Chapter 1

On our wedding anniversary, I planned to surprise my wife by coming home early from a business trip. But the moment I walked through the door, the surprise turned into a nightmare.

She was the one who betrayed me, yet in the end, I was the one sentenced to prison. After getting out of prison, I vowed to make them wish they were dead.

*****

When I walked through the door, I found my wife, Heather Cross, with another man. I snapped. Rage took over, and I lunged at him, pounding him until he was soaked in blood.

Heather was in tears, begging me to stop, to not kill him, and to think about Hailey Cross—our daughter. She told me not to throw my life away.

Just the thought of Hailey drained all the strength from my body. I collapsed, completely powerless.

Heather rushed to stop the bleeding and called for an ambulance.

The man had been stabbed in the chest, bleeding badly from his thigh. Gasping, he managed to call the police.

I just stood there, frozen, watching everything unravel while feeling like my insides were being ripped apart.

"Where's Hailey?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

Heather's face went ghostly pale. Her eyes were filled with fear and dread. "I sent her to her grandma's," she said, her voice trembling.

I let out a bitter laugh. "Why would you do this to me?"

Heather suddenly collapsed to the floor, clutching my pant leg as she sobbed uncontrollably. "Daniel, please just listen... I had my reasons."

The sound of sirens wailing downstairs told me everything was about to change. From that night forward, nothing would ever be the same.

For what I did, I was sentenced to ten years in prison.

His name was Joseph Wayne, the CEO of a prominent local company. He was short, fat, and sleazy. I never understood why Heather got involved with someone like him.

Three months after I was locked up, Heather came to see me, with Joseph tagging along right beside her. And they brought the divorce papers.

Joseph had recovered from his injuries. When he looked at me, his eyes were full of hatred and twisted satisfaction.

I stared blankly at the divorce papers. Heather was leaving with nothing. Hailey would stay with her.

Heather kept her head down the whole time, never once meeting my eyes. I could tell her mind was made up. Then, numbly, I signed.

From that moment on, I swore revenge.

Joseph took the papers, then smirked and said, "I'll be taking care of your family now—your wife, your daughter, both of them.

"You? Good luck staying alive in there."

Heather's eyes widened in shock. Her voice shook. "You promised you wouldn't touch him! What do you mean by that?"

Joseph just laughed, and then winced as the movement pulled at his wound. With a tight face, he slipped an arm around Heather's waist and walked out with her.

A deep, icy hatred bloomed in my chest. My eyes went cold.

The next day, in the shower, another inmate jumped me with broken glass and slashed my throat. Luckily, someone found me just in time, and I barely survived.

Five months in, someone shoved two buns down my throat during lunch. I nearly choked to death.

A year later, while working in the prison workshop, a heavy iron block dropped on me and shattered my lower leg.

Eventually, one of my cellmates had had enough. He spoke to the right people, and the attacks stopped.

There were four of us sharing a cell. The others were all in their fifties.

Their names were Victor Langford, Freddie Lawson, and Dominique Saxton.

Victor was a big shot who had fallen from grace and was now serving a twenty-year sentence.

Freddie had been a business magnate, jailed for financial crimes for twenty years.

Dominique used to be in the underworld. He got twenty years for gang-related crimes.

They saw how badly I was struggling, so they decided to protect me and made some calls. No one messed with me after that.

When things were quiet, they'd share stories from their pasts. I was shocked by what I heard. Meanwhile, I learned more from them than I ever did in school.

After so many ambushes, I turned ruthless. During fights, I gave it everything. I didn't care whether I lived or died.

Two years into my sentence, my younger sister, Alyssa Cross, came to visit. She cried as she told me our parents had died. They were crushed by an excavator during a forced eviction.

Tears ran down my face. My heart felt like it was being ripped apart. Joseph was in construction. I was sure he was behind it.

A year later, Alyssa came again. But this time, she was holding Joseph's arm. I completely lost it and slammed my head against the glass partition.

Alyssa clung to Joseph and said, "Daniel, I'm with him because I choose to be."

Joseph gave a twisted grin. "Relax, Daniel. When you get out, there's a surprise waiting for you."

By the time the prison guards pulled me away, I was calm, just staring at him with icy eyes.

This grudge behind us? Even ten lifetimes wouldn't be enough to settle it.

Eight years into my sentence, I was granted early release.

Before I left, Victor gave me a phone number. It was one of his old men. He told me to call if I ever ran into trouble.

Freddie gave me an address where he'd hidden some of his cash and told me it was mine if I ever needed it.

Dominique gave me the name of his former bodyguard and said I could command the guy like my own man.

Their families were gone. After eight years together, they saw me as family.

Before I left, Victor grinned and said, "We taught you well. Now, you have the confidence to take your revenge out there. Live your life, Daniel."

Freddie gave a light laugh and said, "Don't end up back in here. I don't want to see your face again."

Dominique waved me off, expressionless. "Get lost."

And then, just like that, I was out. Seeing the streets packed with cars and people made it feel like I'd been gone a lifetime.

I caught a taxi out to the suburbs, to the address Freddie gave me.

With some tools, I dug into the ground and found a suitcase. Inside, there was about 300 thousand dollars in cash and a hidden notebook. It had several account numbers.

Those were offshore bank accounts. Freddie had hidden hundreds of millions of dollars in them.

I packed everything up, grabbed the suitcase, and headed to a bathhouse. At the front desk, I mentioned a name.

