Julian stood by the window, his back rigid as a statue. His words hung in the quiet penthouse like a physical weight, echoing off the high glass walls again and again.

Evelyn froze on the spot, her hand staying stuck in midair. Her mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. The bitter anger that had been burning inside her chest for hours suddenly stalled, replaced by a shock so deep that her knees felt weak.

"You owed him a life?" Evelyn whispered, her voice barely audible in the huge room. "What do you mean, Julian? What promise?"

Julian turned around slowly. The cold, untouchable wall he usually kept around...