“Dad, I want to be a dancer! And I got this amazing opportunity to audition for the best dancing school. I’m going to Florida next week for it!” said fresh out of high school Luke.

His father, Harry, burst out laughing. “Oh, boy, you almost got me! Luke, this isn’t the time for pranks, OK? Dancing? Oh God! Not even Walter tries out such pranks these days!”

Luke couldn’t believe his father just dismissed him. He looked at his mother and younger brother laughing at him and felt very annoyed. “You can’t order me around and control my life!”

But Harry was not so casual about it. He was worried. Very worried. He knew his son well, and watching Luke’s attitude, he had sensed the boy was not going to back off.

So Harry decided to take matters into his own hands and put an end to his son’s dancing career.

Two days before Luke was supposed to leave for Florida, Harry invited two men to his garage.

“Can’t believe a father would do this to their son,” one of them chuckled, glancing around Harry’s garage. “You’re one heartless father, aren’t you?”

“You better mind your business, boy,” Harry said stiffly, poking the man’s chest. “You get the money. You do the job. Once you’re done, we don’t know each other!”

What happened next shattered Harry’s family’s life forever.

Two days before Luke’s departure, he went to bed early, excitement coursing through him. He dreamt of his future as a dancer, performing on grand stages, winning accolades, and making a name for himself.

In the dead of night, the two men Harry hired slipped into Luke’s room. They moved swiftly and silently, ensuring they wouldn’t wake anyone else in the house. They grabbed Luke, who woke up struggling, eyes wide with terror.

“Shut up, kid,” one of them hissed, tightening his grip on Luke’s mouth. “We don’t want to hurt you.”

But Luke was strong and determined. He fought back, kicking and punching with all his might. The struggle turned violent, and in the chaos, one of the men pulled out a knife.

“Just knock him out,” the other man urged. “We don’t need blood.”

But it was too late. Luke’s struggle intensified, and the knife accidentally plunged into his side. The men panicked, realizing the situation had spiraled out of control. They fled, leaving Luke bleeding and gasping for breath.

The commotion woke Harry and the rest of the family. Harry rushed to Luke’s room and found his son on the floor, blood pooling around him. His heart dropped.

“Dad…why?” Luke whispered, pain and betrayal in his eyes.

Harry tried to stop the bleeding, screaming for his wife to call 911. The ambulance arrived quickly, but the damage was severe. Luke was rushed to the hospital, where doctors fought to save him.

As Harry sat in the waiting room, guilt consumed him. He had only wanted to stop Luke from pursuing what he thought was a foolish dream, but now his son’s life was hanging by a thread.

Hours later, the doctor emerged, looking grim. “We’ve stabilized him for now, but he’s lost a lot of blood. The next 24 hours are critical.”

Harry’s wife and younger son, Walter, looked at him with a mixture of horror and disbelief. “What happened, Harry?” his wife demanded. “How did this happen?”

Harry couldn’t meet their eyes. He mumbled something about an attempted robbery, but Walter wasn’t buying it. “Dad, you did this, didn’t you? You couldn’t stand the thought of Luke dancing, so you tried to stop him.”

Harry broke down, confessing everything. His wife and Walter were devastated, unable to comprehend how Harry could have taken such drastic measures.

Days passed, and Luke slowly recovered. But the relationship between Harry and his family was irrevocably damaged. Luke couldn’t forgive his father, and the once close-knit family was now fractured.

Harry spent the rest of his life trying to make amends, but the trust and love had been shattered. Luke eventually pursued his dream, moving to Florida and becoming a renowned dancer. But his father’s actions had left a permanent scar, a reminder of the lengths to which fear and control can drive a person.