Chapter 2: The Locked Cage
The smell hit him before the sight did.
Cold. Damp. Neglect.
Daniel’s hands shook as he reached the kennel door. Locked.
From inside, a small figure curled against the metal bars. Pale. Shivering.
“Ethan…”
The boy looked up, eyes wide with disbelief—and then relief so raw it hurt to see.
“Dad?”
That one word shattered something inside him.
Daniel didn’t think. He grabbed a nearby iron rod and smashed the lock. Once. Twice. Three times—until it broke open.
Ethan collapsed into his arms, weak but alive.
“What happened?” Daniel whispered, his voice breaking.
Ethan hesitated… then looked toward the house.
“She said I needed to learn a lesson… not to embarrass her in front of her friends.”
Daniel’s grip tightened.
“She locked me here… since yesterday.”
Yesterday.
While he was closing deals. While he was building a “future.”
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Daniel felt something darker than anger rise inside him.
