Victor’s heart was shattering.
It wasn’t the kind of pain that could be expressed in words.
It was the kind that lived deep in the bones… the kind that hurt even when he breathed.
The man standing in front of him counted the money slowly, deliberately.
Crisp dollars. A stack of them.
Thousands.
Victor’s car… the one thing he felt proud to own… was now gone.
Just… gone.
The man didn’t smile. He didn’t show gratitude. He didn’t show any emotion at all.
He just handed Victor the money, shoved the papers into a brown envelope, and walked away without looking back.
Victor stood there holding the backpack that now contained the money.
His throat burned. His chest felt tight.
He could still smell the leather seats of the car that used to be his.
He remembered gripping that steering w
