Chapter 2 - The Architect of Fate
The shadow stood by the door.
Tall.
Imposing.
Ryan scrambled backward.
"Who are you?"
The man didn't move.
He wore a dark coat.
His face was obscured.
"You left her," the man said.
His voice was a cold blade.
"To bleed out."
"To die."
Ryan shook.
"I didn't know."
"You chose not to know."
The man stepped forward.
"I am Dr. Silas Thorne."
"The man you ignored."
Ryan froze.
"The baby?"
"He is safe."
"Where are they?"
Silas smiled.
It was a cruel look.
"In a place you'll never see."
"In a life you no longer own."
Ryan charged.
He swung a fist.
Silas dodged easily.
He shoved Ryan down.
"You don't get to fight," Silas said.
"You don't get to run."
He pulled out a device.
He clicked a button.
A video played on the wall.
Emma.
She was awake.
She was pale.
But she was breathing.
Ethan slept in her arms.
Ryan’s throat tightened.
"Emma!"
She didn't look at the camera.
She looked at Silas.
"I'm ready," she whispered.
Silas turned to Ryan.
"She chose me."
"She chose the man who stayed."
"Not the one who fled."
"But she's my wife!" Ryan screamed.
"She was," Silas corrected.
"Now, she is a memory."
"A ghost."
"And you are the visitor."
Ryan looked at the door.
The lock was magnetic.
He couldn't break it.
"What do you want?"
"Retribution," Silas said.
"A debt paid in full."
He held up a contract.
"Sign your life away."
"Or lose your mind."
Ryan stared at the paper.
His world was fading.
The luxury.
The lifestyle.
It was all on the block.
He felt the cage tighten.
The game was changing.
He was the pawn now.
May you like
And the move was theirs.
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