Chapter 4: No Second Chances

The heavy steel door of the casino's underground holding room slammed shut behind Miles.

His screams slowly faded into silence.

Upstairs, Theo escorted Eva into his private penthouse above the casino, refusing to let anyone else near her.

The family doctor carefully examined her one last time before nodding with relief.

"The drug is wearing off," he said. "She'll feel weak for a day or two, but she'll recover completely."

"Thank you," Theo replied.

Once the doctor left, only the brother and sister remained.

Eva sat quietly on the edge of the bed, staring at the blanket covering her legs.

Theo poured her a glass of warm water before sitting beside her.

"Drink."

She accepted it with trembling hands.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For what?"

"For making you worry."

Theo sighed softly.

"You're apologizing to the wrong person."

"The only one who should be sorry is the man downstairs."

Eva lowered her head.

"I should've listened when you warned me not to trust people so easily."

"You weren't wrong for loving someone," Theo answered gently.

"He was wrong for betraying that love."

A tear slid down Eva's cheek.

"I kept asking myself what I did wrong."

"Was I not good enough?"

"Did I love him too much?"

Theo reached over and gently wiped away her tears.

"Never question your worth because of someone else's greed."

"A diamond doesn't become worthless because a fool trades it for coins."

Eva managed a faint smile.

"You always know what to say."

"That's part of being an older brother."

A knock interrupted them.

"Come in," Theo called.

One of his most trusted bodyguards entered.

"Don, the investigation is finished."

"Report."

"Miles Carter lost twenty thousand dollars gambling over the past three months."

"He borrowed money from illegal lenders before approaching Snake."

"The surveillance footage confirms he offered Miss Eva himself. Snake never forced him."

Theo's expression hardened.

"What about his family?"

"His mother knows nothing."

"She's been working double shifts to help pay his tuition."

"She believes her son is spending Christmas with his girlfriend."

Theo nodded slowly.

"Leave us."

The guard bowed before quietly leaving the room.

Eva closed her eyes.

"His mother was always kind to me."

"She deserves to know the truth," Theo replied.

"But she doesn't deserve to suffer for her son's choices."

Meanwhile, deep beneath the casino, Miles sat handcuffed to a steel chair.

His expensive Christmas suit was stained with blood.

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the corridor.

Theo entered alone.

Miles immediately struggled against the restraints.

"Don Crowe! Please! Let me explain!"

"You already did," Theo answered calmly.

"Now it's my turn."

He placed a folder onto the metal table.

"Inside are copies of every message you exchanged with Snake."

"Every gambling debt."

"Every surveillance recording."

"And every lie you've told."

Miles' face turned pale.

"I..."

"Do you know what disappoints me most?" Theo interrupted.

"It isn't that you gambled."

"It isn't even that you betrayed Eva."

"It's that you looked into her eyes every day while planning to sell her."

"That requires a special kind of cruelty."

Miles burst into tears.

"I was desperate!"

"Please... give me one chance!"

"I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to her!"

Theo stared at him without emotion.

"Would you have given Eva a second chance if someone had sold your mother?"

Miles froze.

He couldn't answer.

"Exactly."

"Some mistakes destroy every bridge behind them."

"You crossed that bridge the moment you chose money over the woman who trusted you."

Theo stood.

"Tomorrow morning, the police will receive anonymous evidence of your illegal gambling activities."

"Snake's trafficking operation will be exposed as well."

"The Crowe family doesn't bury innocent people."

"We let justice deal with them."

"No!" Miles shouted.

"Please! Don't send me to prison!"

"I'll apologize!"

"I'll kneel before Eva!"

"I'll do anything!"

Theo stopped at the doorway.

"That's the problem, Miles."

"You were willing to do anything... except protect the woman you claimed to love."

Without another word, he walked out.

The steel door closed.

Miles' desperate cries echoed through the empty underground corridor.

Upstairs, Eva stood by the penthouse window overlooking the glittering city skyline.

She slowly removed every photograph of herself and Miles from her phone.

Then she blocked his number.

Finally, she deleted every message they had ever exchanged.

With each tap, another piece of the past disappeared.

She took a long breath.

For the first time since Christmas Eve, her heart no longer ached because she had lost Miles.

It ached because she realized the man she loved had never truly existed.

The only thing left now...

Was learning how to live again.