1 My wife, the heiress, believes money corrupts men. She threw me and our critically ill son out, demanding I account for every cent. When our son’s heart condition worsened, I desperately used the emergency card Serena gave me. The PIN failed—repeatedly. She called instantly: “You parasite! $500 a month isn’t enough? How dare you steal from me?” “Harry made me change the password. You’ll get nothing more, Evan.” To save my son, I rushed home in the rain for my last savings—but Harry, her assistant and lover, blocked the door. “All Vance assets are under my control,” he smirked. “Taking even a penny is a crime.” I begged: “Leo’s dying. I need to save him.” Serena appeared, arm in arm with Harry, and pushed me away with her foot. “Stop your pathetic drama. It’s disgusting.” After ten years of love, something in me shattered. If she wants blood… then blood it will be. … My legs gave out from under me. With a trembling hand, I dialed the hospital. “Please,” I choked out, “just save my son. I… I’m on my way.” Before I could finish, a hand slapped the phone from my grasp. “So noisy!” It clattered to the marble floor, the screen instantly fracturing. My mind went blank as I lunged for it, but Harry’s polished leather shoe came down first. He ground his heel into it, the screen splintering into a spiderweb of glass. “A small lesson,” he sneered, his hand sliding down Serena’s waist. “If I catch you stealing again, it won’t be this simple.” He smirked, his touch becoming possessive. “What’s the big deal about one kid? If you want another, I can give you one right now.” “Oh, you,” Serena purred, hooking her arms around his neck and planting kisses on his face. She then shot me a look of pure ice. “What are you still standing here for? Get the hell out!” The image of my son, pale and struggling for breath in a hospital bed, forced the humiliation down my throat. “Serena,” I said, my voice raw and broken, “I’m begging you. Just lend me the money for Leo. He’s your son. Your own flesh and blood. Are you really going to watch him die?” For a second, I saw a flicker of something in her eyes—hesitation. She turned to Harry. “Maybe we should—” “No.” Harry pulled his arm from her grasp, his tone sharp as he sank into the plush sofa. “He’s having an attack, he’s not dead. What’s all the fuss?” He leveled a cool gaze at her. “And didn’t you promise you’d listen to me about everything?” His voice dropped to a suggestive whisper. “If you go soft on him today, just wait and see how I’ll punish you tonight.” “Okay, okay, you’re right, I’m sorry…” Serena melted instantly, curling into his lap, her hands beginning to roam. Harry’s laughter was triumphant, his eyes locking with mine in a blatant challenge. They started to move against each other, right there in the living room, the shameless sounds stabbing at my eardrums. I squeezed my eyes shut, a bone-deep chill spreading through me. Finally, I gritted my teeth. “Serena,” I said, each word a shard of glass. “Let’s get a divorce.” The air froze. Serena pushed Harry off her, her face a mask of annoyance. “Evan, who the hell do you think you are? You don’t get to ask me for a divorce.” She stood up, her voice dripping with contempt. “Don’t forget, the food you eat, the clothes on your back, even your worthless life—it all belongs to the Vance family!” Her words were a knife in my heart, and memories flooded back against my will. Serena and I were childhood sweethearts. When her family’s company went bankrupt, I didn’t hesitate. I gave her my entire inheritance from my parents to pull them through. She had cried in my arms, swearing, “Evan, from this day on, I will never betray you.” Now, looking at the fresh marks on her neck, a wave of nausea churned in my stomach. I could only bite down, hard. Seeing my silence, she let out a scornful laugh and patted my cheek. “Just be a good little dog and do as you’re told.” A profound sense of powerlessness washed over me. In my desperation, I scrambled to scoop up the loose change that had fallen from my pockets, making a break for the door. Harry shot up and kicked me square in the chest. The blow sent me flying backward. I crashed to the floor, a blinding, searing pain erupting from my ribs. “Are you deaf? You won’t touch a single cent of Vance money!” he snarled. With a flick of his wrist, two bodyguards materialized, seizing my arms in an iron grip. His smug expression was the final straw. “Let me go!” I roared, thrashing wildly. “If anything happens to my son, I swear I’ll kill you!” I wrenched one arm free and grabbed his tie, yanking him toward me. Serena snatched a heavy crystal ashtray from the coffee table and hurled it at my head. My vision exploded into blackness. Warm blood streamed from my temple, blurring the world. As the room spun, the last thing I heard was her cold, clear