The ash-filled wind howled through the skeletal remains of the rooftop.
Amelia stood at the edge of the crumbling world, her child clutched tightly against her chest, her silk dress torn and stained with dust and blood.
The night sky above seemed darker than ever, a suffocating void pressing down as if the heavens themselves mourned what was to come.
Suddenly—
Heavy footsteps echoed through the debris-strewn hallway.
Cold. Calculated.
Each step sharper than a blade drawn across raw flesh.
And then…
From the shadows, he appeared.
Ethan Blake.
But this wasn't the man she had once loved.
Gone was the perfectly polished exterior.
In its place stood a man forged in regret and madness.
His eyes—those familiar storm-gray eyes—now burned with a twisted fire of obsession and desperation.
"You thought you could erase me, Amelia?" he growled, his voice rough and broken.
"You thought you could steal my child and walk away as if I never existed?"
Amelia took a step back, her pulse thundering in her ears.
"You left me with nothing, Ethan. And now you want to take the only thing I have left?"
Ethan's lips curled into a dangerous smile.
"That child is mine by blood. And no matter how far you run… no matter who you hide behind… I will always find you."
Damian stepped between them, his gun already drawn, his eyes cold and unrelenting.
"One more step, and I'll put you down where you stand, Blake."
Ethan's gaze flicked to Damian, a bitter laugh escaping his cracked lips.
"You think you've won, Frost? She'll always have me in her veins. In that child's blood. You can't erase the Blake name. Not now. Not ever."
Amelia's voice rang through the chaos, sharp and unwavering.
"Watch me."
And then—
Gunfire erupted.
But who pulled the trigger first…
No one could tell.