The air was unnaturally still as Selina rushed back to the penthouse. Her heart pounded violently against her ribs, each beat louder than the next.
He was here. Damian… You're alive. You've been watching all along. But why didn't you come back to me?
The thought made her eyes sting with unshed tears. But there was no time to dwell on heartbreak—not when their son's safety was at stake.
As the elevator shot upward, every second felt like a lifetime. Her trembling fingers hovered over her phone, ready to dial for help, yet something inside told her… Damian had already been here.
The doors opened with a soft chime. Selina sprinted toward the bedroom, her heels clicking madly against the cold marble floor.
"Baby?!" Her voice cracked. "Mama's here! Where are you?"
The door to the child's bedroom creaked open slowly.
The room was dark. Too quiet.
Selina's chest tightened painfully.
"Please…" she whispered under her breath, stepping inside.
Just then, a tiny, familiar voice cut through the darkness.
"Mama…"
Relief crashed over her like a tidal wave. She flipped on the lights to find her son sitting on the bed, his small hands clutching a soft, worn-out stuffed bear—the one Damian had given him on his last birthday.
Selina rushed forward and gathered him into her arms, her body trembling with raw fear and overwhelming relief.
"Are you okay? Did anyone come in here?"
The little boy nodded solemnly. His innocent blue eyes—so much like his father's—gazed up at her with quiet understanding far beyond his years.
"A nice uncle came," he whispered. "He told me to be brave… and gave me this."
The boy held out a small, black velvet box.
Selina's breath hitched. Her fingers shook as she took the box and carefully opened it.
Inside was a sleek silver key card—the master access to the Lu Financial Empire's underground vault.
Her heart almost stopped.
That vault… Damian once told her it held every dirty secret, every hidden weapon of the Lu Family's legacy. Why would he give their son this now? Unless…
Her phone vibrated sharply in her hand. A new message flashed across the screen:
Unknown Number:"You want the truth, Selina? Midnight. Vault 117. Come alone."
Selina's grip tightened around the phone. Her lips pressed against her son's forehead, tears mixing with a promise whispered through trembling lips.
"Be brave for Mama, my little prince. Mama's going to bring Daddy home… or burn this entire world trying."
Midnight – Vault 117
The air was colder than ice in the underground vault tunnels. Each step Selina took echoed like a death toll.
Her fingers clenched the silver key card as she approached the massive steel doors of Vault 117. She swiped the card, and with a low mechanical groan, the doors slid open.
A dimly lit corridor stretched before her, bathed in flickering emergency lights. The air was thick with tension… and memories.
Her mind flooded with the past—Damian's kisses, his broken promises, the night she watched him bleed out in her arms.
At the end of the corridor, a tall figure stood in the shadows.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Damian.
Even in the dim light, she could make out his broad shoulders, his posture still proud despite the weight he must have carried all this time.
Her voice came out barely above a whisper. "Damian…"
He didn't turn. His voice echoed, cold and distant.
"Don't come any closer, Selina. You don't want to see me like this."
Tears welled in her eyes. "I've already seen the worst, Damian. You dying in my arms… and me waking up every day wishing I could die too. Tell me why you're hiding. Tell me what's left to protect!"
Slowly, Damian turned.
His face was pale, gaunt, a thin oxygen mask concealed beneath his collar. His once powerful frame had withered under the weight of his sacrifice, but his eyes—those piercing, icy-blue eyes—still burned with dangerous intensity.
"You want the truth?" His voice was low, bitter. "I'm dying, Selina. And the only way to end this nightmare… is to die taking every last one of them with me."
Before she could respond, the vault alarms blared, and a red countdown flashed overhead.
00:59… 00:58…
Selina's heart screamed in panic.
"No! Damian, this isn't the way! Don't do this!"
"I've already made my choice," he said, his voice trembling. "It's the only way to keep you and our son safe."
Selina slammed her fists against the steel barricade separating them.
"I don't want safety, Damian—I want YOU! Do you hear me?! I want a future, not a damn memory!"
Inside, Damian collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest, the pain nearly unbearable.
His mind raced through every memory—the first time he held Selina's hand, the first time she called him by his name with tears in her eyes, the first time he kissed her under a storm-filled sky.
00:15… 00:14…
Selina sobbed uncontrollably, screaming his name.
And just when the final seconds ticked down—
The countdown stopped at 00:03.
Damian's trembling fingers hovered over the manual override switch.
He fell against the control panel, his voice nothing but a whisper.
"I'm… not… ready to let go…"
Two Days Later – Imperial Crown Private Hospital
Selina sat beside Damian's hospital bed, her fingers gently brushing through his disheveled hair.
He looked like a fallen king—battle-worn, scarred… but alive.
Her lips quivered as she whispered, "If you ever dare leave me again, Damian Lu… I swear I'll find you in hell and drag you back myself."
Slowly, painfully, his eyes fluttered open. His lips curved into the faintest of smiles.
"Remind me… to never upset my queen again."
Fade to black.