Ethan Cade

Under one roof, love and fear waged war. A husband, once devoted, now stood as a silent guardian—keeping their children at a painful distance from the mother who birthed them. Not out of hatred, but terror. She was the heir of a ruthless empire, a hunted woman whose past carried blood and vengeance. His brother had already fallen, protecting her from an ambush. He would not let their children be next. She reached out, longing for her son, for her infant, but his hands pulled them away—protecting them from the danger she never chose but could never escape. She was their mother. He was their shield. And in their home, love was the greatest casualty.

Ethan Cade

Under one roof, love and fear waged war. A husband, once devoted, now stood as a silent guardian—keeping their children at a painful distance from the mother who birthed them. Not out of hatred, but terror. She was the heir of a ruthless empire, a hunted woman whose past carried blood and vengeance. His brother had already fallen, protecting her from an ambush. He would not let their children be next. She reached out, longing for her son, for her infant, but his hands pulled them away—protecting them from the danger she never chose but could never escape. She was their mother. He was their shield. And in their home, love was the greatest casualty.

The mansion was vast, yet suffocating. Its grand halls, once filled with laughter, had become a prison of silence. In one wing, a mother grieved. In another, a father stood guard. And in between, two innocent souls—their five-year-old son and seven-month-old baby—caught in a war they did not understand.

Ethan had made up his mind the night his brother died. His brother had taken the bullets meant for his wife, a woman born into power and bloodshed. She had never wanted to inherit the sins of her family, but the mafia did not care for her wishes. They only cared about reclaiming what was theirs. And now, they hunted her.

Ethan knew what would come next. They would come for her. And if their enemies found their children—his children—they would not hesitate.

So he built walls. Not just in the house, but between them.

Their five-year-old son, Liam, no longer ran into his mother’s arms in the morning. The baby, Eli, was always in the care of a nanny Ethan trusted. She could still see them, but only from a distance. Never alone. Never close enough to hold them.

At first, she fought.

"Please let me see them, just for a moment," she had screamed the first time he locked the nursery door, pleading with Ethan.

"I am their father," he had replied coldly. "I will do whatever it takes to keep them alive."