Prologue
Kyle closed his eyes, letting his thoughts slowly sink as painful memories pulled him back into the past.
Bang! The gunshot shattered the air, followed by his mother’s piercing scream echoing through the villa. The sound was sharp, as if a heart were being torn apart before his very eyes, soon dissolving into uncontrollable sobs that filled the house like the echo of something irreparably broken.
Inside the study, a large wooden desk was covered with scattered papers. Behind it sat Peter, his father, slumped motionless in his chair — lifeless, like a puppet with its strings cut.
Kyle, only ten years old, stood frozen. His heart shattered at the sight before him. In a single moment, his entire world collapsed.
The ranch workers rushed in, and Rose, the housekeeper, quickly pulled him away from the room, trying to shield the young boy from a scene far too cruel for a child to bear.
But even so, the wound had already carved itself deep into his heart.
After that day, his mother was never the same. Her heart had broken beyond repair, and sorrow clung to her life like a shadow. Amber bottles became her only companions, the soft sound of liquor being poured into a glass repeating over and over like a ritual of ruin.
Strange men came and went from her life from time to time, leaving behind only fleeting traces on the bed and empty memories. No one could replace what had been lost. To her, every face was merely a distorted reflection seen through the bottom of a glass.
As for Kyle…
The boy chose to lock his heart away. He grew up too quickly — too strong to cry, too hardened to ask for help.
Horses, the scent of sweat, and the open land became the only world that never betrayed him.
And from that day on, that boy never truly disappeared.
He simply grew older, carrying wounds that were never healed.
