ANMELDENThe old warehouse gradually emptied as dawn approached.Victor’s body had already been taken away by Darius’s men, while several security guards remained behind to clean up the aftermath inside the building.Dante stood alone near the exit, staring at the night sky that was slowly beginning to pale.His expression looked far calmer now. Not calm because everything was over—but because, finally—he had stopped running.Darius stood not far away, watching Dante for several moments.“What are you going to do now?” he finally asked.Dante let out a short laugh.“I don’t know yet.”His gaze briefly dropped to his own hands. Victor’s blood still stained them.And strangely enough—it felt like the end of the man he used to be.“I’m not going near Aurora again,” Dante said quietly.Darius remained silent.Because the strangest thing that night—was that he believed him.“And I won’t interfere with your lives anymore,” Dante continued softly. “Hazel… is safer with you.”Darius’s expression s
Victor’s body slowly collapsed onto the warehouse floor.The old man’s eyes remained open for a few seconds before finally turning completely lifeless.There was no more quiet laughter. No more provoking words.Only blood continuing to spread across the old wooden floor.The entire room fell into a frozen silence.Several of Victor’s men stood there in panic, exchanging uneasy glances.“Mr. Victor…”But there was no response.Because the old man was truly dead.Dante remained tied to the metal chair, staring at Victor’s body without moving.And strangely enough—he felt no victory at all.Only a strange emptiness inside his chest.All the chaos. All the anger. All the obsession.It had ended just like that inside a filthy warehouse.Bang!The warehouse doors suddenly burst open from outside.Several armed men rushed in first.“Don’t move!”Dante immediately lifted his gaze.And a few seconds later—Darius stepped in behind them with a cold expression.His eyes swept across the entire
Aurora’s words still lingered softly in the room.No one answered immediately.Hazel shifted slightly in Aurora’s arms before falling asleep again, her tiny hand clutching Aurora’s clothes.And somehow, that small sight only made the atmosphere feel even heavier.Because no matter what mistakes Dante had made—he was still Hazel’s father.Darius finally lifted his head slowly.His gaze rested on Aurora for a long moment.And for the first time that night—Darius truly saw fear in her eyes.“I’ll bring him back alive,” Darius said at last, his voice low.Peter immediately narrowed his eyes. “You’re being too soft.”Darius’s expression turned cold. “No.”He slowly picked up a pistol from the table.“I just don’t want Hazel growing up without answers.”Aurora quietly let out a small breath.Because she knew—Darius was making that decision partly for her.But before anyone could speak again—Peter’s phone suddenly vibrated sharply.The older man immediately looked at the screen.His expr
Blood continued pouring from the side of Victor’s stomach.The older man slowly collapsed onto the floor, still chuckling softly between his heavy breaths.Victor’s men immediately panicked.“MR. VICTOR!”Meanwhile, Dante remained frozen in place, staring at the gun still in his hand.Because even he did not fully understand how the shot had gone off.Bang!A punch suddenly slammed into Dante’s face from the side.His body stumbled violently into the wooden table.“Bastard!” one of Victor’s men shouted.Dante had not even managed to stand when several other men immediately restrained him roughly.The gun was quickly ripped from his hand.“Mr. Victor’s been shot!”The warehouse instantly descended into chaos.Some men rushed to grab a medical kit while others pointed guns directly at Dante.Strangely enough—Victor was still laughing softly while pressing his hand against the wound in his stomach.The older man slowly lifted his gaze toward Dante.“See?” Victor muttered weakly. “You re
Victor’s words still hung heavily in the air inside the old warehouse.“Peter Walker killed Lily.”Dante’s expression hardened instantly.But a few seconds later—the man suddenly let out a short laugh.A laugh that sounded far more like rage than amusement.“Bullshit.”Victor leaned casually against the wall even though Dante was still gripping the collar of his shirt.“You don’t have to believe me.”Dante’s gaze sharpened further. “Lily disappeared after I went to prison.”“Because Peter got rid of her first.”Bang!Dante’s fist slammed hard into Victor’s face, sending the older man crashing onto the floor.Several of Victor’s men immediately rushed forward.But Victor quickly raised one hand while wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.“Leave it.”Dante stood there breathing harshly.His expression had completely changed now.Because Lily was not just some ordinary woman in his life.She had been the only person who stayed beside him when everyone else began turning away.A
The night inside Darius’s house descended into chaos after the attack.Security guards began dragging the captured masked men down to the basement.Meanwhile, Aurora was still holding Hazel tightly inside the safe room on the second floor.The baby’s cries had finally started to quiet down.But Aurora’s hands were still trembling as she hugged her daughter closer.Because if they had been even a few seconds slower—that sharp object could have hit Hazel.And the thought alone made her entire body turn cold.On the other side of the house, Darius sat on the office sofa while one of his private doctors cleaned the wound on his shoulder.Blood still dripped lightly from the long tear along his side.“You’ll need a few stitches,” the doctor said quietly.Darius did not answer.Instead, his gaze remained fixed on Dante, who stood not far away.There was no open hostility between them that night.Because they had both witnessed the same thing.Hazel had almost been hurt.“It’s my fault.”Da







