Chapter 1

I had been reduced to nothing.

Hardly out of the surgery room, I was viciously kicked in the groin by my own wife, shattering what was left of my manhood.

All because I stood up to her precious lover during the board meeting.

Even my younger sister, whom I had pampered since we were kids, only sneered at me after finding out. “You have a foul mouth. If you ever disrespect him again, don’t expect me to forgive you.”

They had accumulated massive debts through high-stakes gambling and predatory loans. My wife and sister colluded to frame me, effectively throwing me to the wolves.

Those thugs tortured me until I was a bruised mess of broken bones and agony.

When I finally escaped, the love I once held for my family had turned to ash.

Yet, they were the ones who would eventually come crawling back in regret.

1

Madeline Reed kicked me so hard I collapsed onto the cold, tiled floor. A sharp, tearing sensation bloomed in my lower abdomen, and the agony was blinding.

My mind went completely blank.

Instinctively, I clawed at the hem of Madeline’s trousers, begging for help in a dazed, delirious stupor.

“Madeline… it hurts… down there.”

She remained unmoved, offering only a cold, chilling laugh as she watched me writhe in misery.

She shoved my hand away and spoke with undisguised contempt. “Caleb Sterling, you deserve this! You’ve been in the CEO’s chair for too long, and now you’ve forgotten your place?”

“Who gave you the nerve to call Jasper a bastard in front of everyone? Do you have any idea how important today was for him? Why are you such a spineless worm?”

As if that weren't enough to satisfy her spite, she delivered two more brutal kicks to my stomach.

I was already at my breaking point, and the blow to my abdomen sent shockwaves through my body.

The pain radiating from my lower body intensified. Sweat poured down my face, and even gasping for air felt impossible.

“I didn’t…” I tried to explain, to tell her I had just come from a blood transfusion and had done nothing.

But my consciousness was fading fast. I gritted my teeth and lowered my head to beg. “Madeline, please, save me. I’m… I’m actually dying.”

Madeline cast an icy, dismissive glance at me, clearly not believing a word. “Caleb, you’re a grown man. Is this really how you handle a couple of kicks? Are you honestly that pathetic?”

She had clearly forgotten that she used to be a skilled kickboxer.

Few people could withstand a direct hit from her, let alone in such a vulnerable area.

After mocking me, she realized something, and her expression turned even more twisted. She cursed me with pure venom. “Good, be a cripple. Maybe that way you’ll stop chasing skirts and causing trouble.”

I could barely hear her anymore. A warm liquid began to pool, and the sheer agony forced me to curl into a fetal position.

Through the haze, I saw Jasper Croft hurry over to Madeline’s side, cooing and acting like a spoiled child.

“Sweetheart, the board members heard what Caleb said and refused to vote for me. Can you help me out?”

Madeline didn't hesitate for a second. She rushed off to follow him, completely ignoring me as I lay on the floor, struggling like a dying dog.

I watched their retreating figures, realizing then that I was truly dead inside.

I couldn't hold on any longer, and I collapsed into a deep, dark void.