Chapter 5
Julian sat in the back of his disabled luxury sports car parked on the shoulder of the highway, staring blankly at his dead smartphone screen. The battery had finally given out after hundreds of unanswered calls to panicked creditors, lawyers, and former friends.
The sleek European vehicle was technically leased through corporate financing, meaning it would likely be repossessed by repo agents before the end of the week. He felt a suffocating weight press down on his chest, making every breath feel like inhaling shards of broken glass.
How had it all gone so wrong in the span of a single afternoon? He had everything—wealth, status, a stunning bride, and an untouchable family name—all sacrificed on the altar of his mother's arrogance.
If only he had stopped Eleanor from shoving Elena against that mirror; if only he had spoken up just once to defend his fiancée. But cowardice was a habit, and his lifelong submission to his mother's iron will had finally delivered the ultimate, devastating penalty.
A State Trooper cruiser pulled up behind his disabled vehicle with overhead lights flashing in the afternoon glare, casting red and blue shadows. The trooper stepped out, walking slowly toward the driver's side window with a heavy, professional stride.
Julian rolled down the window manually, looking up at the officer with hollow, defeated eyes. "Sir, this vehicle has been flagged by financial clearinghouses as disputed collateral; you need to step out of the car," the trooper instructed firmly.
With slow, mechanical movements, Julian opened the door and stepped out onto the asphalt, surrendering the keys without a single word of protest. He stood on the side of the highway watching his car get loaded onto a flatbed tow truck, completely stripped of his dignity.
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A passing public bus slowed down nearby, and Julian caught his reflection in the bus window, seeing a broken man wearing an expensive, now-useless tuxedo. He began walking down the dusty roadside toward the nearest train station, realizing he had no home to return to.
His mother was currently locked inside a declining estate with frozen accounts, and his wife—now his fiercest adversary—was miles away in Manhattan. The American dream he had taken for granted had just transformed into an inescapable nightmare of his own making.
