Chapter 72

(Mike’s POV).

“Why are you here? Why can you—” Emily’s voice trembled, her question left unfinished as she stood frozen in shock, her wide eyes fixed on the figure in the doorway.

Ben.

The air seemed to thicken, a heavy silence falling over the room. I could feel the shift in Emily's body beside me, her hand gripping mine tightly as cold sweat beaded on her brow.

I stepped in front of her instinctively, pulling her closer to my side. My chest tightened at the sight of him, anger swirling within me like a storm waiting to break loose.

"Who released you from prison?" I demanded, my voice sharp, cutting through the tension like a blade.

Ben, my nephew—the man who had nearly destroyed Emily with his lies, his betrayal—stood there in front of us as if it were nothing as if the past hadn’t happened.

He had no right to be here.

Ben’s face was blank, expressionless, his eyes void of the usual arrogance I had always despised. He didn’t answer my question immediately. Instead, he took a step