His Caged Butterfly

She was crying-no, sobbing-as if this was the end of her life, as if today was her last day on earth. Everything blurred in front of her eyes, her vision clouded by unshed tears and unbearable grief. But through that haze, one image remained sharp: her dying father.

The school, once filled with the laughter and dreams of children, lay in ruins. Their books, the very foundation of their future, had been ripped apart, reduced to meaningless scraps. The workers, the teachers, their families-all had been crushed under the weight of one man's cruelty. And she, helpless on her knees, could do nothing but weep.

A soundless scream tore through her throat, her chest heaving as she cried harder than she had in years-maybe since childhood, back when she was too young to understand the world's cruelty. But today, she understood too much.

And then, he stepped forward.

The man responsible for all of this. The beast who had razed her world to the ground. He knelt before her, his presence suffocating, his touch a brand of fire as he gripped her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"Marry me," he said, his voice cold, unshaken. "And I will spare their lives."