The Substitute's Contract: Seven Days to Reset My Life

Chapter 5

"It was him!" Little Luna's tiny finger pointed accusingly at Ethan, her eyes glinting with a cunning far beyond her years.

Ethan froze, a chill creeping down his spine.

"I didn't—" Before he could defend himself, Luna burst into dramatic sobs. "Daddy, save me! Uncle tried to kill me!"

Alexander Huxley lunged forward, shielding Luna in his arms, his face twisted with fury. "Ethan Smith, if you have a problem, take it up with me! How could you lay a hand on a five-year-old?"

The act was so convincing that even Ethan might have believed it—if he weren't the one being framed.

His voice trembled as he stared at Luna. "Who really pushed you?"

"Enough!" Sophia Sinclair slammed her palm on the table, her glare scorching. "I married you because I thought you were decent. I never imagined you could be this vile!"

"Guards! Lock him in the confinement room! He stays there until he admits his guilt!"

As the bodyguards dragged him away, Ethan struggled. "Sophia, it wasn't me—"

"I have claustrophobia! Let me out!"

The heavy iron door clanged shut behind him, plunging him into suffocating darkness. He pounded desperately against the metal, his nails screeching against the surface.

"Help... please..."

His voice grew hoarse, his breathing ragged. In his delirium, he saw them—his real family.

"Daddy, don't be scared..." His daughter's sweet voice whispered in his ear, while his wife gently tucked the blankets around him.

They were the ones he truly belonged with.

A car crash had stolen them from him. His wife was now in a medically induced coma, his daughter forever frozen at three years old. And here he was, trapped in this absurd world.

"Can't give up..." he muttered. "Just five more days..."

The next morning, the door finally creaked open.

Sophia stood silhouetted against the light, her tone icy. "I checked the surveillance footage. Luna fell on her own. But Alexander didn’t mean any harm."

Ethan forced a grim smile, more of a grimace than anything else.

"Luna wants you to cook for her," Sophia said impatiently. "Go make something."

He nodded silently. As he turned away, she snapped, "What’s with you counting the days? What are you waiting for?"

"Nothing." Ethan walked toward the kitchen without looking back, his nails digging into his palms.

Five days left.

Just five more days, and he could return to his real family.