command. “Lock him in the basement. It’s time he learned a lesson.” They threw me into the darkness like a bag of trash. I slammed my fists against the heavy steel door until my knuckles were raw and bloody, but there was no response. Exhausted, I finally slid to the floor, all fight gone from me. The image of Leo’s pale face swam before my eyes, and the tears finally came. Clang! The door rattled open, and a bowl of reeking leftovers was shoved inside. “Hey! Dinner time!” a brutish guard I’d never seen before grunted. It was a lifeline. I scrambled to the door. “Sir, please! Please let me out!” I begged. “My son is dying in the hospital! I have to save him! Please!” The guard chuckled as if I’d told him a joke. In my despair, I reached out, trying to grab his pant leg. He recoiled instantly, then brought his boot down hard on my wrist. A muffled cry of pain escaped my lips. “Get off me, you filthy piece of trash!” he spat, kicking the bowl over. Foul-smelling food and sour liquid splattered all over me. He spit on the floor. “A man as pathetic as you might as well be dead.” The door slammed shut again, plunging me back into the stinking darkness. I sat there, paralyzed in the cold filth, as the last flicker of light in my soul died out. Sleep was a luxury I couldn’t afford. Through the night, I painstakingly pried open the grate of a ventilation shaft and began the agonizing crawl through the narrow passage. Sharp metal edges tore at my skin, leaving me bloodied and raw, but by dawn, I had made it to the hospital. My son was lying in his bed, his breathing terrifyingly shallow. Tears burst from my eyes as I stumbled to his side, gripping his small, cold hand. “Leo, Daddy’s here… Daddy’s here…” “Mr. Thorne, what happened to you?” The doctor entered the room and gasped at the sight of me, covered in blood and grime. But his expression quickly grew grim. “We managed to stabilize him last night, but his condition is critical. He needs surgery. Immediately.” “Then do it! I’ll sign whatever you need!” I grabbed his arm, my voice trembling uncontrollably. The doctor shook his head, his face etched with pity. “The family card you’re registered with has been frozen. The account is inaccessible.” He hesitated. “And the surgery, plus the aftercare… it will cost at least half a million dollars.” The words struck me like a bolt of lightning. The blood in my veins turned to ice. I couldn’t believe Serena, just to satisfy Harry’s lust for control, would be cruel enough to extinguish my last sliver of hope. From the bed, Leo must have sensed my despair. His voice was a mere whisper. “Daddy… don’t cry. Leo doesn’t hurt.” I shook my head violently, tears mixing with the blood on my face. “Don’t you worry, sweetheart. Daddy will find a way. I promise, I will save you.” My grief was so absolute that I didn’t notice the profound understanding in my son’s eyes, a wisdom that didn’t belong to a child. I missed the deep, heartbreaking reluctance in his gaze as he watched me leave. I ran back to the mansion like a man possessed. When I burst through the living room doors, the sound of sharp laughter died abruptly. Serena was curled in Harry’s lap, sipping champagne. The cruel contrast between their leisurely morning and my dying son ignited a firestorm in my chest. “Serena!” I screamed. “Are you even human? You froze the card? It only had a five-hundred-dollar limit!” She looked at me, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. “What are you talking about?” “I froze it.” Harry wiped his mouth with a napkin, his gaze dismissive. “This is what happens when you don’t report to me, Evan. Serena said five hundred a month, that’s it. As for that little bastard’s medical bills? You can go earn the money yourself.” I was shaking with rage, my eyes fixed on Serena. “You’re just going to stand there and let him murder your own son?!” “Harry…” Serena began, a hint of guilt in her voice, but he cut her off with a single, sharp look. “Are you getting soft again?” Harry stood, his voice grating. “You said I was in charge. Now this loser puts on a little sob story and you want to give him money? What about my authority? My pride?” Serena rushed to his side, placating him. “Don’t be angry, honey. Of course, you’re in charge.” I stood frozen, watching this grotesque farce play out. My heart felt like it was being physically ripped in two. My son and I… we were nothing more than props for her to appease her lover. Looking around the opulent room, a bitter, hollow laugh escaped my lips. “My son’s life is worth less than this boy-toy’s ego.” I locked eyes with her. “Serena, you don’t deserve to be a mother.” “Shut up!” she shrieked, her face contorted with fury. She slapped me, hard. “If it weren’t for your pathetic tricks, I never would have gotten pregnant with that little mistake in the first