I CAUGHT THE CHAIRMAN’S FIANCÉE BURNING HIS DAUGHTER’S HAIR WITH A CURLING IRON. I SCREAMED AND SHOVED HER AWAY, THINKING MY LIFE WAS OVER. THEN HE WALKED IN—AND DID THE UNTHINKABLE.

Later that evening, while Leo slept soundly in the small bedroom above Clara's diner, Jax sat in a corner booth down below with an old, dusty envelope. Clara poured him a fresh cup of dark roast coffee and sat down across from him.

""You've been quiet all night, Jax,"" she observed gently.

""I went through Sarah's old letters,"" Jax said, holding up a postcard from eight years ago. ""Look at the postmark date. It was sent three weeks after I left town. Her father told me she went to Europe. He told me she never wanted to see my face again because I was just a no-good biker.""

""Old man Vance was always protective, Jax,"" Clara sighed. ""He wanted a different life for her.""

""He lied to us both,"" Jax said, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the mug. ""He kept us apart. He made Sarah raise our boy alone while she was sick, and he let me believe I was garbage not worth loving.""

""Anger won't fix what was broken, Jax,"" Clara said firmly, reaching out to touch his hand. ""Old man Vance passed away three years ago. You can't fight a ghost. But you have a live boy upstairs who needs a dad. Focus your energy on him.""

Jax closed his eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath. Clara was right. Retaliation and bitterness would only rob him of the time he had left with Leo.