Ethan Smith drifted through the quiet streets, smoke curling from his lips as despair gnawed at his chest. Three years of marriage had crumbled into ash—nothing but betrayal remained. A fierce determination ignited within him. He would make her pay for her treachery, and he would ensure those who had shown him kindness would thrive. That woman was Emily Taylor, the one who had pulled him from darkness when he stood at life's precipice, her light his only salvation. "Emily, now it's my turn to protect you."