A day earlier, in Ivan's house...
"Ivan... your mother is still alive," Karl said quietly.
Ivan froze.
"What?!"
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Then where is she now?!"
He took a step forward.
"Dad... how could you not tell me something this important?"
"I'm telling you this now because... I don't think I have much time left."
"And before it's too late, I think you deserve to know what really happened fifteen years ago."
The Night Everything Burned
Fifteen years earlier...
Inside a large casino, around thirty-five people were gathered that night.
The casino belonged to Robert and his family.
His wife was there, along with their three-year-old son.
At one of the tables sat Karl, Robert, and several others.
"Karl, you sure you want to do this?" Robert asked.
Karl knew that if he lost, he would lose everything he had.
Still, he made his choice.
"Alright! All on red."
The roulette wheel spun.
The small white ball bounced from pocket to pocket as everyone watched in silence.
Some people were standing around the table now, curious to see whether Karl would win or lose.
After what felt like forever, the ball finally slowed down.
Then it landed.
Red.
"It's RED!"
"Holy luck!"
Cheers erupted throughout the room.
Karl couldn't believe it.
He had actually won.
The money in front of him had doubled.
For a brief moment, it felt like all his problems had disappeared.
But the man sitting across from him wasn't celebrating.
"No... no, no, no!"
"This can't be true!"
"How can I lose all of it?!"
The man looked completely broken.
Then he reached into his jacket and pulled out a pistol.
He pointed it directly at Karl.
"If you don't give me everything you won, you're not leaving this place alive!"
The room immediately fell silent.
Several people backed away from the table.
"Karl, give me my chips!"
"You're so stubborn."
A gunshot echoed through the room.
The bullet only grazed Karl's ear.
"Holy shit, you son of a bitch!"
Security guards rushed into the room after hearing the shot.
Before they could react, Karl grabbed a shotgun from one of them.
"Robert, stay out of this."
"It's either him or me. One of us isn't leaving this place today."
"Karl, don't do this," Robert said.
The man kept his pistol aimed.
"Karl, one last time."
"Give me my chips."
"Or you won't make it out alive."
"You are so stubborn."
Karl fired.
The man dodged and started running.
A few seconds later, he turned around and fired back.
The bullet missed.
Karl quickly reloaded the shotgun.
"Don't, Karl!" Robert shouted as he rushed toward him.
But it was too late.
Karl fired again.
The shot struck the man in the chest.
The man collapsed onto the floor.
Then Robert heard someone scream.
He turned around.
His wife had been standing behind him.
She had been caught in the line of fire.
"!"
Robert immediately ran toward her.
"Katherine! Stay with me!"
The entire room erupted into panic.
People began running in every direction.
Some rushed toward the exits.
Others stood frozen in shock.
"What have I done..."
The guards immediately moved toward Karl.
Karl grabbed the dead man's pistol and fired at the electrical circuit.
The lights went out.
Darkness covered the casino.
Karl thought it would help him escape.
Instead, sparks landed on nearby decorations.
Within moments, a fire started.
At first it was small.
Then it spread.
And spread.
Within minutes, the flames were everywhere.
Smoke filled the building.
People screamed for help.
Parents searched for their children.
Friends became separated in the chaos.
The casino had become a death trap.
In the middle of the confusion, Karl managed to escape.
Hours later, the truth became known.
Out of the thirty-five people inside the casino that night...
only four survived.
Robert was one of them.
But survival came at a terrible cost.
Half of his face was left covered in burn scars.
His wife died.
His three-year-old son died.
Everything he had built was destroyed in a single night.
The casino was gone.
His family was gone.
His life was gone.
From that day onward, Robert blamed only one person.
Karl.
Karl sat inside his car and immediately called Olivia.
"Pack everything right now."
"We're leaving."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Olivia asked.
"Don't ask questions."
"Just do what I said and be quick."
"Karl, what's going on?"
"I'll explain later."
"Just be ready when I get there."
Karl ended the call.
The fire from the casino could still be seen in the distance.
For the first time in his life...
he was running away.