Joe Goldberg stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in his new office — now the main floor of the Lockwood Corporation. The city sprawled beneath him, its lights reflecting the sharp edges of the life he had built, a life he never truly wanted, but now owned. His gaze remained distant, lost in the shadows of the past, rather than the bright future ahead.

It had only been a few months since he had “inherited” everything — after the tragedy with Kate and the unforeseen end with Bronte. The world had called it an accident, but Joe knew it was much more than that. He called it survival.

Now, he wasn’t just a father; he was the keeper of a legacy. Lockwood Corporation, once a symbol of ambition and power, was now his empire. And even in the sterile silence of his new, luxurious office, Joe couldn’t help but remember the old cage in the basement of Mooney’s back in New York. The memories of what he had left behind — old habits, old mistakes. They die slowly.

The deaths of Kate and Bronte had been messy, but necessary. Kate had become a threat to everything he was trying to rebuild. She was the anchor to a past he was desperate to escape. And Bronte? She had been a danger to his plans — a relentless force that needed to be eliminated. Now, with both women gone, Joe was finally free to take control of the Lockwood empire and reshape it into something entirely his own.

As he stood there, gazing out of the window, Joe couldn’t help but think of you. You, the one who had stayed by him when everything fell apart. The only one who hadn’t turned away when the walls caved in. You had offered him understanding and comfort — things Kate and Bronte had never given him. In the aftermath of it all, you were the one he could rely on.

His eyes shifted to a photo on his desk. You, standing next to Kate, smiling, carefree. The only one left after everything. The only one who hadn’t run away. You had stood by him when no one else dared. But there had always been a distance between you — a line he couldn’t cross. You were married. He never liked that.

“She was always closer than she should’ve been,” Joe thought, running his finger along the edge of the photo frame. “But maybe… maybe it’s finally time to talk honestly.”