The cold, metal chair felt like a block of ice against Leo's worn-out jeans. Today was the day. Today, he would walk out of this hellhole, a free man. Today, he would finally marry the woman he loved, Elena. He could almost see her, a vision in white, waiting for him at the end of the aisle. The thought sent a chill of excitement through him.
The door clicked open. Leo's heart leaped, but the feeling died instantly.
Elena walked in. But she wasn't wearing a wedding dress. She was dressed in a sharp, black business suit that looked more expensive than everything Leo owned. Her face, once soft and loving, was now a mask of cold indifference. In her hand was a single folder, not a bouquet.
"Elena?" Leo's voice was rough from disuse. "What's going on? Where's your dress?"
She didn't smile. She didn't run to him. She simply sat down across from him and slid the folder across the metal table.
"Sign it," she said, her voice as emotionless as her eyes.
Leo looked down. The words on the front screamed at him: DIVORCE AGREEMENT. His blood ran cold. This had to be a joke. A terrible, cruel joke.
"What is this?" he asked, his voice trembling with confusion. "Is someone threatening you? Did someone force you to do this? Tell me, Elena. I can handle it."
A short, cold laugh escaped her lips. It was a sound he'd never heard from her before. "Threaten me? Don't be ridiculous, Leo. No one forced me. This is my choice."
"Your… choice?" He couldn't process the words. "Why? After everything we've been through?"
"Because of everything we've been through," she snapped. "Look at you. You're a convict. A nobody. You have nothing. And I… I am the CEO of a company worth millions. How could a man like you, a burden with nothing to offer, ever be worthy of me now?"
Leo felt like he'd been punched in the gut. His mind flashed back to three years ago. Elena's family was drowning in debt. Her father's business was failing. It was Leo who had worked day and night. It was his ideas, his connections, his relentless drive that had pulled them from the brink of ruin and launched them into the elite circles of Boston. He had done it all for her, for their future. He never imagined that once she reached the top, her first move would be to kick the ladder—him—away.
"A burden?" he whispered, the pain sharp in his chest. "Is that all I am to you now? Was our marriage… our love… just an illusion? Does money really mean that much more to you?"
Elena rolled her eyes, a cruel, mocking gesture. "Only fools like you cling to silly emotions like love. Smart people, like me, see the world for what it is. We move to higher branches." She pulled out her phone, her nails perfectly manicured. "Let me show you what a 'worthy' man looks like."
She turned the screen toward him. The air left Leo's lungs. The photo showed Elena, laughing, wrapped in the arms of another man. He was handsome, dressed in a tailored suit that probably cost more than a car. He looked refined, powerful, and noble.
And next to him, in the reflection of a mirror, Leo saw himself. Or rather, a ghost of himself. In the photo, taken during a visit months ago, he looked disheveled, wearing a standard prison jumpsuit, his face gaunt and tired. The contrast was brutal and intentional.
"This is Adrian Wright," Elena said, her voice dripping with pride. "His family owns half of Boston. Why would I choose a rapist like you, when I can have a king like him?"
The word hit Leo like a physical blow. "A… rapist?" he stammered, shock turning to anger. "Elena, you know that's not true! It was your brother, Mark, who committed that crime! I only took the blame because I loved you! You said you couldn't bear to see him go to prison! You begged me!"
For the first time, a genuine smile touched Elena's lips, but it was the most terrifying thing Leo had ever seen. It was a smile of pure triumph.
"Oh, Leo," she said, almost pityingly. "You really are a fool. Do you think it was a coincidence? Two years ago, I had already met Adrian. My brother's little… problem… was the perfect opportunity. We needed a way to get rid of you for good. Having you take the blame for a rape charge was the perfect solution. It made you disgusting in the eyes of the world and gave me the perfect reason to divorce a criminal."
The world tilted on its axis. The floor seemed to fall away beneath him. The woman he had loved, the woman he had gone to prison for, had not been a damsel in distress. She had been the mastermind. She had plotted his destruction while he was sacrificing his freedom for her.
The love in his heart shattered, replaced by a cold, hard emptiness. He felt nothing. No anger, no sadness. Just a vast, hollow void.
Without another word, Leo picked up the pen. His hand was steady, which surprised him. He scrawled his name on the dotted line, his signature a final, brutal end to the life he thought he would have.
He slid the paper back to her and looked directly into her eyes. His own eyes were now as cold as hers.
"You will regret this, Elena," he said, his voice low and deadly calm. "You have no idea what you've just thrown away."
A smug look crossed her face. She thought his words were the empty threat of a broken man. She tucked the signed agreement back into her folder.
"Stop fantasizing, Leo. Be happy today. You're free from this horrible prison and its cruel warden. That's enough for a man like you."
With that final, dismissive comment, she stood up, turned on her heel, and walked out without a single backward glance. The door clicked shut, echoing in the silent room like the slam of a coffin lid.
Leo sat there for a long time, motionless. The man who had walked into this room full of hope was gone. He was someone else now.
He thought of the last two years. This wasn't an ordinary prison. It was a private, notorious facility known as Blackwood Penitentiary, reserved for the world's most powerful and dangerous outcasts. And he had met one of them, an old man known only as Silas, the former chairman of a shadowy empire based in the Southern Territories.
Silas, who saw something in Leo, had taken him under his wing. While everyone thought Leo was rotting in a cell, he was being trained. He learned martial arts, languages, strategy, and secrets of power few men ever knew. Silas, dying and with no heir, had wanted to pass everything to Leo—his empire, his wealth, and its symbol: the legendary Phoenix Ring.
Leo had refused. Every time. All he had wanted was to get out, to go back to Boston, to Elena, and live a simple, ordinary life with her. That dream was the only thing that had kept him going. And now, that dream was a lie.
The very reason he had insisted on coming to Boston instead of staying in Washington with Silas had been for her. And she had been plotting his ruin the entire time.
The irony was so bitter it was almost funny.
Finally, Leo stood up. His movements were smooth, purposeful. He walked out of the visitation room and into the stark hallway.
Outside, a scene awaited him that would have shocked his past self. The feared Warden of Blackwood, a giant of a man known for his cruelty, was standing at attention. A line of tough guards stood behind him, their heads bowed, their bodies trembling slightly.
The Warden stepped forward, his face pale with fear. "Mr. Vance! Sir! Our most profound apologies! We had no orders to stop her! We would never have allowed that woman to disrespect you if we had known your wishes!"
The Warden held out a small, black card with edges of gold. "A token, sir. The Blackwood Card. Unlimited funds. For… for whatever you need. For revenge."
Leo took the card. It felt heavy in his hand, heavy with promise and power.
The Warden swallowed nervously. "And, sir… Mr. Silas's offer… the Phoenix Ring. We were instructed to ask you one final time upon your release. Will you… will you accept it now?"
Leo didn't hesitate. He didn't even need to think. The last piece of his old self was gone. He looked at the Warden, his eyes holding a new, terrifying fire.
"Yes," Leo said, his voice echoing with finality in the silent hall. "I'll accept it."