That night, Sean’s penthouse was a complete mess.

Empty whiskey bottles littered the table.

The ashtray was overflowing.

The lights in the room had been deliberately dimmed, making the whole place feel dark and oppressive.

Sean sat alone on the sofa, staring at the tablet screen in his hands.

It showed CCTV footage of the lobby of Clara’s apartment building.

Clara had just come home an hour ago.

Alone.

And ever since seeing that...

Sean’s thoughts grew increasingly chaotic.

He imagined going up to Clara’s apartment tonight.

Taking that woman far away from everyone.

Taking Clara away from Leo.

From the world.

From anyone who was slowly making Clara forget him.

And most terrifying of all...

Part of him was starting to think it made sense.

Sean chuckled softly as he rubbed his rough face.

"I’ve really lost my mind..."

But a few seconds later, the man remained standing.

He grabbed his black coat.

His car keys.

Then walked out of the penthouse without a second thought.

---

Thirty minutes later...

Sean’s car pulled into the basement parking lot of Clara’s apartment building.

The engine was turned off.

But Sean didn’t get out right away.

He sat in silence for quite a while, staring at the basement elevator door.

Silence.

Only the sound of his own heavy breathing could be heard inside the car.

His mind was filled with images of Clara.

Clara crying.

Clara begging.

Clara hugging him again like she used to.

And the more he imagined it...

The more real that obsession felt.

Sean slowly opened the car’s glove compartment.

Inside were a pair of black gloves.

A hat.

And a new, untraceable cell phone.

His gaze went blank.

Because in that moment...

He realized he had truly planned something terrible.

His hand slowly reached for the gloves.

But just as he was about to put them on—

His phone vibrated violently.

The name that appeared on the screen made Sean freeze.

Mrs. Weasley.

Sean answered immediately, still breathing heavily.

"What’s wrong?"

But his mother’s voice on the other end sounded panicked.

"Sean, your dad had a heart attack."

Sean’s body tensed instantly.

"What?"

"We’re at the hospital right now!"

All his crazy thoughts vanished in an instant.

Sean immediately tossed the gloves onto the chair next to him.

"What did the doctor say?!"

"You need to come right now!"

Click.

The call ended.

Sean slumped back down, staring blankly ahead.

His breathing was still ragged.

But now it wasn’t because of Clara.

But because of the brutal reality that had just hit him.

And for the first time that night...

Sean truly saw himself clearly.

He had just been sitting in the basement of his ex-wife’s apartment...

With a plan he couldn’t even bring himself to admit out loud.

Sean slowly lowered his head.

Then suddenly let out a small laugh.

A weary laugh.

Broken.

"Look at yourself now..." he whispered hoarsely to himself.

His hands trembled slightly as he started the car again.

And as the car finally pulled out of Clara’s apartment basement...

Sean realized one terrifying thing.

He hadn’t just lost Clara.

He was starting to lose himself, too.

*********

The lights of the top-tier hospital in downtown Texas cast a cool glow on the gleaming white marble floor.

Everything looked serene.

Luxurious.

Exclusive.

There was none of the commotion typical of ordinary hospitals. Even the staff’s footsteps were almost silent.

But in one of the VIP corridors on the upper floor...

The atmosphere surrounding the Weasley family was far from serene.

Sean walked quickly past a row of private treatment rooms with a tight jaw. His expensive black suit was still slightly damp from the rain. His hair was disheveled from being constantly ruffled during the journey.

As soon as he reached the VVIP ICU room...

Mrs. Weasley immediately stood up from the exclusive waiting sofa there.

The elegant woman looked much older tonight.

Her face was pale.

Her eyes were puffy.

"Sean..."

"What did the doctor say?" Sean cut in quickly.

His tone sounded harsh. Tense.

And for the first time in a long while, Sean Weasley looked genuinely afraid.

Mrs. Weasley let out a trembling sigh.

"A mild stroke." Her voice was faint. "But your father’s blood pressure has been skyrocketing over the past few weeks."

Sean immediately bowed his head, running a hand over his rough face.

Because he knew exactly what had caused it.

The corporate scandal.

The threat from Freddy’s family.

The media.

The investors.

And himself.

He slumped heavily onto the sofa in the private waiting room, staring blankly at the floor.

The silence in the VIP corridor felt suffocating.

Shortly afterward, the cardiologist emerged from the ICU with several staff members behind him.

Sean stood up immediately.

"Doctor."

The middle-aged man nodded politely.

"His condition is stable now, Mr. Weasley." His expression was serious. "But he’s been under severe stress for a long time."

Sean clenched his jaw.

"We recommend he completely step away from business pressures for a while."

Mrs. Weasley immediately closed her tired eyes.

Because they all knew...

That was nearly impossible.

After the doctor left, the room fell silent again.

