Chapter 1
Liam Carter's alarm clock buzzed angrily at 5:30 a.m., dragging him from a restless sleep. He silenced it with a heavy hand, groaning as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Another day, another battle to struggle through.
In the kitchen, he worked quickly—scrambling eggs and toasting the last two slices of bread in the house. He glanced at the almost-empty fridge and sighed. Payday was days away, and what little he had would go straight to his debts.
"Amelia, Danny! Breakfast!" he called.
Footsteps thundered down the hall, and his children burst into the room. Eight-year-old Amelia, with her wild curls tied in a loose ponytail, slid into her seat casually. Danny, her twin brother followed behind her. They were already both dressed in their school uniforms.
"Dad, I told you I hate crusts," Amelia whined, eyeing her toast.
Liam smiled, hiding the ache in his chest. "Eat it anyway. Crusts make you stronger."
Danny giggled. "Is that why you eat all of ours?"
Liam laughed, ruffling his son's hair. Moments like this made the endless struggle worth it. They were all he had, and he would sacrifice anything for their happiness.
After breakfast, he hugged them both tightly before they left for school. "Be good. I'll see you tonight."
Watching them walk down the street, backpacks bouncing, Liam felt the familiar pang of guilt. He wanted to give them so much more than this life of barely getting by.
By the time he reached the factory where he worked, Liam's phone buzzed in his pocket. He hesitated before answering, knowing exactly who it was.
"You're late with the payment again, Carter," a cold voice rasped.
"I know," Liam said, lowering his voice as he stepped outside. "I just need a little more time."
"You've been saying that for months. Time's up." The line went dead, leaving Liam staring at the screen, his heart pounding. What was he planning this time? Liam wondered.
The day dragged on in a haze of noise and exhaustion. His coworkers gave him pitying glances, whispering when they thought he couldn't hear.
"Carter looks worse every day."
"Poor guy's drowning in debt."
"He should've known better than to borrow from those people."
"He never would have ended up in this mess if his girlfriend hadn't abandoned him with two kids and vanished without a trace."
Liam sighed, already hearing them whispering about his, he was already used to people talking behind his back, he turned, focusing on his work. He didn't have the luxury of breaking down. Not yet.
By the time he clocked out, the sky had turned a dull gray. He hurried home, his limbs heavy, his mind replaying the last words he heard before the call ended.
The house was dark when he opened the door. At first, he thought the kids were playing hide-and-seek, but as the silence stretched, unease crept over him. They usually returned from school around latest 2pm, they should have arrived home by now.
"Amelia? Danny?" His voice echoed.
He checked their bedrooms, the backyard, even the neighbor's house. Nothing. Panic clawed at his throat as he dialed their school, his hands trembling.
"They left on time," the secretary said. "Are you sure they're not home?"
Liam dropped the phone, his breaths coming fast and shallow. His thoughts spiraled, each one darker than the last. There was only one person who could be behind this. His hands clenched into fists. His mind was already racing, He couldn't lose them. Not after everything.
Without thinking, he grabbed his coat and stormed out of the building.He didn't care about the cold or the risks. He knew exactly where he had to go
He immediately made his way to Victor's mansion, the Mafia boss who he owed and had been pressuring him to pay on time. Liam banged on the door until his fists hurt.
When the door finally creaked open, two large men appeared, their appearance intimidating.
"Where's your boss, I need to see your boss" Liam yelled desperately, a dozen possibilities clawing his mind on what might have happened to his kids.
"He is waiting inside" one of the men replied, without wasting a second, cater hurried inside the mansion and into Victor's office. There, he sat, looking like he'd been expecting his arrival, he leaned on the Chair, looking completely calm, his expression almost amused.
"Where are my kids?" Liam demanded, his voice shaking with rage.
The boss smirked, lighting a cigar. "Carter, Carter. You should be thanking me."
"Thanking you?" Liam's fists clenched.
"They were a burden, weren't they? You never had a moment of peace since they came into your life, it's time you move on, don't you think?" The boss blew out a puff of smoke.
"I asked you a damn question, where are my kids!!!" Liam growled.
"I chopped them up and sold their organs. Your debt's cleared now"
Liam froze. His mind struggling to process what he just heard, this couldn't be true right? The words didn't make sense, didn't feel real. "No… you're lying."
"Why would I lie?" Victor's voice was cold, devoid of any humanity. "It's business, Carter. You should be grateful they were all I took from you."
Liam felt like his world just collapsed before him, they were both fine this morning, were and when had it all gone wrong.
Something inside him snapped. He yelled as he lunged at Rafael, his roar filled with pure, unfiltered rage. But the guards were faster. They grabbed him, forcing him to the ground and pinning his head down, preventing him from moving.
"What do you think you're doing? You want to get your revenge? You think you can touch me?" The boss chuckled mockingly, then drew another smoke. "Throw him out. And if he comes back, kill him."
Liam struggled to free himself from the guards holding, kicking and trashing against the guards, screaming his children's names. "Amelia! Danny!"
They dragged him to the gates and tossed him into the street like trash. He lay there, battered and broken as tears streamed down his eyes, his sobs echoing in the cold night air.
It all started when Mia, the girlfriend he'd broken up with after she cheated on him, came back ten months later—with twins. At first, he wasn't convinced they were his, but a DNA test proved otherwise.
That was how he became a father, even before finishing college. He tried taking out a loan to support the kids, but the bank turned him down. Your credit's too poor, they said. You're not a reliable borrower.
That's when he heard about Victor Caruso, a Mafia boss known for giving loans to anyone, with little to no interest. Desperate, Liam took the loan, thinking it was his only chance. But it was a trap. If he didn't pay back within a year, the debt would double. And each year, it would keep doubling.
It was too late for him to turn back. Before he knew it, he had a mountain of debt and nothing to show for it.
And now, the two children he had sacrificed everything for had been taken from him. His heart burned with rage, his mind consumed by the thought of revenge. The sky started to rain, the water droplets soaking his face and clothes, the heavens bore witness to his dispair. His fist clenched so hard till his knuckles turned white, he wouldn't let this go. I'll make them pay, he swore to himself. Every single one of them. No matter what it takes.