Chapter 1 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."

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

The bodyguards stepped forward, gripping iron rods in their hands and tapping them against the floor with a slow, deliberate rhythm that echoed in the room like a death knell. Dad's eyes widened in sheer terror, his body trembling as he tried to scramble away. However, they yanked him back by his shirt, dragging him across the floor and dumping him at Susanna's feet like discarded trash. I lunged, trying to wrap my arms around dad. I was desperate to shield him, but it was like I wasn't even there—my arms passed through him as if I were nothing. I was helpless to stop the iron rods that came crashing down. Blow after blow rained on him, the dull thuds filling the room. Dad curled into a ball as he shielded his head, his body slick with cold sweat. The occasional grunt of pain would escape his lips. "Stop! Susanna, stop!" I screamed, begging her, but she did not hear me. She did not even flinch. I wanted to tear her apart, to stop this madness with my own hands, but I could not touch her—I was powerless and forced to watch as the rod struck again and again. Then, I heard it—a sickening crack. Dad's leg snapped, the bone piercing through the skin, white against the bloody mess. I collapsed, overcome with despair. I was unable to do anything but witness the horror. "Susanna, please... stop this," Dad gasped, cradling his broken leg as his voice trembled with agony. "You and Matthew... used to be in love. For his sake, stop. You'll regret this.""Love?" Susanna sneered, her eyes flashing with disdain. "Is that what Matthew told you? You poor fool. He's quite the actor, isn't he? Where's your precious son now? Doesn't he care about you?" Dad's lips parted as if to say something, but no words came out. His silence only seemed to ignite Susanna's fury. She ripped the iron rod from one of the bodyguard's hands and, with a vicious snarl, swung it down on him herself. "Bring him out! Bring him out, now!" she screamed, each blow fueled by her rage. But dad remained silent and bore the pain, refusing to give her satisfaction. I watched in helpless torment, my heart splitting apart at the sight of her—this wasn't the Susanna I knew. She used to be the girl who curled up in my arms, crying over a tiny cut on her finger... Now, she was the one inflicting pain, and I did not recognize her anymore. What had turned her into this? Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Susanna paused. She stood there, breathing hard, her chest rising and falling. Then a slow, chilling smile crept across her face. "Oh, I remember now," she said, her voice dripping with malice. "Matthew has a little brother, doesn't he? Sweet kid, right?"

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

"No, please don't hurt Yvan. He's just a kid." Dad, who had been beaten to the brink of collapse, found a burst of strength and clung to Susanna's legs, begging. Susanna kicked him off and snapped at the bodyguards. "Don't touch me, you useless piece of trash! You guys, bring the kid here." Dad, with his leg wounded, tried to hobble after the bodyguards to stop them but could only watch them go. Shaking, he managed to pull out his phone and dialed my brother. The moment the call connected, Susanna kicked the phone out of his hand. Dad crawled after the phone, leaving a smear of blood on the ground. "Yvan, find the cops and hide, now!" Susanna towered over him, stepping on the hand that held the phone, stamping down hard. Dad cried out in pain as his hand was forced open, and the phone dropped to the ground. "Yvan, isn't it? You can't hide from me. Get your brother to show up, and maybe I'll think about sparing you." She stared at dad's face, which was twisted in pain. "Your dad's here as well. There's still a chance to save his leg if we get a doctor in time. But if Matthew doesn't show up in person, your dad is going to have a limp for life." Susanna let out a wicked giggle as she kicked the phone away like it was a toy. I stared at her, feeling utterly hollow. This was not the woman I once loved—she had become a monster. I shut my eyes, unable to bear the sight any longer. The heavy thud of footsteps neared, followed by the sharp, terrified cries of a kid. My heart lurched as I opened my eyes. She had brought my little brother here.

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

Yvan, my brother with autism, struggled to communicate and could only scream when overwhelmed. Susanna used to be so gentle with him, digging through endless research to help us teach him how to express himself. Now, those memories seemed like a distant dream. Yvan had not lost control like this in years. The bodyguards dragged him in by his arms as his legs kicked the air. He was desperately trying to break free from their hold. His screams were raw with fear and panic, but no one even tried to calm him. His terror only grew. The Susanna who once whispered softly to my brother, patient and kind, was gone. Now, she glared at him with disgust. "Shut him up. His screaming is giving me a headache," she snapped, her voice icy. Dad, despite his shattered leg, moved toward Yvan as fast as his battered body would allow. The bodyguards, caught off guard, let go of Yvan. Dad quickly embraced him, whispering soothing words. But Yvan kept thrashing, his fear too great. "Yvan, don't be scared," Dad murmured, his voice cracking. "It's just a game we're playing. Remember Susanna?" At the sound of her name, Yvan's wild struggling eased, just a little. Dad said softly, "Susanna, the one who gave you all those paintbrushes. She's not going to hurt you, alright?" For a moment, Yvan's eyes flickered with recognition. His gaze searched for Susanna, a rare spark of excitement breaking through the fear. It was like he was reaching for the past, for the Susanna who had once brought light into his dark world. Dad's eyes were pleading as he looked at her. "Susanna, he's just a child. He doesn't understand. Please let him go." For a brief second, I saw a flicker of something in Susanna's eyes—a hesitation, a glimpse of the woman she used to be. However, it was gone in an instant. Her voice remained cold and haughty. "Let him go? Maybe that's not entirely out of the question," she said, her tone mocking. Hope stirred in me for the first time. Maybe she remembered. Maybe she was thinking of the times she would burst into our house, her arms overflowing with paintbrushes and paper as she brimmed with excitement. I could still hear her voice from those days. "Matthew, I found a way to help your brother! I spoke with experts, and they say painting can really make a difference for kids with autism." I remembered her sitting with Yvan, guiding his tiny hands, even when he yelled and pushed her away. I had told her to take a break as I was worried she was pushing herself too hard. But she just smiled and said, "He's sick, Matthew. He needs us to be patient with him." Each time she visited, she would paint with him, breaking through his walls little by little and helping him find calm. Painting had opened a door for Yvan—a door that, until Susanna came along, had always been closed. But now, at this moment, the warmth of that memory clashed brutally with the scene unfolding before me. Back in the room, Susanna's hand moved, a cold gleam catching my eye—a dagger. She stepped closer and squatted down next to Yvan while dragging the blade against the floor with a screech. A sinister smile twisted her lips. "You have ten minutes," she said, her voice low and menacing. "If Matthew's not here in ten minutes, I'll start cutting. One finger for every minute he's late."