Chapter 1

In dad's office, he was pinned down by a wall of muscle. Susanna Johnson's bodyguards held him in place like he was nothing. His hair, once dark, was now white as snow. He shook with the weight of his fury, but age had softened his voice. He tried to stay calm, his words low, almost pleading.

"Susanna, you've already destroyed everything I've worked for. My company's gone. You've ruined it. Isn't that enough? Haven't you had your revenge?" He forced a shaky breath. "Think back to when we were on good terms..."

Susanna rose slowly from the couch, her heels clicking against the floor. She kicked dad hard, sending him sprawling before tossing a wedding invitation at him with a flick of her manicured fingers.

"Good terms? Drag Matthew out here, make him get on his knees at my wedding and beg for forgiveness in front of everyone, and maybe—just maybe—I'll let you off the hook."

Guilt tore at me as I watched my father suffer, knowing I had abandoned him to face this horror. But Susanna, I was already gone. Dead. There was no way I could show up.

"Susanna, please," Dad choked out, his voice trembling and his body hunched low. "Matthew can't come. I know you're angry at him, at us. But let me apologize for him. Isn't that enough?" His hands pressed into the floor as he prepared to bow to her, his dignity shattered.

I tried to reach for him to help him up, but my hands passed through him like air. I was powerless to do anything but watch.

Susanna's eyes glittered with cold, cruel satisfaction. She leaned in close, her lips curling into a sneer as she whispered into dad's ear, every word dripping with venom.

"You want to take his place? Fine. But that means you owe me double the apologies. Get up and say 'I'm sorry'—and you'll keep saying it until your voice breaks."

Dad hesitated for just a moment, but then he pressed on, each "sorry" weaker than the last. Every word was like a punch to my gut. I clenched my fists, furious at my own helplessness.

Dad's voice grew hoarse, but Susanna did not tell him to stop. She just watched, her irritation flaring more and more with every second of silence.

"Some son you are, Matthew," she spat, her words sharp and bitter. "Leaving your father to grovel like this. Clearly, I haven't gone far enough."

Barely holding back her rage, she turned to her bodyguards. "Tear apart his company. Fire every last employee."

Dad staggered to reach out, trying to stop them. However, they just brushed him off like he was nothing. "Please don't. My employees haven't done anything wrong. They're disabled, Susanna. They'll have nowhere to go if you take this from them."

I tried to stand in the way, to block the door as the bodyguards marched out, but they passed right through me. Outside, chaos erupted. I could only watch as they dragged my dad's employees from their desks, smashing computers and tearing apart years of work. Papers scattered like ash in a windstorm, and one by one, the employees were forced to sign papers claiming they were leaving of their own free will.

I crumpled to the ground, my hands over my head. I was crushed by the weight of it all. This was my fault. Their lives were being destroyed because of me.

Dad's tears flowed freely, his face streaked with grief. His voice barely rose above a whisper, but he kept pleading with Susanna. I could hear his desperation in every word. "Susanna, please. You'll ruin them. They'll lose everything."

Susanna did not flinch. Her expression was cold, emotionless. She looked down at dad like he was nothing more than an insect. "This is your final chance. Bring Matthew out. If you don't, I'll do worse. And it'll all be on you."

Dad squeezed his eyes shut, his facial features twisting with anguish. "He's gone, Susanna. He can't come back anymore." His words hung in the air, final and broken, as the weight of my absence sank in.

"Heh, playing the tough guy, huh?" Susanna said, her anger twisting into a cold, mocking laugh. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned her bodyguards. Her red lips curled into a sinister smile as she gave the order, "Break his legs. Make sure he remembers it."