I thought I’d lost everything when my wife died—until my daughter’s quiet whisper on Easter afternoon told me I still had a battle left to fight.

I called Marcus at 8:00 a.m.

He answered on the first ring.

“James Carter. I was wondering when you’d finally stop hiding.”

His voice was the same. Deep. Gravelly. Like he smoked three packs a day and laughed at other people’s misfortunes. Marcus and I had been through hell together. We’d built Carter Industries from a two-man operation in a rented office to a powerhouse that had senators and CEOs on speed dial.

And then I’d left.

Walked away without looking back.

He’d never forgiven me for it.

Not entirely.

“I need your help, Marcus.”

“Now there’s a phrase I thought I’d never hear. The great James Carter needs something from little old me.”

I ignored the sarcasm. “It’s my daughter. Her husband. He’s been abusing her. Physically. Emotionally. For years.”

The line went quiet.

When Marcus spoke again, the humor was gone.

“Ethan Sterling.”

It wasn’t a question.

Marcus always knew everything. That was his gift.

“You know him?”

“Everybody knows him. Arrogant son of a bitch. Made his money in tech. Thinks the world owes him something. We’ve had clients ask about him before. His business practices are… creative. Lots of gray areas. Some that are definitely black.”

I leaned against the porch rail. “I need everything you have on him. Every skeleton. Every secret. Every illegal dollar. Every person he’s ever stepped on to get where he is.”

Marcus whistled softly. “You’re talking about taking him down. Not just a divorce. Total destruction.”

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about.”

“James… you know what this means. If we go after Ethan Sterling, it’s not going to be quiet. He’s going to fight back. Hard. He’s got the best lawyers money can buy. He’s got friends in high places. And the second he finds out you’re behind this, he’s going to dig into you. He’s going to find out about Carter Industries. He’s going to find out who you really are.”

“Let him.”

I meant it.

I’d spent years hiding from my past.

Trying to be someone smaller. Quieter.

But Ethan Sterling had made it personal.

He’d hurt my child.

And there was no version of this story where he walked away.

“All right,” Marcus said. “I’ll start pulling files. But I need something from you first.”

“Name it.”

“Come in. To the office. Tomorrow. We need to plan this face to face. And James?”

“Yeah?”

“Bring the old you. The one who didn’t play by anyone else’s rules. We’re going to need him.”

He hung up.

I stared at my phone.

The old me.

I wasn’t sure he still existed.

But for Lily, I’d find him.

I went back inside.

Lily was in the kitchen, making coffee. She’d slept in late—ten hours, according to the clock on the wall. The bruise on her face was already turning from purple to yellow. She’d tried to cover it with makeup, but I could still see it.

“Who was that on the phone?” she asked.

“An old friend. Marcus. He’s going to help us.”

She poured two cups of coffee. “The Marcus from your old company?”

I nodded.

“Dad… are you sure about this? Ethan has so much money. He can hire a hundred lawyers. What if—”

I cut her off. “No what-ifs. Not this time. Ethan isn’t the only one with resources. And he’s not the only one who knows how to play this game. He just thinks he is.”

The doorbell rang.

We both froze.

Lily’s hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes went wide with terror.

“Is it him?” she whispered.

I moved between her and the door.

“Stay here.”

I walked to the foyer and checked the peephole.

It wasn’t Ethan.

It was a delivery man.

Holding a large bouquet of white roses.

I opened the door.

“James Carter?”

“That’s me.”

“Sign here, please.”

I signed for the flowers and brought them inside.

There was no card.

But I knew who they were from.

Only one person sent white roses like these.

Ethan.

A peace offering.

A threat.

A reminder that he knew where I lived.

Lily came into the hallway and saw them.

Her face paled.

“He knows I’m here.”

I set the flowers on the table. “Of course he does. He’s not stupid. He knew you’d come to me. This is just his way of letting us know he’s watching.”

I picked up my phone and took several photos of the bouquet.

Evidence.

Everything was evidence now.

“What do we do?” Lily asked.

“Nothing. Not about the flowers. They’re just flowers. But we’re going to document everything. Every contact. Every message. Every move he makes. Marcus is going to want all of it.”

My phone buzzed.

A text from an unknown number.

I opened it.

We need to talk about Lily. She’s overreacting, as usual. I’m willing to be generous. Name your price.

I stared at the message.

Name your price.

Ethan thought he could buy me.

Thought everything and everyone had a number.

I showed the text to Lily.

Her jaw tightened.

“He always does this. Throws money at problems until they go away.”

I typed a response.