I’m Damien Blackwood’s partner, yet I need approval from his clan secretary just to get a haircut. My foster mother is dying. I beg for help on my knees outside the ER. He never replies. Because Serene says, “She’s just throwing a tantrum,” he believes her—and lets my mother die waiting for the money that came too late. I finally pack my bags and leave.He chases me down, demands answers. Only then do I tell him: she died last month. He freezes, thunderstruck. I just turn and walk into the cold wind. I don’t hate anymore. I don’t resent. All I want is a clean life—without them. Now I’m free. And his regret has only just begun.