A thin, sharp-eyed man showed up. He was Dominique's old bodyguard. He ran the place now.

His name was Samson Wilcox. Dominique had saved his life, so he was fiercely loyal.

After hearing me out, Samson nodded and took the suitcase upstairs.

As I lit a cigarette, I dialed the number Victor had told me. As I explained, the man on the other end listened quietly. Then, he said something that made me feel a lot more at ease.

"He saved my life. You can trust me," he said.

On my first day out, I handled all three tasks. The only thing left now was figuring out how I'd take revenge.

That night, I took a proper bath, and Samson gave me a proper welcome.

The next day, Samson came with me. We began investigating Joseph.

To destroy my enemy, I had to know him inside and out. Joseph was now chairman of Prestige Realty. His assets were worth tens of billions of dollars. He had serious power.

After divorcing me, Heather married Joseph and moved into his mansion. Alyssa lived with them, too.

A cold smile touched my lips. I silently vowed to make him watch as his empire fell, his company crumbled, and that mansion he shared with my ex turned to dust.

After finishing our investigation, I brought Samson back to my old place.

Heather had left after the divorce, but I still had the key. I stepped inside.

Everything looked just as it had years ago, with the same furniture and the same bed, all in their familiar places.

The wedding photo still hung on the wall, almost like it was mocking me.

For some reason, the room was spotless. A faint scent lingered, like someone had been cleaning. I wondered if it was Heather or Alyssa.

Just then, the door opened. Heather walked in with Hailey, our daughter. She looked about ten.

Heather's hair was messy, her face lacked color, and she looked exhausted.

But even without makeup, she was still beautiful.

When she entered, her eyes were hollow at first. Then she turned around and saw me.

At first, she just glanced my way without much thought, but then her eyes suddenly widened in shock.

Emotion flooded her face. Her lips trembled. She stared at me like she'd seen a ghost.

She swayed, lost her balance, and fell to the floor. But her eyes never left me.

"D-Daniel, is that really you?" Heather lay there on the floor, staring at me without blinking for what felt like ages. Her voice trembled with shock and anxiety, like she couldn't believe this was real.

Seeing Heather again, I was at a complete loss for words. I honestly had no idea what to say.

I had witnessed everything that night, and all the suffering I'd endured was because of this woman who destroyed my life.

I didn't answer. My silence broke her, and she started crawling toward me.

I sat on the couch, watching with a blank stare.

She reached up to touch my face, her hand trembling. The familiar perfume I once knew was gone.

I sat still and let her cold hand reach my face. She stayed on the floor, her fingers slowly exploring my cheeks, my eyes, my nose, and my lips.

Even now, she still couldn't believe it was me sitting here.

"Daniel... it's you. It's really you!" Heather sobbed, her voice cracking with disbelief.

Then she threw her arms around me, buried her face in my shoulder, and broke down crying.

Still trembling, she whispered, "Daniel, why's your hair gray? You're only in your thirties!"

Her whole body shook. She suddenly stood up, pushed Hailey forward, and cried, "Hailey, this is your dad. Call him Dad."

My pupils contracted. Hailey had grown so much. She was already this tall.

But Hailey stepped back, clinging to Heather. Her voice trembled. "That's not my dad. My dad's the chairman. This guy's a beggar!"

I fought to hold back tears.

Heather patted Hailey hard, again and again. "He's your dad. Call him Dad. Say it!"

Hailey cried loudly, and Heather collapsed onto the floor. Samson quietly left, leaving just the three of us.

Eight years had passed. Hailey had grown. Heather hadn't changed much. She was still beautiful, just thinner and more worn.

But me? I was covered in scars. My hair was completely gray.

Fate truly had a sick sense of humor.

Heather took her time calming Hailey, and then sent her to another room. Now it was just the two of us, sitting face to face.

After a long silence, Heather gave a bitter laugh. "It's good you're out. I can finally stop worrying."

She pulled a bank card from her purse. "There's 1.7 million dollars in this account. Everything I've saved. Take it. Go to another city. If Joseph finds out you're back, he'll come after you."

She claimed that Joseph had forced her to divorce me, and that if she didn't, he'd destroy our whole family.

I didn't take the card. My eyes turned cold. My voice was low and sharp. "How did my parents die?"

Heather's eyes were full of remorse. "I don't know for sure, but I'm sure Joseph had something to do with it. He wanted revenge."

I clenched my fists, holding back my anger. "What about Alyssa?"

Heather shook as she cried. "I don't know why she's with him. I can't stop her. She's not herself anymore."

I sighed. I knew Alyssa better than anyone. She wanted revenge too. That was why she stayed close to Joseph.

Seeing me stay silent, Heather moved beside me, her body trembling. When she saw the scars on me, on my throat, arms, and face, she clenched her jaw and started to cry.

She stared hard at me, and then glanced toward Hailey's room. "Daniel, just treat me like I'm already dead. I'll raise Hailey, and when she's grown, I'll pay for everything with my life."

I shook my head and asked quietly, "It's been eight years. Don't you want to tell me the truth? Why did you betray me?"

Heather thought for a moment, and then shook her head and let out a bitter laugh. "It's all in the past. Let it go. Just take the money, and start fresh."

I stared at her, searching her face. But I didn't take the card. I turned and walked out. Behind me, as the door closed, I heard her desperate voice. "Hailey, he's your dad. Why didn't you say anything?"