Mrs. Weasley finally sat down slowly beside Sean.

Then, softly...

The woman spoke without looking at her son.

"Where were you tonight?"

Sean tensed slightly.

"Out."

Mrs. Weasley gave a small, bitter laugh.

"You went to Clara’s apartment again, didn’t you?"

Sean remained silent.

And his silence spoke volumes.

Mrs. Weasley turned to face him now. Her expression began to shift to worry.

Not anger.

Fear.

Because she knew her own son.

And Sean had been looking far too unstable lately.

"You have to stop chasing after Clara like this."

Sean gave a hollow little laugh as he leaned back into the sofa.

"I want to stop, too."

His gaze was vacant now.

Tired.

Broken.

"But I can’t get her out of my head."

Mrs. Weasley fell silent.

And for the first time...

She truly realized that this was no longer just the regret of an ex-husband who had become obsessed with his ex-wife.

It had turned into an obsession that was beginning to destroy Sean’s mind and body.

*******

The morning in Texas dawned gray.

The sky was covered in thick clouds as the main conference room of the Weasley Group building began to fill with the tense faces of the company’s executives.

Usually, the room always felt commanding.

Powerful.

Stable.

Because there was Mr. Weasley sitting at the head of the table and Sean in control of everything, leaving not the slightest opening.

But now?

The main chair was empty.

And Sean arrived looking as though he hadn’t slept in days.

The man entered without saying much. His black suit remained impeccable, but his eyes were red and cold.

Everyone fell silent immediately.

Because Sean’s aura this morning felt ominous.

Very ominous.

"Let’s get started," he said briefly as he sat down.

No one dared to waste time.

One of the financial directors immediately opened the large presentation screen at the front of the room.

"This morning, two major investors demanded an official explanation regarding rumors of embezzlement of company funds."

Sean’s jaw tightened instantly.

"Deny it."

"We’ve tried." The man looked nervous. "But the media is starting to get their hands on additional documents."

The atmosphere in the conference room turned icy.

Sean narrowed his eyes.

"What documents?"

The man swallowed before answering softly,

"Transfers to shell company accounts. Personal expenses disguised as marketing costs. And..." he paused briefly, "...photos of your personal trip with Moana."

Thud.

Sean slammed his expensive pen down on the table.

"Where did the media get all that?"

No one dared to answer right away.

Because everyone knew the name behind this mess.

Mr. Freddy.

And that man wasn’t done playing yet.

---

On the other side of town...

Mr. Freddy, on the other hand, looked far more relaxed.

He sat in his home office reading the news about the Weasley Group’s plummeting stock prices.

A sly smile slowly spread across his face.

"Good..." he muttered softly.

Moana sat on the sofa across from him, hugging her knees in silence.

She didn’t smile.

She didn’t look satisfied.

In fact, her face had looked empty lately.

Mr. Freddy glanced at his daughter briefly.

"Are you still thinking about Sean?"

Moana gave a faint, hollow laugh.

"I’m just tired."

But Mr. Freddy didn’t care at all.

He was too caught up in relishing the Weasley family’s downfall right now.

"They’ll be falling soon." His smile widened. "And when that happens, we’ll take it all."

Moana slowly lifted her gaze.

"Sean won’t just stand by."

Mr. Freddy snorted dismissively.

"That boy is starting to lose control." He chuckled. "People whose emotions are shattered are the easiest to bring down."

And unfortunately...

That was true.

---

Meanwhile, at the Weasley Group...

Sean stood in front of the window in his office, gazing at the city of Texas stretching out below.

His phone kept vibrating nonstop.

Investors.

The media.

Directors.

Lawyers.

They all came at once like a pack of wolves that had caught the scent of blood.

But what disgusted Sean the most...

Was the fact that some people within his own company were starting to make their moves behind the scenes.

One of his assistants walked in with a pale face.

"Sir..."

"What now?"

The man hesitated for a few seconds.

"The board of directors is starting to question your position."

The atmosphere in the room froze instantly.

Sean slowly turned his head.

His gaze was incredibly sharp.

"What?"

"They feel this scandal is starting to endanger the company."

Sean chuckled softly.

But his laugh sounded dark.

"So the rats are starting to come out now, are they?"

The assistant immediately bowed his head in fear.

Because Sean’s aura was truly terrifying today.

The man walked slowly back to his desk. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Then he sat down slowly, staring blankly at the documents in front of him.

And for the first time...

Sean began to realize something brutal.

When his father fell ill...

When the company began to crumble...

When everyone started betraying him...

Not a single person truly stood by his side anymore.

Not Moana.

Not Freddy’s family.

Not the board of directors.

Not even himself.

And amidst the ruins of his life...

His thoughts kept returning to Clara.

To the one person who had always stood by him... even when Sean didn’t deserve it.