Chapter 179 CHAPTER 179:NO WAY OUT
The sky was grey that morning.
Not stormy. Not calm either.
Just heavy.
Like the weight sitting in Wayne’s chest.
He stood outside the hospital for a moment before getting into his car, his eyes drifting up toward the floor where Elara lay recovering.
She had moved again that morning.
Just a little.
But enough.
Enough to remind him that she was still fighting.
And their daughter…
Wayne allowed himself a small breath.
“She’s getting stronger,” he muttered under his breath.
For the first time in days, hope had started to grow.
But hope didn’t erase danger.
It sharpened it.
Because now, more than ever, Wayne had something to lose.
The road to the prison felt familiar now.
Too familiar.
Wayne’s grip on the steering wheel tightened as he drove.
This wasn’t just about anger anymore.
This was about control.
Protection.
Finality.
Calvin had already proven what he was capable of.
And Wayne knew something most people didn’t
Men like Calvin didn’t stop.
They waited.
They planned.
They tried again.
Wayne’s jaw hardened.
Not this time.
The prison stood cold and unwelcoming as ever.
Tall walls.
Barbed wire.
Guards stationed like statues of authority.
Wayne stepped out of the car and walked inside without hesitation.
Every step echoed with purpose.
This wasn’t a visit.
This was a warning.
The visiting room looked exactly the same.
Cold.
Plain.
Separated by glass.
And there he was.
Calvin.
Sitting like he belonged there.
Like none of this mattered.
Wayne stepped forward slowly, his eyes locked onto his brother.
“Calvin.”
Calvin looked up, that same faint smirk creeping onto his face.
“Well… if it isn’t the devoted husband.”
Wayne didn’t react.
Not this time.
He pulled the chair back and sat down slowly.
Calvin leaned forward slightly.
“What brings you back so soon? Miss me already?”
Wayne’s voice came out low.
Controlled.
Dangerously calm.
“They’re getting better.”
Calvin’s expression paused for just a second.
Barely noticeable.
But Wayne saw it.
“Elara moved her fingers,” Wayne continued.
“And my daughter? She’s breathing stronger every day.”
The smirk on Calvin’s face faded just slightly.
Wayne leaned closer to the glass.
“They’re alive.”
Silence stretched between them.
Calvin leaned back slowly.
“Lucky them.”
Wayne’s eyes darkened.
“No.”
His voice sharpened.
“Not luck.”
“It’s because you failed.”
That hit.
Wayne saw it land.
Calvin’s jaw tightened slightly.
Wayne rested his hands on the table, his voice dropping lower.
“I didn’t come here to argue with you.”
Calvin tilted his head slightly.
“Oh?”
Wayne’s gaze never wavered.
“I came here to make something clear.”
The room seemed to grow quieter.
Even the guards outside looked more alert.
Wayne leaned forward slightly.
“You’re never getting out.”
Calvin let out a quiet scoff.
“That’s not up to you.”
Wayne shook his head slowly.
“It is now.”
Calvin’s eyes narrowed.
Wayne’s voice remained calm.
Too calm.
“I will do everything in my power to make sure you stay right here.”
He tapped the table lightly.
“In this prison.”
“For the rest of your life.”
Calvin leaned forward, his voice dropping.
“You think you can control the system?”
Wayne met his gaze without hesitation.
“I don’t need to control it.”
A pause.
“I just need to influence it.”
That silence again.
Heavier this time.
Wayne continued.
“You’re facing attempted murder, kidnapping, illegal weapons charges…”
He tilted his head slightly.
“And that’s just what they’ve charged you with so far.”
Calvin’s smirk started to fade.
Wayne pressed further.
“I will testify.”
“My wife will testify.”
“And if I have to”
His voice hardened.
“I’ll dig up every single thing you’ve ever done in your life and make sure it’s presented in court.”
Calvin’s fingers curled slightly against the table.
Wayne noticed.
Good.
Wayne leaned even closer now, his voice almost a whisper.
“You wanted everything, right?”
“My life.”
“My wife.”
“My child.”
He let out a slow breath.
“Well now you get something instead.”
A pause.
“You get a cell.”
Calvin’s jaw tightened.
“You don’t scare me.”
Wayne gave a small, cold smile.
“I’m not trying to scare you.”
Another pause.
“I’m promising you.”
The weight of those words settled deep.
Wayne’s eyes didn’t leave his.
“If staying locked up is the only way to protect my family…”
His voice dropped even further.
“Then I’ll make sure those doors never open for you again.”
For the first time…
Calvin didn’t respond immediately.
Something flickered in his eyes.
Not fear.
Not fully.
But something close.
Something uncertain.
Wayne saw it.
And pressed harder.
“You lost.”
Calvin scoffed again, but it sounded weaker now.
“This isn’t over.”
Wayne shook his head slowly.
“It is.”
“No,” Calvin snapped.
Wayne leaned back slightly, calmer now.
“Yes.”
A beat.
“You just haven’t accepted it yet.”
Wayne stood up slowly.
The chair scraped lightly against the floor.
Calvin’s eyes followed him.
Wayne paused before leaving.
“One more thing.”
Calvin didn’t respond.
Wayne’s voice was steady.
“You don’t get to say their names anymore.”
A pause.
“You don’t get to think about them.”
Another pause.
“You don’t get to exist in their world.”
He turned slightly.
“Because as far as I’m concerned…”
Wayne looked back at him one last time.
“You’re already gone.”
Wayne didn’t wait for a response.
He walked out of the room without looking back.
This time, there was no anger burning inside him.
No chaos.
No uncertainty.
Just something solid.
Something final.
Control.
As he stepped out of the prison and into the open air, he took a deep breath.
His phone buzzed in his pocket.
He pulled it out quickly.
A message from the hospital.
“Elara showed stronger response today. Progress improving.”
Wayne closed his eyes briefly.
A small, genuine smile formed on his lips.
“They’re coming back to me,” he whispered.
And this time…
Nothing was going to take them away again.