Chapter 3

03

A gut-wrenching scream tore from my throat as my shoulders and knees were violently dislocated, leaving me entirely paralyzed on the ground.

Cold sweat poured down my face.

Through blurred vision, I looked up and saw my attacker.

It was my wife, Madelyn.

Director Ross was already lying unconscious on the other side of the room.

"Why?" I gasped, trembling in agony.

Madelyn dragged me across the floor like a ragdoll and shoved me into a large storage locker.

She pulled out a silk handkerchief and tenderly wiped the sweat from my forehead.

Her eyes were filled with soft affection, but the words leaving her mouth made my blood run cold.

"Devon Hayes will be here any minute, Gabe."

"The other VIP clients are on their way to demand blood."

"Ethan is barely in his twenties. His entire life would be ruined!"

I gritted my teeth, spitting out through the pain, "He brought this on himself!"

Madelyn pressed down hard on my dislocated shoulder, making me scream before speaking in a scolding tone.

"He's just young and inexperienced, exactly like you were years ago."

She pulled out the liability form, grabbed my limp thumb, and pressed it firmly against the ink pad and the signature line.

"You're his mentor. It's your duty to take the blame for him."

She leaned down, planting a gentle kiss on my forehead, and spoke in a soothing tone.

"I'll plead with the clients for your life. With your elite hacking skills, they won't kill you."

"As long as you protect Ethan this time, I swear I'll never leave your side, no matter what happens to you."

My teeth ground together so hard they nearly cracked, fury tearing through my chest.

"Am I supposed to thank you for your sickening generosity?"

"Do you really think a forced fingerprint is going to fool anyone?"

"I built this entire system! The server logs and security footage will prove who the real culprit is within seconds!"

Madelyn smiled warmly as she grabbed a dirty rag and shoved it into my mouth.

"Thank you for the reminder, honey. I'll make sure to wipe the servers and smash the hard drives."

"Now that the virus is gone, your system is useless anyway."

"While I'm at it, I can credit Ethan with saving the vault, giving him a massive boost for his career."

She slowly pushed the locker door shut, a faint hint of guilt flickering in her eyes.

"I can't let you meet the clients directly, so just wait in here for a while."

"Once Ethan is completely out of danger, I'll let their security teams take you away."

Gagged and helpless, I watched the last sliver of light vanish from my view.

She was so obsessed with protecting her lover that she completely forgot I suffered from severe claustrophobia.

Being locked inside a pitch-black box was a death sentence for me!

Total darkness swallowed my senses, and my breathing instantly turned shallow and erratic.

I couldn't tell how much time had passed as the air inside grew painfully thin.

Was I really going to die in this miserable dark box?