CHAPTER ONE (1):Darius had always loved his wife the way flies love alcohol—knowing full well it might destroy them, but unable to look away. Lisa was cold. Not the kind of cold that shivers, but the kind that freezes you out slowly, day by day, until you forget what warmth ever felt like. She kept him at arm's length for three years. Three years of sleeping on the far edge of the bed. Three years of conversations that ended before they began. Three years of Darius telling himself that if he just tried harder, loved louder, gave more—she would finally let him in.He planned the cruise as a last resort. A floating gamble. Ten days on the Mediterranean, just the two of them, no work, no distractions. The day of departure, he stood at the port in a linen shirt she had bought him last Christmas—the only gift she'd ever given him that felt personal. She had told him to wait for him at the shore, while she attended to some personal things. Darius, on the other hand, did nothing b

CHAPTER THREE (3):The lifeboat scraped against the shore like a dying breath.Lisa climbed out first, her dress torn, her hands raw from gripping the oars. She collapsed onto the sand, gasping for breath. Behind her, Harry stumbled out, looking pale and shaken—though not from the storm. From the performance he had been rehearsing since the moment they left Darius behind."We made it," Lisa whispered, staring at the gray sky. Then her eyes widened instantly as she remembered something. "The rescue team, I need to call for rescue. They need to save Darius."She mumbled, scrambling on to her feet, already reaching for her phone. Her fingers trembled as she unlocked it. Trying to make the emergency call. Before she could dial, a loud groan stopped her.Harry had both hands pressed to his chest. His face had gone white. Not the pale of fear, but the pretense pale of a man who knew exactly how to break a woman's heart."Lisa," he wheezed, continuously tapping his chest,"my chest. I thin

CHAPTER FIVE:“Harry?!!”Lisa's scream cut through the room like a blade.She had rushed toward Harry the moment he hit the floor, her hands reaching for him, her eyes wide with panic. But then she looked up. She saw Darius standing in the doorway, rain dripping from his ruined clothes, his face hardened like a rock. And she screamed again—louder this time, upon seeing the nightmare standing in front of her.Harry scrambled behind her back, his fingers digging into her shoulders like claws. His breath came in short, wet gasps. Lisa could feel him trembling against her spine, could smell the sour stench of his fear.She wanted to push him away. She wanted to tell him to stand up, to be a man, to stop hiding behind her like a child. Knowing how fragile and weak Harry was, Lisa didn't push him away. Because somewhere deep inside, Lisa had always liked being needed. And Harry needed her desperately.Darius watched them both with eyes that held no warmth. No anger. No pain. Just emptiness

CHAPTER SEVEN:Elena stood frozen on the rain-slicked pavement, her chest heaving, her palms still raw from the fall. She watched as the man before her fought marvelously. Her eyes glint at every moves he took. With one punch, he knocked out one of the men who was rushing towards him with a baton. She watched as Darius kicked the man into the gutter, while he dampened his clothes. The gang leader was visibly amazed and furious, he couldn't understand how Darius was able to beat up his men. “You useless brat! You really think you can fight! You just fought with my weaker men.” " Boys, get him! Beat him mercilessly, I want all his limbs broken. I need to kill him myself for disrespecting me!” He bellowed in fury. The gangs obeyed his instruacton and ran towards with different kinds of weapon. Seeing this, Darius’ eyes shone in rage, hot adrenaline ran through his veins, his body screamed for blood. He charged towards them with precision and accurate force, with just one punch, he

Chapter Nine:Darius stood in the cold marble hallway of City Hall, his hands in his pockets, his eyes fixed on the entrance doors. The clock on the wall ticked loudly, each second stretching into an eternity. He had arrived early—too early, perhaps. But he needed to be here. He needed to see this through.The divorce papers were already signed. His signature sat at the bottom of the page in dark, permanent ink. He hadn't demanded for anything. Not the house. Not the car. Not a single penny of the money they had saved together. He just wanted out to be free. He glanced at the door again. No sign of her yet. She's not coming, he thought. Of course she's not coming. She never shows up when it matters.But then the doors swung open, and she walked in.Lisa was beautiful. She always had been. Even now, with her face tight with barely concealed anger, her eyes flashing with something that might have been fear, she was stunning. Her hair was perfectly styled into a ponytail. Her dress wa