place! If he dies, he has it coming!” Her monstrous words made the veins in my temples throb. I lunged at her, but the bodyguards were on me in an instant, pinning me to the floor. All I could do was roar in helpless fury. Serena smoothed her dress and took Harry’s arm. “Anyone who makes Harry unhappy,” she said, her voice a cold whisper as she passed me, “is just asking for trouble.” Harry tilted his chin up, his face a mask of smug satisfaction. “Stop begging like a dog, you waste of space. If you really want money, there are plenty of ways to sell yourself. Drop the act.” A cruel grin spread across his face. “In fact, I’ll send you somewhere you can earn some big money right now.” He grabbed me by the collar and dragged me out the door like a carcass. He took me to a private, members-only club owned by the Vance Corporation. “Do a little show for the ladies here,” Harry said, enjoying the terrified pallor of my face. “A little striptease, maybe bark like a dog. If one of them is in a good mood, who knows? She might just toss you enough for those medical bills.” Before I could fight back, his men shoved me into the center of a private suite. The humiliation was absolute, a physical weight that made every pore of my skin crawl. But the image of Leo, alone and fighting for his life, flashed in my mind. Under the glare of a dozen mocking eyes, I began to unbutton my shirt, my hands shaking uncontrollably. I dropped to my knees on the cold floor, my disheveled hair barely hiding the burning shame on my face. “Crawl!” someone shouted. The jeers and catcalls were like lashes on my back. Each movement was a fresh wave of degradation, threatening to crush what little was left of me. I bit my lip until I tasted blood. My dignity was ground into dust. The room erupted in laughter as banknotes rained down on me, hitting my face and body. “Isn’t that Mr. Thorne? How the mighty have fallen.” “What a loser. Can’t even keep his own wife happy. These kept men have no spine.” “I heard Serena Vance took her new boy-toy on a yacht trip. Dropped a hundred million in one night without batting an eye.” Every word was a poisoned dart. My son’s life was nothing to them. A joke. I crawled numbly from one spectator to the next, enduring their taunts. But no matter what I did, the money they threw was a pittance, a drop in the ocean against the mountain of medical debt. The alcohol they forced on me and the sheer exhaustion were making me delirious. I was about to pass out. I forced myself to gather the scattered bills, until Harry’s shoe came down, grinding my hand into the carpet. “Well, look at you. Willing to lose all face for that short-lived brat, huh?” He crouched down, yanking my chin up. “Since you worked so hard, I’ve got a little something for you.” A sense of profound dread washed over me. He produced a small, black wooden box and slowly opened it in front of me. Inside was a small pile of grayish-white powder. “You wanted to see your son, didn’t you?” he purred, his smile utterly demonic. “Might be hard to recognize him now that he’s just ash.” The blood froze in my veins. “No!” I screamed, a raw, animal sound. “You’re lying!” Harry leaned in closer, his grin widening with sadistic pleasure. “He was a smart kid, actually. Knew he was a burden. He pulled out his own oxygen tube. Guess he figured having a pathetic failure for a father wasn’t much of a life.” “AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!” A tsunami of grief and rage annihilated my sanity. I exploded upward like a cornered animal, my fist connecting with Harry’s face in a sickening crunch. He shrieked, stumbling backward. The box flew from his hand, hitting the floor and bursting open. At that exact moment, the door to the suite was thrown open. Serena stood there. She saw Harry on the floor, clutching his face, and her expression turned murderous. She rushed to his side, her eyes full of panic and concern. Then she turned on me. “Evan! Are you insane?! How dare you touch Harry!” I stared at the blinding white powder scattered across the floor, my heart threatening to stop. I fell to my knees, uselessly trying to gather the dust with my bare hands. Tears mixed with the blood from my forehead, dripping onto the plush carpet. Serena grabbed a glass of champagne and smashed it over my head, her shrill curses ringing in my ears. I barely felt it. I was numb. “Crazy…” I mumbled, my mouth full of the coppery taste of blood. “Yes. I am crazy.” I looked up, my eyes a hellish reflection of a man with nothing left to lose. Serena flinched, a flicker of fear in her eyes as she stumbled back. In the next second, I snatched a shard of broken glass from the floor and lunged. “My son is dead,” I snarled. “And I'm going to make you both pay. Blood for blood!”
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