Chapter 1
I took the blame for the CEO, and walked away with a cool 30 million dollars.
Ten years behind bars, I figured I'd seen it all and nothing could faze me anymore.
The day I walked out, I hopped in a cab and went straight home.
As soon as I opened the door, some wild kid was riding on my daughter's back, shouting, "Giddy up!"
Without even thinking, I sent that little punk flying six feet with a single kick.
Then my wife rushed over. She didn't come for me...
She went straight for that kid.
She cried out something that left me frozen in place.
Guess what she said?
*****
March 15, 2024.
Novena, Ridgewood Prison.
I stood at the prison gate, taking a deep breath of the outside air.
Ten years.
Exactly ten years.
My name is Edward Carter. I used to be the CFO at Bluewave Holdings, pulling in a million dollars a year with a bright future ahead of me.
Ten years ago, I was 25.
Some trouble popped up with the company's books. To put it simply, Richard Bennett, the boss, was pulling some shady moves with the money, and someone started sniffing around.
The night before everything blew up, he invited me out for a drink.
He cracked open two bottles of Imperial Reserve, and his hands were shaking as he spoke.
"Edward, take the blame for me. You'll get three to five years at most.
"When you get out, I'll wire 30 million dollars straight to your wife's account.
"I'll make sure your daughter is taken care of until she's an adult."
I did the math.
At a million dollars a year, if I didn't spend a cent, it'd still take me thirty years to hit 30 million.
Three to five years behind bars for a lifetime payday.
My wife and kid would be set for life, and never have to worry about a thing.
I nodded.
And what happened?
I got ten years.
Ten.
That bastard Richard. His lawyer told me, "The situation is a bit more serious than expected."
A bit? Seven extra years and you call that 'a bit'?
Alright, prison it is. I just accepted my fate.
I'm Edward Carter. I keep my word. I took it like a man.
During my time inside, I kept my head down, didn't cause trouble or try to appeal. Good behavior shaved two years off my sentence.
So I ended up doing eight years.
Eight years, 2,920 days.
I went from a skinny kid to a middle-aged man who'd packed on a few pounds, with a hardened look in my eyes.
The day I got out, the guard handed me my stuff.
Just a wallet, with a family photo inside.
In the picture, my arm was wrapped around Sarah, and she was cradling our little girl, Lily, who was just two years old.
All three of us were grinning from ear to ear.
I couldn't help but stare at that photo, lost in memories for a while.
Lily should be ten now.
Ten already...
Will she still recognize me?
I stood outside the prison gate for five minutes. Nobody showed up to get me.
No surprise there.
I hadn't told my family exactly when I'd be getting out. Figured I'd surprise them.
I pulled out the temporary phone the prison gave me and ordered a ride.
The driver glanced at me, probably thinking my look, a faded suit from eight years ago and a sun-bleached buzz cut, was pretty weird.
But he didn't say anything.
"Driver, take me to Emerald Gardens," I said.
"Got it," he replied.
The Novena I saw through the window looked nothing like the city I remembered.
Half the streets I used to know had vanished.
There were shiny new skyscrapers, fancy malls, even the street signs were different.
Eight years.
So this was what it meant to feel like a world apart.
My heart was pounding.
Not from nerves, from anticipation.
Sarah renovated the house? Was Lily already in elementary school? Had that 30 million actually come through? Were they doing well?
These questions had been bouncing around in my head for eight years.
Today, I'd finally get my answers.
The car pulled up at the entrance to Emerald Gardens.
I just stood there, stunned for a moment.
The whole neighborhood looked different.
The gate had been rebuilt, and the guard booth was brand new.
I pulled out my ID and showed it to the guard.
The guard glanced at me. "Which building?"
"Building 7, unit 402," I replied.
"Oh, Mrs. Carter's place," the guard nodded. "Go ahead."
Mrs. Carter?
A small smile tugged at my lips.
Ten years, and she's still Mrs. Carter.
As I walked into the neighborhood, I noticed the greenery was way better than before.
There was even a little garden now, with some old-timers playing chess.
I hurried over to Building 7.
I took the elevator up to the fourth floor.
Stopped at the door of 402.
Deep breath.
I'd played this scene in my head a thousand times.
Sarah opens the door, freezes for a second, then bursts into tears and hugs me tight.
Lily hides behind her mom, peeking out and softly calling, "Dad."
I crouch down, scoop her up, and say, "Daddy's home."
Wouldn't that be perfect.
That'd be so heartwarming.
I reached for my old key.
It was the same key I'd carried with me for eight years.
I paused.
After eight years, they must've changed the lock.
Still, I gave it a shot.
Click.
It opened.
Seriously? They never changed the lock?
I hesitated for a moment, then pushed the door open.
By the door, there was a shoe rack loaded with a dozen or so pairs of shoes, big and small.
Sarah's high heels were there.
Lily's shoes. Huh, a lot bigger than I remembered.
And there were a few pairs of little boy's sneakers.
A little boy?
Before I could even process it...
A little boy's voice shouted.
"Giddy up! Run, princess, run! The dragon's coming!"
I stepped past the entryway and looked into the living room.
My blood pressure shot through the roof.
There was my daughter. She'd grown up a lot, but I recognized her instantly. She's crawling on all fours across the living room carpet.
Some random little boy was riding on her back.
He was yanking on Lily's collar with one hand, waving a plastic sword with the other, and yelling, "Giddy up!"
Lily's face was flushed red from the weight, and she was even making a hissing sound, pretending to be a horse.
In 0.3 seconds, my brain put it all together.
Some random kid.
Riding on my Lily.
Yanking her collar.
Her face was flushed red.
She had a pained look on her face.
He was bullying her.
That little bastard was bullying my daughter.
Eight years in prison had sharpened my reflexes. I was like a wolf whose tail just got stepped on, ready to pounce at the slightest provocation.
I rushed over, barely taking two steps before I was right there.
My right leg tensed up, ready to explode.
And then...
I booted that kid.