethan's gaze shifted to her. Just for a moment. But it was enough to make her words die in her throat.He looked back down at D

The hall fell silent.Every conversation stopped. Every laugh died. Even the music seemed to fade into nothing.All eyes turned toward the shattered entrance.A man stood in the doorway, silhouetted against the bright lights of the corridor behind him. His clothes were simple. Plain and nothing special. But the way he stood—completely still and calm made the air feel heavy and dangerous.Ethan's gaze swept across the room. Past the expensive furniture. Past the well-dressed guests frozen in shock. Past Vivian and Marcus and Richard.His eyes found the cage.And the girl inside it.Lily his sister.Her face was pale. Blood covered her arms, her forehead, her bare feet. Her dress was torn and filthy. Her body trembled violently.And she was on her knees.Something inside Ethan's chest twisted so painfully he could barely breathe.For three years, he had survived on one thought. One promise.That he would come back for her.That he would protect her.And now, seeing her like this—broken