Vanessa stood frozen for a moment after Darren told her to stay away from him. She watched him turn around and continue gathering the few belongings he intended to take with him. The clothes and toiletries she had scattered across the living room floor no longer seemed to matter to him. He didn't bother picking them up or asking her to move them. He simply stepped over them and continued packing. It was as though Darren had already detached himself from everything that remained in the house. Vanessa's heart tightened. "Darren..." He didn't stop. Instead, he carried one of the suitcases into the guest room. As soon as he came out of the guest room, she followed him, and by the time he reached the entrance, Vanessa was already behind him. "Darren, where are you going at this hour?" Darren ignored her and continued toward the door. This made Vanessa's voice become increasingly anxious. "Where are you going? At least tell me." She hurried after him. "What can I do to make you c

The night wind swept through the streets as Darren jogged alone beneath the dim city lights.He had no destination in mind.He simply needed to move.The faster his feet carried him through the quiet streets, the more he hoped the cold wind would cool the frustration burning inside his chest. But no matter how far he ran, the memories continued following him.Vanessa leaving their birthday dinner.Vanessa choosing Adrian again.The countless times she had abandoned their plans because Adrian supposedly needed her.The countless times Darren had swallowed his anger and convinced himself that she simply didn't understand how her actions looked.He had already made his decision.He was leaving Vanessa.Their marriage was over.Yet knowing that didn't make the pain disappear.Three years of love could not simply be erased because a decision had been made.Darren clenched his fists as he continued jogging.He had given Vanessa too many chances.He had tolerated too much.He had repeatedly

Darren had already put the mysterious encounter behind him. He had no intention of getting involved. Who knew what kind of relationship existed between that woman and the people chasing her? Perhaps she had offended someone powerful. Whatever the truth was, it had nothing to do with him. As long as they didn't provoke him, Darren couldn't care less. Tonight, he already had enough problems of his own. His marriage had fallen apart. The woman he had loved for three years had chosen Adrian over him again. His mood was already terrible, and the last thing he needed was to become involved in someone else's trouble. While continuing along the street, Darren reached into his collar and pulled out the hundred-dollar bill the woman had slipped inside. He glanced at it briefly and a faint trace of amusement crossed his face. "At least she paid in advance." He folded the bill casually. He had no use for it. Later, if he happened to come across a homeless person who needed it, he would si

After leaving the scene, Darren continued jogging through the quiet streets.The cold night wind brushed against his face, but this time, the anger burning inside him had eased considerably. The confrontation had been brief, and although those men had managed to interrupt his thoughts, dealing with them had somehow released some of the frustration that had been building inside him.He wasn't worried about retaliation.People like them were nothing more than rats that only dared to roam in the dark. They relied on numbers, intimidation, and the fact that ordinary people were afraid of them. The moment they encountered someone stronger, all that arrogance disappeared.They would perish the moment they were exposed to the light.Darren had no interest in thinking about them again.His mind returned to Vanessa.That was the problem he couldn't simply beat into submission.No matter how powerful he was, no matter how many enemies he had defeated, he couldn't force himself to stop caring abo

Vanessa knocked repeatedly on the guest bedroom door, hoping Darren would eventually change his mind and open it. “Darren,” she called softly at first. “Please open the door.” There was no response. She knocked again. “Darren, I just want to talk to you.” Still nothing. Vanessa stood outside the closed door for several seconds, staring at it with a mixture of frustration and disbelief. She could hear nothing from inside. Darren had deliberately shut himself away from her, and after everything that had happened that evening, the silence felt almost cruel. She knocked one more time, harder this time. “Darren!” Nothing. Vanessa's expression tightened. She tried the doorknob again, but it would not move. The door was locked. She searched through the nearby drawers and cabinets, hoping there might be a spare key somewhere. She checked the small cabinet beside the guest bedroom, then the hallway storage compartment, and even looked through a drawer where household key